Hi, thinking about booking a UK holiday for the summer (school holidays), but looking for some inspiration.
We have 2 kids, 8 and 13 live in Cardiff and aren't keen on very long drives generally, so often do Pembrokeshire which we love, but thinking about where else we could look. Ideally within 3 hours drive, although might be willing to push that a bit for the right place. We do have a friend in Exmouth so have thought of we head to south coast we could incorporate stopping off there but that's not an essential.
Things we want /like:
Very close to beaches - including some sandy.
Not too isolated - it's nice to have a couple of different places to visit in a short drive, choice of cafes and restaurants, maybe a zoo or theme park for a day out, supermarket etc.
However, not too built up either- we like pretty scenery and small towns / villages. Not bothered about shopping or amusement arcades.
We enjoy both holiday cottages and caravan sites. Nice to be on a site for a pool / kids playground but we don't tend to use the entertainment etc much so it's not always worth the money, so open to either.
Ideal world I love a sea view or walking distance to coast, if budget allows!
To give you an idea, we've loved holidays to both Saundersfoot and Lydstep in Pembs and Nodes point in Isle of Wight, as they have a good balance of being near lots to do but also pretty, not too built up etc.
Broadhaven and new quay in west Wales were both also great for scenery,beaches etc, but if weather had been less good I'm not sure we'd have found enough to do without a long drive.
On the other end of the scale, goodrington near Paignton and Poole were both great holidays for things to do, but maybe less pretty and 'holiday feeling'. We did westward ho in north Devon last year which ticked a lot of boxes but I didn't love it somehow. Plus wouldn't really want to do north Devon 2 years in a row.
Hoping the Mumsnet hive mind can suggest some good towns, areas or even holiday parks that might suit us!