On the 3rd worst holiday ever - pity party

[BlowDryRat]

TLDR: we are in Cornwall, staying in a caravan with walls so thin I can hear the DC breathing at night. All the pre-planned, booked months ago activities have been cancelled because it won't stop F-ing raining. Everywhere else is rammed or fully booked and wonders why we didn't book months ago We resorted to taking the children to the cinema on Tuesday, then to an English Heritage place exactly the same as every other English Heritage place that doesn't take me 5 hours to drive to. Today we are at the Eden Project. DD keeps trying to steal leaves and flowers and whining for ice cream. DS just wants a rest or to go on the zip wire,which is fully booked and I didn't pre-book because we did zip wiring last week. I'm allergic to all the rare plants and keep sneezing. All the ice cream is made with weird stuff.

I've paid a grand to live in a caravan, doing things that I could do within an hour of home. I can't wait to go home. I know lots of people are 'going on holiday' by camping under their imaginary dining table this summer but

I sympathize, we were on holiday in Cornwall in May. The weather was foul and I broke my arm !

Aw I feel for you! We live here in Cornwall and it is tricky when the weather is bad. We went camping last week and had a great time and didn’t pre book anything. Have you guys gone paddle boarding? Get wetsuits and boards it’s pretty cheap and can be done in the drizzle!

[quote cancancan]@PeacheyPeach we took DD 5 she loves the rides and can go on most things now.
We got there for when it opened, went straight to the hornet ride, thankfully we did this first as the Q a few hours later was ridiculous!
But we'd done everything by lunch time. Indoor soft plays aren't open nor are the outdoor play areas.
The Victorian street and blitz bit is interesting though.

If your kids are over 120cm I think they can go on everything - possibly with an adult. [/quote]
Yes they can! All places should be open now including indoor soft play never mind outdoor play areas, should have been for weeks now.

We literally just got back from Cornwall this afternoon, having spent the week there. We were near Newquay and had mostly lovely weather. The last few days were very on/off with sun and rain, but more sun than rain. The exception being from 6pm last night, until we left, it was pissing down and so windy! Lol

We did Camel Creek 2 days (Monday and Wednesday), your kids would probably enjoy that. Lots of rides. We have annual tickets (took advantage of a half price offer from them back in Feb and we're only in somerset, so not too far), but I saw that you can return within 14 days for just £4.50 each after your first days visit if you aren't members.

Drive back today though was shit! Might be worth doing something during the day on your departure day, if you can, and leaving later to avoid the worst of it. Either that or leave super early. Our journey should have been 2 hrs 15 mins (and was on the way down), but took us 4.5 hours having left at 9.45am!

Stuff yourself with pasties and cream teas and run around in the rain. Get some earplugs and alcohol, and use any 'me time' to research all the warm, dry locations for the future. And there's nothing wrong with admitting it's not good. If it's any consolation, we once had a long weekend in Blackpool (I was five months pregnant) and it was so windy we had to hang on to each other, the B&B served roast beef so thin you really COULD see the pattern on the plate. Our room was so small you could open the window, on the opposite wall, from the bed. And the sheets were paper thin and starched so they felt like greaseproof paper! Not one of our most successful holidays! 🥴

It’s not as tho you didn’t know this might happen. No sympathy for anyone who is going on hols abroad or otherwise

I just knew when I saw your post it would be about Cornwall. Cornwall is wonderful. Two weeks ago I watched the sun set over Porthmeor beach, St.Ives, it was a beautiful evening and people were still enjoying it on the beach at 9pm. The day before, I'd taken a walk at Helford Passage to picnic at Frenchman's Creek, another blissfull day. Later in the week we sat outside the cafe in Penlee Park, Penzance and had a delicious lunch and on the Sunday we did the same at Mousehole. We did these things because our grown up DSs, who have had to move away for work, were visiting for the first time in months.
You have been unlucky with the weather OP and maybe you chose a holiday unsuited to your family but I do wish you would all stop moaning about the beautiful county I live in. It is part of the UK, however long it takes to get here and yes, sometimes it rains. If that's not something you can take in your stride maybe it would be better to wait until you can travel to some where sunshine is guaranteed.

Marazion is a great place to venture out from. Get them in wetsuits and in the water, sod the weather. The eden project is pretty boring to be honest. Get a visit to the Scilly islands from Penzance, Flambards (its completely nuts but can be a laugh too), Porthcurno telegraph museum is really niche but interesting, Levant steam mine, the coast is amazing during stormy wet weather, walks to find standing stones, lands end (like flambards its totally tacky but there are things to do there), prepare to get wet and hire some sea kayaks. Look out for Kelly's/ Roskillys ice cream and Jelburts in Newlyn, get a blustery visit to Lizard lighthouse via Ann's pasties (the best cornish pasties sold from her yellow house in Lizard or shop in Helston/Mullion/ Porthleven). Love this part of the world, never had a bad holiday even when the weather has been shite . I think it's probably more of a nightmare because so many people are there this year. Good luck.

Not helpful I know, but fellowship in adversity ... my Mum took 3 of us on a caravan holiday in Norfolk years ago. It rained day and night. We came home after 3 days. She'd bought the caravan, and it sat in the garden for years, a silent reproof ...

Have you taken them to Flambards? My DC loved it there and there is a really random Victorian/Blitz museum in the middle for wet weather. The Poldark mine is also good.

Feel for you. We had a terrible holiday in Skegness years ago. We decided to cut it short and with the money we saved bought ds a new bike when we got home.

The kids will remember it fondly in future years, however awful it may seem now. You can take comfort in that you are providing a wonderful experience which will influence all their future holiday choices ...

Looks like there's more rain to come as well. Maybe a staycation next year and then a big splurge the following year? Hope you get some time to destress.

We've just come back form holiday and while it was ok and the weather much better than advertised...my gripe is the food..

We planned to eat out mostly but quite a few places shut Monday and Tuesday, some places are no longer serving food as there are staff shortages and staff have been moved around to other pubs. One pub shut as they have Covid, others booked up

And the food was severely lacking in a few places, service appalling and running out of food

Our bills were £100+ and McDonalds would of been better

Caravan holidays with kids look great on paper and in the adverts. But I know my kids. I know how loud they are. I don't want to be in a small box with thin walls with them. For any length of time. Its bad enough that I can hear them from their room, upstairs, while I'm in the living room.
I really feel for you.
Seems like you are trying to make the best of it tho.

Watch out for icecream made with sweeteners. I had one last week and had to stay very near a loo the next day.

Please go home and let the locals enjoy the holidays, we’d quite like it if you all buggered off

Lucky you being down in Cornwall, I love it there even in rain. Nothing wrong with walking on beaches in the rain, I like doing that in the winter. Sometimes the North and South coast can have different weather, so a short drive maybe all that’s needed . Don’t be defeatist just enjoy your time there and think of things to do which don’t cost the earth like card or board games is nice to do as a family

I am in Cornwall and have been for several weeks. Really feel for those camping. Last few weeks were really exceptional but we are bow back to more normal Cornish summer I’m afraid. I use ‘dark sky’ app which is really accurate and has map showing incoming rain etc. Pretty easy if you are mobile to move to a side where it is still dry etc or time outings. Good luck all.

There are 2 places that aren't good in the rain - we've been to them all and in each case we left to go home early if there's no respite in sight. When packing, even in GB you don't always pack for all weather/ seasons do you? We are eternally optimistic!! The 2 places? Outer Hebrides - more sheep than people - tick. Beautiful beaches and turquoise seas -tick. When it rains it blows in horizontally and is unrelenting - definitely not a tick. The scenery was shrouded in mist/fog/rain and the croft was damp and mouldy.
The north welsh coast- ditto the above

Oh for goodness sake OP get a grip! A holiday is what you make of it.

Yes! We have just abandoned our Cornish camping trip with 8 nights to go. We had no shelter on a very exposed site which incidentally wasn’t shown on the info about the site we booked. No refund no credit back, nothing. We knew our tent wouldn’t stand the wind and are now back at home with our 3 boys. Gutted. 😕

Aw, feel for you! Yes Cornwall can be utter shit in wet weather 🤣. That happened to us in Devon, when our kids were a similar age, we ended up going to a big supermarket, stocking up on treat food for the kids and easy meals like pizza, etc, wine for the parents, and bought some classic DVDs (it was before streaming) and ended up having a really good couple of days. Ventured out in between the hours of rain. Hope it works out ok!

I live in Cornwall, there is pretty much nothing to do in the rain, the reality of Cornwall holidays unless a rare heatwave are nothing like the instagram pics!
Eden - extortionate rip off if you are only going once
Flambards in Helston - good for a wet ish day
Roskillys ice cream farm - ok in wet
Train ride to St Ives (if any more people can fit into St ives!)
Camel Creek
Newquay Zoo - no good in rain
Dont bother driving to Devon for activities, the roads are the worst I have ever known them it will take hours, same goes for hospitals and MIUs.
Beach in the rain is good, sea glass hunting around Penzance is always fun.

This is why we’ve never had a UK holiday again after a wet week in a caravan in Devon in approx 2003. Everything was the same, shops were the same, food the same, weather the same, smells the same, people the same but I was spending an arm and a leg to stay in a shitty caravan!

I’d rather stay at home, buy some nice stuff for the garden if it’s nice weather, do a few days out, get extra special mostly prepped food from Tesco, download some good movies, plenty of wine etc. Still cost a fraction of a UK holiday now and eating out which I don’t enjoy in the UK either.

Rather save for an amazing holiday abroad next year or whenever post covid will be.