Every year my DM arranges a family meet up at a beach in Cornwall where we all get together - it is a lovely beach and rare for everyone to be together at the same time. Everyone else lives locally so it takes between 10mins and 45 mins for them to get there. We are further afield so it is about 3 1/2hrs there and back (including a quick stop at Costa or somewhere similar on route) so 7 hrs driving in all. We have 2 DC so they need a break really.
After a particularly grueling journey yesterday, 2 very tearful kids at various points and finding I have gone bright red from being on the beach too long - I'm beginning to question if I can bear to keep doing this each year. What would you do?
As aside the DC generally do have a good time at the gathering and like seeing my family, but we often have tears/stress. We can't afford to stay overnight and no-one has space to put us up so that's not an option.