Center Parcs but not Center Parcs

[thursdaygrumbles]

I might be looking for the impossible here. I love center parcs (I know it’s not universally loved on here) but the prices are just outrageous

I was thinking the other day what I loved about it, and it was the fact that the car was out of the way, we’d got our bikes and we just set off of an adventure without having to constantly worry about vehicles on the road. Once there I just feel totally chilled. It just feels so safe.

so my question is, is there any other place you know of, that doesn’t cost £2k for a 4 night break where you get a similar feel? I’m really not fussed about swimming but somewhere where we leave the car and then don’t think about it again until it’s time to leave.

I have nearly 5 year old twins and a dog 🐶

For clarity the £2k was during the school holidays

Bluestone!! Much much better than Center parcs! But get a golf buggy

Bluestone is shite, you can’t bike with kids, there’s a tiny shop, budget restaurant and always cars and golf buggies on the roads.

There's a place in Devon
They've tried to copy and it's nowhere near as nice or easy but might be worth you checking it out online

Ribby Hall

Sun parks in Belgium. The same as centre parks, with water dome, accommodation, play facilities and so on, but much cheaper. Used to take our (now grown up) kids and they loved it. There are two that are less than an hour’s drive from Calais.

I loved Bluestone (have been twice) but not sure it meets your no cars/only bikes criterion. But it’s a while since I was last there - I went shortly after it opened and again in around 2011.

Center Parcs is not an adventure! It's highly regimented!

But ageee bluestone a good choice for you

Landals in Darwin forest Derbyshire is lovely. We also loved Bluestone. Agreed CP and Landals in Europe much cheaper if you’re happy to go to France/Belgium or Holland then lots near the northern coast.

Bluestone is nice but unlike CP is hilly so not so great for biking at all.

However the local area is just lovely.

Place marking for all the good suggestions!

Kelling Heath for sure. Lovely site, plenty to do and you can explore the local heathland and it has its own steam train stop to Sheringham for the beach and fish and chips.

Ribby Hall near Blackpool if your kids are smaller.

Toddler heaven.

When we did the forest holidays lodges at sherwood forest, you could cycle directly from the lodges into the forest trails in the woods that divide their site from Centerparcs. We'd stayed in that centerparcs the week before so didn't move much...

I wouldn't like to say that you can definitely cycle into centerparcs from the woods.... Shhh! 🤫

Kielder is lovely

https://www.kielderwaterside.com/

Another one for Kelling heath! Doesn't have activity's like cp, but we returned for many years, hired bikes, explored the area, visited holt by steam train, & went boating to see seals at blakeney. Kids loved it, even as young teens with friends. It's amongst our best holiday memories. Since have grandchildren have started to go to centre parcs abroad, much cheaper- even with flights factored in, & at peak times (their school holiday times) & massively cheaper when not, such as our whitsun hols.

Centerparcs Kempervennen in Netherlands.

Wow, so you could use the swimming pool….

At that time yes, but we are talking about 10 years ago. I think nowadays you need to have a wristband to get access. You do at Whinfell anyway, so probably not.

We didn't bother with the pool as we'd already been there a week and we had a hot tub at forest lodges.

You could however cycle round centerparcs and use the playpark etc. I think you needed to give a Lodge number for shops etc so we just gave our old one when we bought some ice-cream.

This will give you an idea of just how close they are, there are lots of cycle trails in the woods.

Crieff Hydro

@lobeliahorizon yeh likewise - we must have gone at least 10 times at all different times of the year. We did all different types of caravans from some cheap and cheerful to a big posh lodge one year . The star gazing is amazing . We bought a bike rack but there’s a bike hire place too . We went to Kempervennen too one year . We also did that holiday too!