UK holiday summer 2023 - help for a beginner please

[Tacocatgoatcheesepizza]

We’ve never holidayed in the UK before - yes really. This year we are hoping to go abroad over Christmas so are looking to do something in the UK over the summer holidays. I have no idea where to begin really. Is it possible to get cheap but nice holidays in this country anymore? Do you have anywhere you would recommend?

thanks for any advice.

What do you like, quiet rural or busy? Lots to do or just relaxing? Are you outdoorsy? Have you a budget in mind? This country is amazing. We haven't been abroad for years and have a break somewhere about three times a year. Are you set on a beach or open to anything?

Also is it a family thing or just a couple. We've been to Somerset and the Cotswolds and loved both. Also scotland and Ireland.

You'll get lots of question before advice. What do you like doing? What's your budget? Hotel/cottage/camping?

For example, do you want to drive somewhere within a day? So for example drive to Devon/Wales, stay in a nice cottage near beaches/in countryside. A 2 bed cottage could be anything from £700 to £3000 depending on location or how luxurious.

Or do you want to feel like you've travelled? For example, we took the sleeper train from London to the West Highlands and hired a car and stayed in a gorgeous lochside house and had day trips to beaches and Glen Coe.
Whereas friends drove up to Scotland from south east England and all around staying in a mix of hotels and Airbnb places, ferried to islands, did about 2000 miles in total.

I was on a thread about Northumberland recently, many great places to go there.

It really depends on budget, what sort of thing you like and how far you want to travel but we've had some fantastic UK holidays. Places I'd recommend are:

Scottish highlands (the setting is just absolutely stunning, we did the west coast and Isle of Skye and it was beautiful.)

Northumberland (gorgeous beaches, castles, lots to see and do in the area.)

The Peak District (this was actually better than I had expected, lots of gorgeous scenery, caves to explore and loads to do with children in the area.)

Isle of Wight (feels like you're going abroad because of the ferry crossing, really easy to get around the island, loads to see and do.)

Sorry, there wasn’t nearly enough info there was there!
2 adults and 2dc aged 8 and 11.

we are not particularly outdoorsy, something like centerparcs but without the price tag is more our kind of thing. We like theme parks!

budget, maybe about £1000, with some flexibility.

thank you!

I'm not sure it's possible to get a nice holiday in the UK with a budget of £1,000

Happy to be proven wrong though

Never been myself but Bluestone is highly recommended. I've had lots of great holidays in the UK for under £1000, but it's tough if you're looking at school hols.

You could stay somewhere not so touristy if you want day trips to theme parks. Peak District for example? You've got Gulliver's Valley which my 8 and 10yo love, and Matlock for the caves and cable car, as well as lovely places like Castleton and Bakewell and Chatsworth. I live in Sheffield and all of these are within reach for a day out and that's not touristy so assume it's not so expensive to stay in or around here.

I don't think you would get anything like centerparcs for a grand, or anything similar. 5 years ago we did 4 days at CP and it was £840 then!

A couple of days at Resorts World Birmingham, you can do the Bear Grylls Adventure one day. There's a few spa hotels that won't break the bank. Then a country pub with rooms somewhere near Stafford? Nice evening meals and a couple of days at Alton Towers. You'd get that for 1K in the summer.

You'd be better going to one of the European centre parcs, apparently they're much cheaper.

Ok, I am going to say Whitby. Loads to do up there and it's generally cheaper than the south. If you have a look at Ingrid Flute they have hundreds of holiday homes. Many around 1k. If you stay on the west cliff there is lots of crazy golf, pitch and put, go carts, football golf etc. Also a leisure centre with swimming pool so we do a bit of a poor man's centre parcs with bonus beach.

If you do the North East you could go to Beamish, Durham is nice, Diggerland and Vindolanda. Loads to do in Newcastle too

We have a three bed cottage in Barmouth via Hoeseasons for a week - £1,200 first week of the school holidays
Last week of the school holidays, over the bank holiday, we have a small flat on the Isle of Wight £600 for a week booked via air bnb
A lot will be already booked up by now but if you hunt around you should find something, air bnb can be a good place to look

We had a week in Pickering last summer and it was a really good base for a holiday. The town has a great range of shops and eateries and you can get to the coast (Whitby, Scarborough etc) very easily, it's also right on the edge of the North York Moors with loads to see and do, some really beautiful villages and gorgeous scenery. Pickering itself isn't in a national park so accommodation is a bit cheaper.