Anyone else find U.K. holidays hard work and exhausting?

[Swimminglesson7]

With young(ish) children, I find U.K. breaks a big effort. Glamping in cold, rainy woodlands, staying in a holiday cottage and driving to a heaving beach daily…

Having to pack for every weather eventuality: sandals and factor 50, jumpers and wellies.

Am I alone in finding U.K. holidays to be not-quite-holidays?! The kids are having a blast. But I’m sick of lugging picnics and bodyboards and water bottles from one spot to another, then cooking and cleaning endless meals in a cottage or glamping site. I feel like I’m almost entirely servicing their fun.

(Meant to be lighthearted!)

But then you have to go to Southampton for a week. It's probably cheap in Hull, too!

If we're talking about holiday destinations like Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, New Forest, The Cotswolds, South Wales and the Lake District for example and families want a longer break I understand why they go for SC accommodation.

@Iknowtheanswer

No interest in booking a UK holiday for exactly that reason. I'm a massive fan of French campsites, brilliant facilities, reliable weather, entertainment, pools and water slides, on site bar, playgrounds, groups of children for the dcs to play with. Never found anywhere in the UK that is anywhere near it.

Did that a lot when I was a child. Very fond memories of playing with children of all nationalities and barely noticing that we didn't speak the same language. Did same with my own kids. Much more fun than English campsites for some reason.

It is a decision though isn't it - personally I wouldn't do another self catering holiday ever. If Premier Inn Southampton was the only choice, I would choose the Premier Inn. Plenty of things to do in Southampton in all weathers, especially as it is on the edge of the new forest, so easy to enjoy the ships, and waterside dining etc.

I came back more tired than I left from our self catering holiday!

@stepupandbecounted

The allure of a sweet cottage with a gorgeous garden for the children masks the reality of the cooking, cleaning and doing the same things you basically do at home - usually with less space and no toys. It is an illusion.

We were in a lovely cottage during the heat wave in Dorset last month.

It was indeed sweet and gorgeous with fields and a chapel behind it.

We tried to make the most of the weather by going out every day. Bloody exhausting. All the getting up early for a parking space near enough to the beach to carry the stuff. Packing the beach gear and the sandwiches and the suncream and the cover ups and the cozzies and the water (we couldnt afford to eat out) and the ground blankets and then driving there and finding the perfect spot and then spending the day fretting about DDs hat and her not drowning or burning or dehydrating.

Then the coming back, and you're boiling hot and sweaty and you hair looks like shite and you have to bath DC first and then go help DH shake half the beach out of all your possessions. Then try and decide if you need a shower more than food and realise you only have the energy to do one of them and you're all hungry and equally knackered.

In the middle of the week I remember thinking that one day stuck indoors would be heaven. Then on the last day we got up late and did just loafe about and DD did nothing but lay on the sofa with her i pad and she was perfectly happy

i wondered we'd bothered forking out 900 quid and done all this at all!

The photos though - just a glance at them show the memories that DD will have. The happiness on DDs face while DH made her into a mermaid with sand and the sheer joy as she pelted over the sand dunes and onto the beach everyday :)

It is a mixed bag of experiences a UK holiday, but happy ones for your dd laiste

I also think what is one person's holiday is another version of hell. If you work 40 hours a week and never cook at home, then maybe the idea of cooking every day in the cottage with your dc is a welcome one.

If you are constantly running a canteen at home Monday to Friday with several starving pre teen and teens - devouring the place - then you are least likely to find the idea of MORE cooking anywhere appealing. So self catering has its place, if your usual routine is different from the one being offered to you, and there is a chance of a proper rest at least. Or you have a dh that loves to cook endlessly and scrub sand from the floors, I am afraid I never found one of those.

I agree. Fuck the rainy and shitty weather.

Give me an All Inc in the Canary Islands any day. I'm a single parent to a 15, 12 and 8 year old. No way am I wasting my annual leave, listening to them moan about soggy Wales, when we could be round a pool enjoying 35° heat.

It's why I don't like self catering here or abroad. You can't compare a half board hotel to a remote cottage, of course hotels are easier. We are self catering next month but will be eating all meals at the pub (booked)

I posted earlier on the thread, it didn’t rain all week in Norfolk, it was actually quite good weather except one day where it rained for a couple of hours.
UK holidays are expensive and hard work. Not relaxing, but DS had lots of fun and we had some nice meals out.

I just love being somewhere else that isn't home so don't really mind if it still involves cooking and sorting stuff out for beach days. The bickering kids used to annoy me but it annoyed me at home so at least I was annoyed with a change of scenery!
I learnt early on to have easy meals or takeaways/eat out.
The memories I have of our childhood camping trips make me so grateful my parents took us every year for 2 weeks. Even the cold, wet, sandy sleeping bag memories are looked back on fondly. I hope my children remember the same when they are older.
We generally stay in a house/apartment/static so feels like luxury compared to camping. We have camped for weekends with friends etc. but found it was too hard as a main holiday with very small kids.
When mine were very small I found centreparcs was fantastic. We just went to the pool or playgrounds and they loved it. A really easy holiday to have with small kids.

I think we all need a five day spa break with childcare paid for by the government for getting through the last two years. It is the least they can do.

Most of us are knackered and past the point of exhaustion. I think that is why SC feels me with dread. Relentless home school, and eating, baking 'for fun', cooking for 'fun' cleaning the house morning, noon and night to avoid getting rats due to the sheer amount being chowed down, it is not many people's idea of fun after two sodding lockdowns. I hate cooking now, I hate baking, I hate family bloody board games, family crafting, family walks, I am positively allergic to all of it thanks to the pandemic.

So anything that is going to involve the above, is a big no from me.

I think people go overboard with their holidays when I can guarantee most children just love the beach.

I also think in the UK we have become entitled to a foreign holiday and the all inclusive crap.

Holidaying in the uk is still cheaper than abroad

Holidaying in the UK is not cheaper unless you stay somewhere that’s not as nice as your own house eg caravan.
We would have paid £2500 for a fortnight SC in most places like Balearics, Greece, Portugal etc, including flights and transfers.
Covid tests would have added a bit but not loads as double jabbed/ under 11.
Devon was £2600 for 10 nights SC. Norfolk was £900 for a week.
We would have eaten out more abroad Coe less money too.

Yadnbu - holidaying in the uk is shit. I’ve said to DH this is the last time we’re doing it. If we can’t afford to go abroad next year or covid prevents it then we’ll just take annual leave and have days out etc. It’s expensive, the weather is bollocks, self catering is a chore and eating out is astronomical and the kids are bored. Instead of lying by a pool in the sun every day and reading whilst the kids play it involves driving mad distances to do pre-booked visits that are £££. I hate hate hate it and I’m not doing it again ever.

Yanbu

It needs to be a holiday from daily child related stuff that I do here anyway. I have a range of ages including a three year old though. Probably gets easier if older.

Yes, because not only do I have my kids, I also have my parents. Not sure who is harder work to be honest...

Teens moan about being bored. OAPs moan about teens moaning about being bored. I drink wine. DH goes out for very long solo runs.

We are in Devon at the moment...I'm exhausted and its only day 3. We have 3 kids and the dog and my DS1 is autistic and DS2 is severely disabled wheelchair user...its so fucking hilly round here!!
Then I've packed for ecery occasion and the only meal I haven't cooked was dinner in a pub last night.

Probably gets easier if older

Nope, try 'holidaying' with a sullen teen. Your 3 year old will be a dream in comparison.

I appreciate eating out can be expensive but then get some nice ready meals from M&S. A meal deal for 2 is a £10 including a bottle of wine. Add a couple of pasta carbonara to that and it’s £15 for four. If I can’t afford £15 a night for our meal then I would shorten the holidays. I just don’t want to cook on holiday.

@Feelingoktoday

I appreciate eating out can be expensive but then get some nice ready meals from M&S. A meal deal for 2 is a £10 including a bottle of wine. Add a couple of pasta carbonara to that and it’s £15 for four. If I can’t afford £15 a night for our meal then I would shorten the holidays. I just don’t want to cook on holiday.

But a holiday is meant to be nicer than what you have at home - not worse! We can afford to eat out every night but I begrudge spending the money on over priced, mediocre restaurants, which is what most of them turn out to be here.

We are on the south coast currently and the prices for ‘leisure activities’ are eye watering.
The price for a popular small zoo on the south coast yesterday was £126 for a family of four.
I had traded up Tesco vouchers based on the price last week. When we got there yesterday we learned that their pricing policy is ‘dynamic’. This means that after a long weekend of torrential rain they got a sunny day and decided to hike the prices. So my club card voucher didn’t cover it and I got stung for the difference!
If that isn’t cheeky fuckery, I’m not sure what is.
So a big yes from me to the incredible expense of UK holidays ( if you want to treat the kids to a day out while you’re away, that is).

It's eye wateringly expensive to be half or full board anywhere in the school holidays (here or Europe). Plus up until they were older one room (or two adjoining) would have been a catastrophe. They were climbing the walls but 8.00 am type of kids

@hettie

It's eye wateringly expensive to be half or full board anywhere in the school holidays (here or Europe). Plus up until they were older one room (or two adjoining) would have been a catastrophe. They were climbing the walls but 8.00 am type of kids

Yes. Frankly I don't want to be sitting silently in a Travelodge family room once DS has gone to sleep (at 7pm). We're going to a wedding in Cornwall next month for 3 nights and have paid extra for a family suite. With a separate kids's room and a door that closes.

Yes to the mediocre meals out @nancy75. On our Dorset cottage/beach week last month we booked two meals out in advance.

(Our eldest DD (26) and BF had come on the holiday with us (payed their share of accommodation) and babysat youngest DD (6) for us so DH and i could go out. Haven't had a date night for 18 months)

So the first booked meal was for a lovely little sea side restaurant we'd wandered into 2019. Had fresh lobster back then and it was amazing. Booked for this year in March. Got there with high hopes and the black boards were all up saying muscles and lobster and fresh fish ect. Sat at the table and they were only serving (greasy) pizza and lasagna and the price was sky high. They served us at 100 miles an hour and we were back on the pavement in 25 mins !!!! :(

The 2nd meal booked back in March was for a quaint thatched pub near the cottage. Nightmare. Half the food was off the menu (This was in early July so pre-peak) and what they did have was frankly 'orrible and took AGES to arrive. We waited an hour and 20 for the main to arrive after ordering. Over salted and over cooked and over priced! :( The place was heaving, they had squeezed in way too many tables for the size of the place and they clearly weren't coping with the amount of people.

I wish we'd saved our money and done all 7 evening meals in the cottage. DH had wanted me us to have a break from the cooking washing up routine but it wasn't worth the hassle in the end.

A note about caravans being cheaper .... hmm. For 2020 our caravan was £1000 for a week in mid July. I don't remember what it was for August that year, probably half again, so God knows what it was/is for this year !!!!