Suggestions of where to take DD for a weekend, on her 15th birthday.

[Whatliesbeneath707]

DD turns 15 soon & we want to go somewhere for the weekend. We've been to London previously & she wasn't keen (too loud & smelly! She has ASD). She's not a huge fan of cities & prefers the coast or countryside, but we're struggling to find somewhere to go just for the weekend. We live in the midlands & can stay overnight in a hotel, on the Saturday.

She's having a tough time at school & with friends, so wanted to do something nice.

Any good suggestions, please?

How far do you want to travel? Swanage is really quite nice. Dorset is beautiful and some lovely countryside also some nice places to eat etc. would something like Llama trecking be of interest

Northumberland - Bamburgh/seahouses area is lovely
Or maybe York? Not coastal but lovely and likely quieter now the Xmas chaos is over

Last summer I went with dd15 & ds12 to Aberystwyth and had the best time, we stayed at Premier Inn, had pizzas watching the world go by, watched the sun set over the sea and the next day drove down to Newquay and made sandcastles and ate ice cream. It was during the heatwave, so glorious weather.

We also had a time at Warwick not too long ago, was only a few hours, en route from somewhere so we didn’t make it to the castle but had lovely lunch at a quirky tea room and mooched around some sweet shops.

Centre parcs ?

im in the midlands and we had a lovely weekend at Southport last year, stayed in a premier inn and found there was loads to do there. Also been to Weston super Mare a few times which my kids love, again a cheap premier inn. Lytham St Anne’s is also really nice and has a lovely beach and is nice for a wander around.

Whitby?

I really enjoyed Stonehenge, Stratford upon Avon, Telford, Cheddar Gorge. For variety of different reasons all great places to visit.

Up towards Betws-y-Coed or Llandudno? How would she feel (and how would your budget feel!) about some of the activities at Zipworld?

Or depending on where you are in the Midlands, down to the south coast of Wales, perhaps Tenby?

If you still wanted somewhere cityish, Exeter is a nice city, good history, easy to get to the coast.

Chester? Combined with somewhere like Bangor/north Welsh coast

I’d do one night North Norfolk and go to a small beach such as Sea Palling which has all necessary facilities but if you walk a few minutes along the beach it won’t be crowded. 3.5 hours approx depending on where in the Midlands you are.

perhaps stay the night in Norwich about 40 minutes away. have dinner in the city? And/or fish and chips on the beach.

We’ve stayed here it was ok and good value. Very nice pub/restaurant about a mile away.
(Yarmouth itself might not suit your dd, but plenty of other places to look at)

Depends on your budget.... but they have giraffe lodges at West Midlands Safari Park which look really cool....

Other ideas - St Brievel youth hostel is in a really nice countryside place and you sleep in an actual castle.
The city of Wells in Somerset is tiny and quaint and very slow and relaxed. Doesn't feel like a city at all. Its where they filmed Hot Fuzz.

If you went to Weston super Mare, Wells is also very close; or you could combine Exeter (nice compact city centre, decent transport links) and either Exmouth (nice beach) or Totnes (very nice countryside); or what about somewhere like Bournemouth and/or one of the small New Forest coastal towns?

Personally I also love York, or there's Bath or Gloucester?

Bournemouth has a wonderful Sandy beach, great vibe, shops etc plus close to the new forest for a visit there too - Burley for the witches or beaulieu motor museum/house.

Liverpool. Gormley iron men at Crosby beach, dinner at Albert dock, Knowsley safari park.
Or St Albans, lovely town, Roman museum and Harry Potter studio tour.
Or Oxford and crocodile zoo.

It’s not v handy for the midlands but my friend and I our teen dds stayed overnight in a shepherd’s hut at Port Lympne safari park in Kent, you are given a golf buggy and can drive around, it was amazing!

another time we went to the wild place wildlife park near Bristol and stayed in a fancy hotel nearby called Berwick Lodge, all lovely.

sorry your girl is having a hard time, my ASD teen is the same age and it’s so hard watching them go through this, am sure this will really lift her and hope things get easier for her at school soon.

Another vote for Chester, visit the Zoo, have afternoon tea at one of the many cafes, go to the cinema (Storyhouse?).

If do just that then op and take her to the beach and or country.
I can never recommend Pembrokeshire enough.the only national coast park.absolutely Devine.the coast.the walks.the peace.the niche places to stay.i can name a few if you need.
Also Somerset or Dorset.
My cousin has Somerset rentals if you want me to ask or pass you on her details. You can go then to her siblings farm if you want!
she lives among the hills and it's perfection.pricey but perfection.

Cannock chase?

www.forestryengland.uk/cannock-chase-forest/activities

Go ape, horse riding, orienteering, cycle rides and even a dog sled. Or just have a wander on the various trails.

Stonehenge jumped out at me as soon as I read the post. Cheddar gorge is also lovely. If Bath would not be too overwhelming that would be worth considering too

I'd second Norwich. Small, chilled city with The Broads nearby. I took my DD 16 and we had a great time.

Bath is fairly quiet this time of year. The thermal spa place is lovely, the theatre gets some nice shows and there are lots of great restaurants and cafes.

Bath is absolutely lovely but I think you have to be 16 to get into most of the Thermal Spa (it’s closed till 27/1 so website not fully accessible)

Oh wow! Thanks so much everyone. You've given me some great suggestions for the weekend & future trips. I'm going to make a list and look them up with her.
Thanks again. 😁