what were the summer holidays like when you were a child ?

[Baconface7]

holiday every summer

Up until parents split up at the age of 11 we went on self catering holidays to Greece for 2 weeks. My mum was a sales executive and my Dad worked at the post office - not very high earners, I can’t believe they could afford it! And I would go to my grandparents to stay for a week or so, sometimes a caravan holiday with them. And lots of playing out in the street / woods/ each others gardens.

This was growing up in the 90’s. After the split, it was holiday cottages in Devon/Cornwall with my mum and grandparents , and mainly just hanging around the local town. Lots of fond memories

80's Usually a couple of weeks in a cottage in Norfolk somerimes with cousins or family friends coming along too.
Sometimes a week on a family friend's farm.
Often going to work with my DM local pub at lunchtime and sitting colouring in the garden.
Playing out/sleepovers camping in the garden.
As I got older we had a few trips abroad, and I went away with a friend for the odd week.
Great times really a mix of fun and entertaining ourselves.

Camping hols/staying at a big gite in France. They were always lots of fun & the long journey down to Dover was part of the excitement.

Bike rides, going up & down the street on my roller blades, meeting friends in the park, building dens with my brothers, playing endlessly with our toys, exploring woodland near our house, playing out all day in the garden or local park, paddling pool, washing peoples cars for money, day trips out to a river so we could splash about, picnics at the seaside.

And even if was grey and the wind was sideways (which, being a British summer, it very often was) DM would insist we went to the beach because it was down the road. I moaned like hell about it but had no problem leaping on my bike and going to the beach with my mates (mostly to the arcade).

Otherwise hours lying on my bed reading. Some summers we went up to London to visit the DGPs and I used to long for that (bet DM didn't because in the 60s that was a long drive from the west country).

Driving down to Italy in 1970's Ford Cortina, no air con, vinyl seats. Stopping two nights on the way in random French hotels in the middle of nowhere. Always took back roads as Dad wouldn't pay the tolls. Stayed in some very weird places. Met lots of people in the way and helped each other mend cars which always overheated back then.

Three glorious weeks on the beach, the back again.

Otherwise just playing outside with neighbours, on our bikes, in the woods, playing cowboys and Indians, or war games. Good times.

My mother ran a B&B so summer was busy for her. I used to help out a little bit. But since we were in a holiday resort there was plenty to do - the beach was at the end of our road, we got free tickets to the summer shows and attractions in return for making their leaflets available to the guests - the fair was in town for a week during the summer hols etc.

Long and quite boring from memory - I was an only child. I don't remember these long, hot summers at all. I remember quite a lot of rain, week's up at my Nan's house and then from when I was 10 onwards we went camping in various parts of France for 2 weeks every summer.

I read a lot.

Went to the park every day. Me and best mate didn't really go on holidays, other than the odd weekend to relatives so we just hung out. Didn't have phones so arranged to meet in advance. Went swimming a fair bit, and museums and galleries, but mainly just remember mucking around all the time and it was brilliant.

Lovely. Long, sunny days. Filled with playing with friends or my brother. We did lots of climbing trees and playing out. We had access to an private acre of woodland next to our house so spent many happy hours down there building dens etc . Also like playing with dolls, rollerskating and make believe games with my friend up tp about age 9. Had fun spending time with mum and dad and we always haf a family holiday to Wales or The Lakes. Carefree days and wonderful happy memories.

Rainy holidays in the UK, Scotland, wales, visiting lots of castles and beaches. Holidays on the ferry to France. Occasionally sent to sports and summer camps when I was older. Lots of playing in the garden - we had a massive paddling pool that was always out, and I remember it always being sunny at home! But it can’t have been 🤷‍♀️. I remember being left to our own devices a lot with no parental supervision, and just playing on my own. None of these constant days out and constant activities I seem to feel the need to do with my own kids. This was in the 90’s.

Apart from a U.K. seaside holiday, which was always a great highlight, we just played in the garden. (Or when a bit older, read those quaint old things called books.).
Parents had no car and were almost invariably pretty skint so we were very rarely taken on days out anywhere. We did always have a big garden though.
This was ages ago when very few people took holidays abroad.
To me and siblings, this was all perfectly normal.

A week in a static caravan somewhere, a few day trips to the seaside, lots of playing out in the street, the fields, and in my best friend's garden. Listening to the chart show on a sunday. Probably a lot of saying 'I'm bored' to my mum too, and her saying 'go outside'. When I was older I remember watching The Bigger Breakfast on ch4 where they'd play kids TV shows all morning like Eerie Indiana.

We never went on summer holidays as a family. I went to boarding school, and when back home in the summer it was a time to reconnect with friends, and some cousins that lived near. I (along with my brothers) were always expected to help out on the farm, so I'd have several hours of things to be done almost everyday of the week. Then in the evening I'd cycle to local town, or some other places not too far for a swim if the weather was OK.

I was envious of some of my school friends who always seem to go on amazing holidays. But I still look back and smile when I think of those summers back home.

Lovely memories both at home & abroad. So lucky to have long family holidays ( 3 weeks camping in France, Spain & best of all one year in Switzerland). I can remember being very little & waking up to catch a glimpse of the sea through a tiny window high up on the whitewashed cottage wall. It was near Rhyl & I must have been about 2. We also had some memorable holidays in Cornwall, about half an hour’s drive from where I live now. I also remember a B & B in either Lynton or Lynemouth with incredibly steep stairs.

Grew up in the 90s. We didn't go away on holiday.

Summer holidays were long days playing out with friends in the cul de sac riding bikes, roller skates, climbing trees, making dens, playing pogs.

Riding my bike to the shops with my mum and getting a tip top, cake or chocolate bar, going to the library and reading books for hours, catching the bus to swimming. Lazy mornings and evenings watching tv.

Weather wise I remember a mixture, just like now. Warm sunny days but also remember sheltering in the pitch waiting for the rain to stop. Remember lots of thunderstorms.

1980s childhood. Boat ‘home’ to Ireland for the entire 6 weeks (until my parents divorced and we stopped going every year).

I remember a lot of car sickness, boat sickness and ‘picnics’ in the car because it was lashing with rain. But also great fun with all my cousins running feral in the countryside or at the beach, and being ‘chosen’ out of my eleventy billion cousins to go the bingo with my Granny .

After my parents divorced we stayed in London. Absolutely loved the summer holidays. My mum was really proactive in planning cheap or free days out to museums, probably every swimming pool and lido within the M25, and all the big London parks. We did craft projects and baking. And loads of feral playing out on my estate - water fights and mass games of ‘run outs’. We had a lot of freedom and fun.

I loved the school holidays and remember them as long but never ever boring. We weren’t sent to any clubs.

We spent the whole time playing with all the other kids who lived on our road. Outside or at each others houses. We had total freedom- mum would say come home when the street lights come on or whenever we felt hungry.

Lots of kids in our road so we all played together and kept ourselves entertained. No need for planned activities, although mum did sometimes take us to the swimming baths or crazy golf at a nearby park.

When it was dry we played out with our bikes, roller skates, skipping, alleys, made dens, paddling pools, went to the park.
When it was wet we played indoors with board games, jigsaws and lots of roll play ie dolls, school, hospitals, hairdressers.

When I didn’t want to play with friends, me and mum used to read together - we went to the library once a week. Me, my mum and my grandma used to knit together and my grandma taught me how to sew. We also baked cakes together.

Never ever a dull moment.

Oh and we always went to North Wales for a week.

Not many holidays and definitely not every year. I have many memories of v wet holidays in Cornwall, sitting on the beach with yellow raincoats and a yellow rain hat making sand castles

Just remembered as well, the teen years, so mid to late 90s.

Having back to back week long sleepovers with friends, so a week at their house and a week at ours. Then we'd stay up late watching films, going to the video shop, getting bag full of snacks.

Didn't have the greatest childhood always, quite poor, no holidays even in the UK. No special days out. But was quite content on the whole, don't remember getting bored and I still don't get bored now.

1970s, children's TV in the morning, Why don't You, Banana Splits, The Monkees, White Horses, Belle and Sebastian, Swiss family robinson all spring to mind while DGM was out at work. DM worked FT, DGM part-time. We had to stay indoors while they were out. Afternoons out playing, bikes, football, running around, maybe a day trip to an air festival or navy day. One year, we had a holiday staying at a great aunt and uncle for a week. Our week holiday was usually in May as it was cheaper.

My parents were farmers so summer holidays were busy harvest time so no holdays away (these were usually taken at Witsun or Autumn half term).

Late June was about village fetes and fairs, we hosted a lot on our farm and my dad would run fruit and flower stalls at them. It was hard work but I have great memories of long warm days and evening and running a bit feral.

July was about hay making and agricultural shows - my parents showed sheep so we would camp for a week at the sbow ground - again we were basically feral running around with the other kids.

August was the busiest time - hay making and grain harvesting. My dad would work long long days so very little family time. When we were younger mum would take us on day excursions to the beach or local sights, we would go for Guide/Scout camps and maybe spend a week with my cousins in London (they would then come back tk us for a week)

When we were older we helped out with the harvest stacking bales, shovelling grain etc.. I got a summer job at a local tourist attraction at 16 and that was my summer until I left University. We workers were all young and footloose so there was a lot of evenings out, days at the beach etc..

I used to go to Italy to see my family for the six weeks holidays. When I was little I loved it but as teen I didn't I just wanted to be with my mates.

My prime age of 10/11 was 76/77, with lovely long sunny days, so out playing every day, 6 weeks of freedom, and imaginary games. Tried to replicate it with my kids, but they don't remember glorious summers, more like this year with rainy days. Also, it was the crossover period where supervised activity was becoming more common, so friends weren't out to play as much.
I feel sorry for kids now, clubs, childcare, and constant supervision.

Long days, playing out with friends in the fields. Kite flying, bike rides and picnics, learning songs.

If it was raining we'd make a cake in the kitchen of whoever's mum would let us.

Writing and acting plays then charging the neighbours parents to come and see them in the evening. That was good because they'd all get talking to each other afterwards and forget what time it was.

Strawberry picking - one year we sold them at a profit to our neighbours.

Blackberrying and making jam - also sold!

One year we got goldfish and made a leaking pond. We'd go to the river and catch minnows in jam jars.

One year we spent everyday for a week at an outside swimming pool.

Someone had a pony so we often went and helped with grooming in exchange for a ride.

Usually had a week with my dgp who lived near the sea.

We had lots of days out with my mum in her car which were always fun.

I feel so lucky to have had such an idyllic time when I was a child. Total freedom and proper happiness.

And mine. Although my mother told me later she spent hours walking the counrtyside to check on us, but we were totally unaware.
My kids very similar but with more obvious supervision from me.