We are considering a cottage holiday in Wales in late July/early August.

[carrotsandcelery]

What areas of Wales would you recommend for an anxious 7 yo ds and daredevil 11 yo dd?

We like a day on the beach, animals, country walks, castles, good child friendly museums/art galleries, swimming... most things really but not being too hot [Scottish]

Firstly i would say if you want school holidays then you need to crack on as loads of places are booking up early this year. secondly i would go for the lleyn peninsular based at Porthmadog or Borth y gest which is our favourite. lovely little fishing village with beach and walk into porthmadog with lovely beaches like black rock sands a stroll away. you are near portmeirion, there is electric mountain, various high ropes courses, loads of castles all nearby also greenwood centre and centre for alternative technology where the kids spent hours pond dipping in October. we love this area of wales it isnt the most touristy but great with the kids.

Thank you mummymeister - that all sounds brilliant and perfect for us. We are itching to book but it is all down to the size of dh's bonus this year so we may have to wait a week or two.

I also recommend the North West (so great cos I live here!!) Plenty of little cottages dotted around.

Having just got back from Pembrokeshire, would heartily recommend SW Wales. Amazing beaches, lots of adventure activities, culture at St David's, Narberth. Loads of cottages. Quite a drive from Scotland tho...

Wales is fantastic, I've lived here for over 20 years (I'm Scottish too) and agree with others who suggest north or south west Wales. Bluestone in Pembrokeshire is a lot like Center Parcs, close to fabulous beaches and with lots of activities on site in a safe environment.

As for school holidays, they're a bit earlier in Scotlans, so if you could come earlier and avoid the English/Welsh school summer holidays it would be a bit cheaper. Would love to know what you decide.

I'd like to recommend Clarach Bay in West Wales. Has a great little beach where our son remained most of the holiday and plenty of cliff walking and exploring. We stayed in Aberystwyth which is only a mile away although I wish we had stayed in Clarach Bay, in one of the caravans. Probably much cheaper and the park had it's own swimming pool - which we managed to use. Such a friendly bunch at www.clarachbay.com/
All in all - wales is great!

The Gower. Lush beaches, oodles of countryside, surfing for 11ds daredevil, boutique shopping in Mumbles, lovely friendly people, fly into Cardiff if you don't fancy the drive! Try Home from Home they have lovely self catering.