Where are you taking older teens on holiday this summer, need UK suggestions!

[triplets]

Where to take three 17 yr olds on a tight budget? We live in a lovely part of England, by the sea so I am happy to stay at home. They keep asking where we are going! My problem is one of the trio has now left home, gone to Army College in Harrogate but will be home on the 14th Aug for 3 weeks so it would be nice to have a few days away all together as its the only holiday this year he will be home the same time as his siblings are off. My dh has Parkinsons so restricted in some ways what we can do. We live in Kent, so 4/5 hour drive maximum or we can go by train as we get concessions. Would be nice to be somewhere they can wonder off on their own, nothing too rural! Would probably have to be self catering which isn`t much of a rest for me, but I am happy if everyone else is happy!! Thanks :)

I know it sounds bonkers but hear me out: Towersey Village Music Festival.

It's a lovely folk and world music festival with some arts and stuff thrown in with a village fete vibe. Shooting Roots, an organisation for young people 12-24 run workshops and social events all festival for your 17 year olds and it is a controlled (or at least boundaried) environment for them to go off and do their own thing.
They have boutique 'all laid on for you with beds' type camping for the first time this year and it's on a level site.

You can opt for a pint in the local social club when it gets a bit much and spending at least one evening sitting by your tent under the stars listening to the festivities from afar is almost obligatory: in short your DH will be able to take it at his own pace, the kids can choose to be with you or wander with other young people and although you can SC there are enough food stalls to make that simpler if you prefer. Plus the music is awesome!

Just had a quick look, certainly well worth considering as yes the teens would love it, but dh wouldn`t! Also the tents would not be big enough as dh now need his own room. But will look at selfcatering near the venue. What does the tiered system mean for tickets? Thank you, never heard of it before, would be a good driving distance from here to.

Bumping pls!

Hi triplets!
Hope all is going okay with you all.

Just a word of warning..... if the college is anything like the Army, don't absolutely rely on leave dates etc. They often change at the last minute.
If you are booking something particular you might like to leave the starting date a few days after the leave date.

My ds is in Canada driving his tank for the summer, no leave until Sept.

xxxxxx

Brighton ? - maybe too similar to your seaside nook? Isle of Wight , London- for a bit of city sightseeing and shopping

Sometimes we pretend we are tourists and make the effort and swallow the cost of going to attractions/ out for the day to places we normally wouldn't make the effort to but are within 2 hours drive. A different seaside place - we live in Brighton but recently did a long weekend in Camber Sands (kite buggying, sandy beaches, olde world feel, Rye etc) it felt like a totally different place but was only a couple of hours drive away and we self catered as always.