Self catering suggestions?

[KM38]

Hoping to get away somewhere in June. Have spent my whole Maternity Leave in lockdown and would like a couple of nights away with DH and DS (7months) before going back to work.

We’re Ayrshire based. Happy to travel a few hours drive. Looking for somewhere with nice walks, places to eat, shops to mooch around at. Self catering preferably 😊

Give me your best suggestions! Happy to be in a town/village or in a holiday park nearby.

Aviemore! Silverglades is nice or the lodges at the Mcdonald resort- swimming, soft play etc on site.

Not sure what you mean by "shops to mooch" around if you want hundreds of them then surely you need to near to Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Anyway last year we stayed in a village near Inveraray right on the edge of Loch Fyne, there were some good restaurants there, some shops mainly gift type shops (you could see the whole lot in under an hr) and two small supermarkets for food) and lots of lovely walks. From there we spent a 1/2 a day in Oban which was OK more shops and restaurants than Inveraray. We drove by the aptly named Loch Awe on the way to Oban that looked pretty stunning or should I say awesome. We had a lovely time apart from the fact that it pissed with rain the whole time which very slightly detracted from our enjoyment of the whole thing although Loch Fyne still looked beautiful even in the rain and mist and we couldn't sit outside in the evening as we were eaten alive by midges.
If you want lots of shops what about Loch Lomond again stunning lots of lovely walks and as Im sure you know if you live in Ayrshire enough shops in Glasgow to suit every possible taste.

@StarryEyeSurprise Have been to the McDonald resort before actually but years back! Will have a look, thank you 😊

@IseeScottishhills Not after hundreds of shops 😊 should have been more specific. Just meant some nice wee shops to have a browse in - not after a huge high street or anything. Will have a look up Oban way too 😊 I have a feeling that self catering will be pricey and hard to come by this year but we’re pretty flexible with where and when so hoping to find a wee hidden gem 🤞🏼😅

Personally I think “Oban way” would be preferable to Oban itself. We were slightly underwhelmed by Oban it’s a bit crumby TBH although you do have the ferry over to the islands which gives you more options.

Haven site at Craig Tara!! Fab farm along the road too!

@IseeScottishhills Thanks for the advice 😊 it’s a good few years since I’ve been to Oban so will broaden the search in that area rather than sticking to Oban itself 😊

@Aprilshowersandhail Lovely place but far too close to home for us to consider 😊 it’s only about 25 mins drive from us so we can go there for days out whenever we like so wouldn’t pay to stay 😊

Does it have to be in Scotland or would you travel to England? If Scotland then st.Andrews is good for shops, places to eat and lovely walks but availability isn’t good from what I can see. You might have more much with a Monday to Friday break or you might get some cancellations last minute
Air bnb has a really handy search if you click on the I’m flexible button and you can get it to search for any week in June

The north east coast, from Nairn through Moray, is beautiful and totally underrated. Beautiful beaches and much quieter than the west coast so you may be more likely to find accomodation.

@Icannever Happy to travel to England too. Don’t want to spend too long travelling with the baby so probably 3/4 hours maximum from Ayrshire if possible (obviously we’ll stop a few times for him 😊). St Andrews area had been my first thought too 😊 will have a better look into it for availability! DH works offshore but will be home for the first 3 weeks in June so we’re not limited to weekends which helps 😊

@Honeycombskl I’ll have a look at that area too! Thanks 😊

At 7 months my ds bloody hated shops!!

Dunkeld is lovely for a holiday with a baby. Lovely places/ walks with a buggy or carrier, nice shops and places to eat. Lovely scenery and as well as self catering their a Hilton too.

We stayed at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat in the Lake District 2 years ago and it was stunning. The lodges were top notch and there's a restaurant on site which is excellent. Only 15 minutes drive to Keswick which has some nice shops and a Booths supermarket which is v nice.
You can visit The Lakes gin distillery (good tour) and Alpacally Ever After are based there too, we loved meeting the alpacas. There's also the Lake District Wildlife Park which is worth a visit.
I'm sure you can book through either Darwin Escapes or Hoseasons.

@Ladylunchalot

We stayed at Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat in the Lake District 2 years ago and it was stunning. The lodges were top notch and there's a restaurant on site which is excellent. Only 15 minutes drive to Keswick which has some nice shops and a Booths supermarket which is v nice. You can visit The Lakes gin distillery (good tour) and Alpacally Ever After are based there too, we loved meeting the alpacas. There's also the Lake District Wildlife Park which is worth a visit. I'm sure you can book through either Darwin Escapes or Hoseasons.

Big fan of these lodges though restaurant and mini spa we're shut on last visit. They also have lovely ones at thanet well but those are a little further from keswick and have less facilities, stunning views though.

Cockermouth is also nice for a stroll about and has a brilliant Turkish restaurant. Keswick booths is the best!

It's a lovely area, traffic horrendous in peak holiday season but good outwith that, lovely drives while baby napping, try the Honister pass.

You can also self cater at Crieff hydro (also have child care available) or Peebleshire would be good, lovely walks, nice wee town, swimming pool etc.

@Aprilshowersandhail Mine seems to love them at the moment. He’s spent the last 7 months at home with me and just going walks outside so anywhere that he can see people and things seems to be a big winner for now.

@MrsAmaretto You’ve just reminded me of a lovely wee Air B&B I had saved last year in Dunkeld!! Have never been so we were unsure what there was around and then covid struck so we never got the chance! Off to have a look at options 👍🏻👍🏻

@Ladylunchalot Will have a look at your suggestions too! Sounds like there’s loads to do roundabout 😊😊

@RedactedTaeFeck Crieff hydro is our favourite ❤️ DH wants to go somewhere different. We would never use the childcare at this age (personal choice - no judgement to anyone else!) and I don’t think DH is ready to face such a different visit to his favourite place 🤣 usually we arrive and it’s straight for cocktails and long leisurely dinners/lunches, mornings in the victorian spa, maybe a walk and wee activity in the afternoon. Certainly not the same trip we’d have with a 7m old 🤣 I think we’ll save Crieff with DS for another couple of years until he can get involved with the activities 😊

We had done similar at Crieff pre DC. We went back when we had DS1 at 16 months and DS2 at 3 months as they had a good deal on. We got a massive corner room as we needed 2 cots. It also had a double and a single bed and enough room to push the pram around!

I think we got something like 2 hours childcare free and the intention was to see if DS1 was happy to go and if so we'd grab a quick dinner taking ebf DS2 with us.

Ds1 happily ran in and the lady in charge asked if we wanted to leave a sleeping DS2 with them and they'd call the restaurant in required. So we did and left with her happily cuddling him.

I'm obviously a terrible mother as although we went back in an hour and a half, I loved it!

I’d do a city/town break in Edinburgh, or somewhere in the North of England. Or Peebles was nice when we were through there the other day. Handy for pottering round shops and restaurants and to nip back to the accommodation if DS fed up.

I'd go Newtonmore/Kincraig.

It's a short drive to Aviemore for shops, close to the Cairngorms for a drive up the mountain and a hot chocolate. Close to the Highland Wildlife Park to visit the animals.

Keswick reach lodges very good. Would also like to throw in Bamburgh / Warkworth / Northumberland.

We had a really nice break at Kielder water but it's a bit further drive maybe? They have a swimming pool and small gym and lovely walks. There is a bar where you can get food (which was pretty average) and a small shop but probably best taking what you need with you.

Dumfries and Galloway. Castle Douglas or Kircudbright.

@RedactedTaeFeck That doesn’t make you a terrible mother 🤣🤣 just maybe a slightly more relaxed one than me 😅 but I’m sure most mums are by the time they’re having baby number 2 😊 I’m 6m in with DS1 and I can’t imagine him ever being out of my sight 🤣🤣

@WouldBeGood I stay in Peebles regularly for work so would probably avoid there 😊 it is lovely though! Edinburgh is somewhere we also visited regularly pre-covid. Wasn’t sure how I felt about Edinburgh with the pram though 🤔 and DS is a lump so carrier all day is a bit much 🙈 have started looking at places in the north of England though 😊

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz Will have another look up that way 😊 accommodation is in pretty short supply at the moment it seems! Everyone must be desperate for a wee break after covid so we’ll see if we manage to find anywhere suitable!

@NotSoLongGoodbye A few people have suggested Keswick Reach Lodges! Going to sit down tomorrow and have a look at prices and dates 😊

@Sarcobaleno Will look at those, thanks 😊

Mine are only 13 months apart , so if your DS is 6 months now, I was pregnant at that point with my 2nd and was working full time. To be fair i was very lucky and mine were pretty easy going (as much as young babies can be) but we definitely needed the break!

@RedactedTaeFeck I take my hat off to you for managing 2 that close together 😅 I can’t believe how much I love this little boy and I hope to be lucky enough to give him siblings in the future but I’ll be waiting a wee while yet 🤣🙈 Even easy going young babies are tough! We’ve just got silent reflux issues sorted out so it’s been quite tough and DH works away from home for weeks at a time so I’ve spent a huge amount of my pregnancy home on furlough alone and then this first 6m of Mat leave I’ve been alone lots with baby. So just hoping for a nice wee family trip somewhere before I head back to work too!

Yes, babies are much better shared! We didn't have family nearby for support either and moved house twice before eldest was 3. DH was a stay at home dad for a while because childcare for two is expensive and I travelled away regularly for work as well.

Enjoy these days as the cliché about how fast it goes is so true. Mine will be 21 and 20 this year and i'd love to have those baby days back sometimes.

I hope you get a lovely break :)