Should we go home a day early?

[Crunchymum]

Boring question but I cant decide.

Booked in a cottage until Saturday but I'm fed up.

Had lovely weather but it's set to rain tomorrow and other than the beach there isn't much to do.

It's somewhere we come to at least once a year (have had our main holiday here some years) so we know the area really well. Nothing we haven't done so to speak.

I'm on my own with 3 DC as DP had to go back for work on Tuesday. They are generally well behaved but DC1 cut their foot so the beach isn't ideal for them (and today they spent most of the day on the promenade in a deck chair reading)

It's been incredibly busy all week and there has sadly been a lot of anti social behaviour. Hoards of teenagers have descended on the town and it's been quite intimidating - I say that as a life long Londoner. Seems to be a mix of half term, good weather and the local station having no ticket barriers that has made this beautiful little spot a meet up place that has gone viral.

We're okay as we go to a smaller, off the beaten track beach but we're all a bit sick of the beach and as I say its meant to rain tomorrow.

Despite all that I still can't make a decision. Part of me thinks we're here and we should just "make the most". We live in central London so should savour every moment in nature etc. But I kind of want to go home. The older kids want to go home - although their motives are clearly different as they want to get back to "see" thier mates ie: jump online.

I have an open ticket but if we leave it will be early tomorrow. I don't want to get caught up in all the weekend comings and goings that have seen the small station closed due to overcrowding all week.

TL;DR our last day of a mediocre break is going to be wet, should be just sack it off and go home?

Edited to add, not sure how I managed to get a typo in the poll?

Yes. You all want to so you should.

No, stay. Go for a walk somewhere or go to a nearby town for lunch. There's more to holidays than beach and you won't melt in the rain.

Unless you think you can make a family day of it in the cottage tomorrow without everyone getting bored and winding each other up, I would say go home. Enjoy unexpectedly being at home with no plans - use it to get jobs done around the house or just to chill and enjoy being in your own space with nothing to do. Whatever floats your boat.

Go home

We've only left a holiday early once. It felt really good, like we were claiming something back. Have a takeaway when you get back, put a film on, just do the last night of your holiday in your own beds if that makes any sense.

Personal I would stay. Even if you don’t go out, stay in, watch telly, order a takeaway and relax. You will not have to go home and get started on the washing and you have to parent wherever you are

Fuck it, life's too short to not go on a few derailments. Find something else to do tomorrow, something totally unexpected

Oh dear, you’re in Broadstairs aren’t you? It won’t rain btw, or at least not until the evening. But it would be good to beat the rush, all the half term holiday makers will be going back at the weekend. And at least you’ve had water - 15 minutes up the road and we’ve all been without water for three days, so despite the insane riots of teenagers, look on the bright side 😁

If you have an open ticket, you're probably allowed to break the journey, ie get off at an intermediate station and then back on again.

Is there anywhere on the way back you'd like to visit, so set off tomorrow morning, spend the day in a new place, and then go home tomorrow night. Then all you've really lost is the last night in the cottage and you've added something unexpected to your holiday.

I would leave and have done in a similar situation.

I like the idea of getting a take away when you get back.

Honestly, just go home. If it’s what everyone wants to do they’ll just be miserable if you stay.

you’ve done all the ‘fun’ things and a rain forecast isn’t great in places like that.

gives you chance to have a long weekend at home before the rush of the weekend and back to school etc Monday ( that’s if your kids have been off this week and due to return Monday )

Cut your losses. No point being miserable.

See this is the thing I'm quite limited (no car / public transport isn't very good plus there isn't anything we particularly want to do as we've done it all before - we've been to this town 10+ times). Also I don't want to have to think of something facilitate it, pay for it etc. I just want an easy life at this point.

If the weather was decent tomorrow it wouldn't even be an issue but I don't fancy a day indoors here. Would rather get home to the cats.

One DC wants to stay, the other wants to go and the youngest doesn't get a vote (she has SEN and if presented with the option it will just upset and fluster her)

Why stay if you can avoid travelling in the rain over the weekend. The older kids may have slightly selfish motives but that doesn't mean its not a sensible idea. I'd far rather go early and have more time to set stuff sorted at home before back to work and school on Monday.

I would rather be miserable at home!

It is only a day early just set off tomorrow when you are all ready, tbh it might be you have grown out of where you are and find somewhere else for your next holiday,

Stay. Have an indoor picnic. Play games. Watch tv. Look at the rain out of the window. Go for a walk when it stops. Why go back to London when you can be near the sea for. Another day 🤷‍♀️

Too much luggage. We packed for every weather eventuality as the forecast was a mixed bag. Thankfully it's been much nicer than the forecast and I could have left at least a suitcase worth of stuff at home.

Plus we travel with medication (in a small pack) so have limited time with that. I didn't bring the longer lasting one as we're only 2.5h from home.

Get yourselves home! I've often left a holiday cottage on a Friday night rather than check out teenagers by 10 am on Saturday. When I've done that, we've usually packed up after tea. So much simpler than leaving a few bits out for morning. Just get back to your home comforts.

Could you book a nice spa day, OP? x

Sadly feels that way. I have found the whole thing quite oppressive. The lovely little cottage we stay in seems to now be a permanent home (I think the person living here has just moved out for a week so the LL could earn a few quid - although over the years the LL has done us some good deals and been fabulous). The town is quite frankly a shithole at the moment - overrun with pissed, loud, inconsiderate teens who just come in on the trains and treat the place like a dump. Its been everyday this week and the locals say they expect it to continue all summer (which is did last year, although we were here for 10 days last July and didn't notice it)

We do have a main holiday abroad in August. Our first ever!

Another vote for going home. So nice to be in your own bed and you get a free day at home. Like a pp said, it’s like reclaiming time.

If one DC wants to stay, then it seems a bit mean to leave. I'd be put out if someone made me leave a holiday early when I didn't want to. You've been pretty lucky with the weather, it could have been wet much more. Would you have abandoned the whole holiday if that was the case? If not, then presumably you had some wet weather plans.

Holiday abroad sounds exciting @Crunchymum .where are you off too ?

Maybe next uk break find somewhere else or maybe a caravan park.give kids something to do and you won't feel so meh !

I think there’s wisdom in knowing when to call it a day. You can leave with the memory of sunny days at the beach and avoid short tempers and boredom.