I am BU. Holiday parks and 'chavs'!

[Waltermittythesequel]

My dsis has informed me that I would be mad to book a Haven holiday in the UK since it will be full of rough people and chavs.

I have never been so I have no idea of the type of clientele.

I'm honest enough to admit that the thought of being surrounded by Jezza Kyle types is a little daunting.

There'll be dh and I along with our 3 dc and I just don't want to fork out a lot of money and feel uncomfortable and unable to use the facilities.

I hate judging people based on how they look/sound etc but she's been before and has really worried me!

My ds ( 16 ) refuses to wear any designer stuff as he calls it all chavvy

Whereas my children are covered in labels as they are "chavvy" and have no desire to change to fit in, whether that is on a caravan park or elsewhere.

Op we have loo brushes too. If you let me know where you are holidaying I promise to stay away so we don't spoil it for you.

But, joking aside, do you sit drinking cans first thing in the morning, effing and blinding at your children, allowing them to do whatever they want and be sweary and aggressive to other kids?

Do you all get pissed and get into screaming matches and physical fights and not give a shit who hears or sees you?

Honestly.

I've been to butlins hardly any chavs you will see the most chavs wondering around skeggy itself. Also been to haven it was fine we are going to a haven site in weymouth soon for 2 weeks but plenty to do so won't be staying on site anyway...tbh only staying at a haven site as it was nicest ca raven we found at a good price.

Not Haven, but we have chavved it in various Parkdean holiday parks around the UK. We've always enjoyed them, and been happy with our accommodation, even though we have to stay in the plebs' section due to having a dog. The caravans have been clean, warm and comfortable, and any problems have been quickly addressed.

We couldn't afford for the 5 of us to stay in a hotel, even without our dog, so I guess it's horses for courses, really.

A word people use when they don't want to say 'chav' seems to be 'rough'.

I wouldn't mind holidaying next to someone who has leather sofas or twigs back at home. I fail to understand how this would affect the quality of my holiday.

I would rather not holiday next to people who were really loud, played loud music/smokers/stoned/pissed - but this surely could be anywhere.

But, joking aside, do you sit drinking cans first thing in the morning, effing and blinding at your children, allowing them to do whatever they want and be sweary and aggressive to other kids?

Do you all get pissed and get into screaming matches and physical fights and not give a shit who hears or sees you?

This is what my holidays were like growing up. If we go away with siblings or parents it can be like this due to mental health issues, special needs and addiction issues, I have just been incredibly lucky to have escaped those problems and so would not judge.

I don't drink cans in the morning - although how is that so different from a glass or two of something or sparkly at breakfast which we often do.

We are quite loud as a family unit even if we don't take extended family as I have a natural fish wife voice and we are a big family.

Oh come off it - cans of strong lager in the morning is very different from a glass of bubbly at breakfast (if indeed you 'often' do before driving to work or doing the school run). Being loud as a family unit is a PITA for other people (and most reasonable people avoid inflicting themselves on others) but again, disingenuous to suggest it's similar to getting pissed, fighting and screaming/swearing.

I don't often drink something alcoholic at breakfast! I have dc to look after and ferry around.

It sounds like you had a rough childhood.

But that's just the sort of behaviour I don't want to be around. Big, noisy, loutish groups of people are probably having great fun amongst themselves but it's hardly pleasant for the people around them.

I prefer to try to be considered.

Someone pages ago suggested I take the stick out of my arse .

I'm not stiff or boring or a prude.

I want my dc to have fun and yes, even make new friends.

But I want that without asbo behaviour surrounding us!

Obviously I didn't mean before doing the school run but on holiday. It just fascinates me that some kinds of alcohol are OK and others aren't. If it is about strength that is a fair point but if it is just about out of a can or the type of drink I find the interesting.

I didn't say that loud was the same as pissed, fighting, swearing - I deliberately separated the two.

Considerate, not considered ffs!

I generally don't drink in the morning.

But I don't think one flute of bucks fizz is as bad as a can of lager (for example.)

I'm asking if your family behave as I've described? Because if they don't then my examples don't apply to you at all!

And if they do apply then I'll admit I'm curious enough to ask why you all behave that way.

Believe it not but in the 50's holiday camps were only for the middle classes/ rich - my mum had a friend who went every year and she used to help her make the kids clothes for the various events ( fancy dress competition, the last night ball ) etc. my mum was envious as the food was all served , 3 meals a day too. My mil/ fil took my dh most Christmas's, but took their own food to cook, he said it was great fun!
I think Haven is expensive, we went to a Devon resort in 2003 for long weekend and even the compare in the evening made a joke about ' not being able to get drunk, its so expensive!' Most of the places to eat were not cheap either. Not as bad as centre parcs. mixture of people there, the facilities were okay though and the accommodation clean and functional. thought it would be reasonable ( sun holiday deal) but by the time you add on the entertainment passes, the linen charges, the food and drink etc etc, it wasn't really. must admit, I couldn't do whole week but if you have kids its ideal and not everyone wants to go abroad where its boiling hot either. Would rather this than camping though! ( and i have camped and hated it ) not been since, but you get all sorts at every resort I guess, even 5 star luxury places get their loud ones I bet!

Of course it's about strength (and quantity). A can of strong cider or lager tends to be drunk for a specific purpose with its high ABV level, a glass of bucks fizz with breakfast - not so much.

It didn't appear that you were separating the 2 - it seemed as if you were comparing the drinking and behaviours that Walter described with that of your own family on holiday. I'm with Walter - noisy, drunk groups are not something I want to come across on holiday.

My siblings and parents act in the way you have described. I gave some reasons ( not excuses) above. We come from generations of addiction, neglect, in and out of care and this has been compounded by mental health and physical issues and special needs.

I was incredibly lucky that I was not reasonable clever and with sound health and therefore although I have definite fishwife tendencies and my addictive personality has been channelled into cleaning, bling and designer clobber.

I do go away with my wider family though and we did buy a static and a touring caravan that they use.

That should be I was born reasonably clever

I'm sure you can understand that some people might not want to be stuck next to that kind of behaviour on holiday.

SirChenjin that is exactly what I have been saying!
I go to holiday parks, we are the kind of family most of you want to avoid.

That's great you're aware of that. How do you moderate your behaviour to try and lessen the impact on other people's holidays?

I went to a park resort... We left hours later... It was filthy! Totally filthy not fit for anyone to stay...

I did recall seeing lots of people wandering around drinking cans of larger whilst there two year olds swigged bottles of full fat coke..
Maybe it was an "off" weekend. But I would rather camp in my back garden!

Went to a Haven in Blackpool. We were moving house and needed a cheap week somewhere. It was bloody awful and I come from a council estate. Drunk woman screaming to be let in after the bars had shut and someone stole my son's tractor from outside our caravan. Never ever again.

Butlins is tolerable. Only with skybar wristbands though.

But don't you/they care about the impact on others?

Are they aggressive to try to intimidate people or is it a sort of self-consciousness thing.

I just wonder at the psyche.

We grew up around very chavvy people but we were never allowed to really get involved with them. We were brought up with manners, respect and consideration for other people.

We weren't rich by any stretch and the odds were probably stacked against us in terms of where we loved and what was available to us.

I am going to assume that the addiction and neglect is the mitigating factor and I am truly sorry your siblings and you experienced that.

I have cousins who are the same. I don't have anything to do with them, frankly. They're not good influences on my dc.

I've been to two different Haven parks, both Northumberland, and there's no way I would return. I'm working class, that's not an issue, however if we stayed on site for lunch, I don't really want to be surrounded with families well on their way with alcohol, swearing, kids strapped in their buggy and given the odd fruitshoot.
The evening entertainment was even worse, many people were so drunk, didn't give a shit what their kids were up to, and coupled with the awful acts, it's my idea of hell.

Saying that, I also spent a bloody fortune on a Holiday Village in majorca, and it was like haven in the sun, except all inclusive so it was beer for breakfast.

Maybe I should just become a recluse

Within minutes of being in a Haven toddler play area my 3 year old was punched by a much older child. There were toddlers walking around, wearing earrings, swigging coke either from their baby bottles or glass bottles and wearing just nappies. The swimming pool was particularly filthy.

God yes, the adults are pretty well pissed 24/7.