Travel in the night or day? Caravan holiday

[RedRobyn24]

We’re travelling on bank holiday Monday for a Haven break in Wales and we have a 5yo and a 20mo, we have to get through Manchester too (iykyk) the car journey is meant to be 3.5 hours but with road works and traffic we are looking at 4.5/5 hours.

Our original plan was to leave in the morning maybe 8/9am and stop half way for a decent break for a couple of hours to break up the journey… but we are rethinking and considering getting up at 3am bundling the kids in the car and trying to get through the journey by 7ish

We can go on site from 11 but check in could be any time from 12 to 5 so we could be waiting around all day.

What would you do and what have you done with similar holidays?

I guess I just want to avoid the youngest having a meltdown in the car, travelling in a car with children can be so draining.

Getting up at three am to hang around until who knows when sounds pretty grim.
Think you’re best off leaving after a leisurely breakfast and breaking up the drive where possible for a little walk about. Also think it’s a situation that warrants screen time so long as they don’t become travel sick.

Leaving at 3am is not a good idea. I think maybe 6 or 7am will be enough to avoid the worst volume of traffic.

I would absolutely go at 3am. Put the children to bed in their day clothes, wake them up at the very last minute before leaving and hopefully they’ll fall asleep again in the car. The roads will be blissfully quiet.

Don’t go at 3am. Having to hang around to check in would be hell.

Would leave later rather than at 3:00am.

Normally I am all for an early start but ask yourself this......
You have been up since the small hours, you are at your destination, everyone is tired & grumpy, the car is full of your belongings etc so what are you hoping to do for several hours?

In this situation, I would aim to arrive around check-in time, have a leisurely evening and get ready to enjoy the first full day.

If you say what your start and end points are, we may be able to suggest places for breaks in the journey.

I’d try not to disturb normal sleep patterns tbh. It just starts the holiday off badly! Be all packed up and ready to go after you wake? Where you starting from and going to?

Also have your swim kits separate and you can be usually use the pool when there.

I’d leave at 9 ish, but having taken kids out for exercise first, to the park or something- one parent could do that whilst the other packs up.
Make sure you’ve sorted petrol etc earlier, so no unnecessary hanging about, then plan a stop somewhere where the kids can have a good run about.
It doesn’t sound as if there is much point arriving too early.
Hooe you enjoy the holiday- we have lovely memories of the Haven holiday we went on when the DC were little . We had no money, and a family member paid for the accommodation for us , we had such a great time!

We are leaving from the outskirts of Scarborough and travelling on the A64, we will be going through Manchester which we expect to have quite bad traffic because of the bank holiday traffic.

i probably wouldn’t bother if it was just my 5yo as she can be easily entertained… it’s my 20mo who is going to really struggle

Oh we are going to hafan y mor haven site

Absolutely never would i get out of bed in the middle of the night for a drive of 4.5 hours. That’s crazy. Just leave in the morning, do a couple of stops for the kids to get out and have a bit of a run about/play then arrive mid afternoon

Last weekend, we left Scarborough about 10 and the A64 was busy but not horrendous, and absolutely fine once we got onto the full dual carriageway around York if you left about 8, you would avoid those leaving holiday accommodation around the 9 - 9.30 mark.
Most of the M1 roadworks southbound to the M62 are cleared now.
Agree the M62 can be awful, but surely you won't be going "through" Manchester?
Google maps will take you either clockwise or anticlockwise depending on traffic flow.
If you want to stop for food supplies there are Asda, Tesco and Lidl near the Llandudno Junction/Conwy area just off the A55

I’m not from the area so can’t tell you what’s there, but I’m all for making a 4 hour journey into 2 hour journeys with a national trust stop in the middle with kids. They’re usually not far off the main roads, lovely cafe and tons of room to run around. Make it into another lovely day of your holiday rather than just a journey you’re dreading!

Go about 6am, I reckon.

I’d aim to be past Manchester by 9am stopping once you get into wales. Decent stop but you only a short journey afterwards that way

I wouldn’t have thought traffic would be too bad on bank holiday Monday. I wouldn’t leave ridiculously early unless you’re going to pay for guaranteed early check in. I’d aim to leave around 6-7am and then stop for a late breakfast/early lunch once you’re past Manchester. Bank holiday traffic around there won’t be anywhere near as bad as a normal day. The only issue you might have is Creamfields emptying out but hopefully they’ll be heading away from Wales as opposed to into Wales.

Id do 2 hours in the morning from about 9 to 11. Stop off somewhere for lunch and spend the day there. Then continue later on in the day.

So can I just check, all those saying it’s a mad idea can you please confirm that you have a young child or children who cannot sit and do stickers or colouring because they’re too young? I’d love to know what you’re expecting your kids to do for hours and hours in the car. Mine will most likely start crying…

That’s a funny coincidence

3am no but I’d probably get up around 5.30 and crack on from there. You’d still miss the worst of the traffic that way and have way less time to hang about at the other end. I’d probably stop off somewhere after the worst of the traffic (ie after Manchester) for the dc to have a break/stretch their legs - maybe a park and picnic in a small town or village

Yes I have had young children that don’t travel well. Getting up and leaving for a caravan holiday at 3am just puts everyone out of sorts, more so than daytime travel. We would just all be knackered and that would be far less enjoyable than trying to keep them amused by day. Is someone able to sit in the back with them? We found that to be really helpful but appreciate not all cars will fit an adult between 2 car seats. DH always sat in the back for long journeys and we would just take a couple of breaks if we were travelling for that long. 5 hours is about the most we did because it was hard, but we managed, sometimes we did have a crying DC but equally sometimes you just have to crack on with your plans regardless.

We used to drive the kids to south of France. That’s about 12 hours in the car. When little we’d stop over night, so still 6 hours each day. We allowed plenty of time for stops.

Some great advice here. I’d leave about 6am. Have a plan for somewhere to stop…. A playground, a park, whatever works for you, about half way. Take snacks or a picnic. Be flexible. You’ll likely need a few loo stops. Don’t get up at 3 - you’ll feel crap and we all feel a bit sick when we do that (since kids were about 10).

You need iPads / tablets with peppa pig or similar and toddler headphones