Holiday Tension Between Me and DH

[Verbena37]

So for a few years now DH has been refusing to go anywhere UKs based that isn't Center Parcs. He says he wants a holiday that will be guaranteed hot and sunny. I don't fly.....and won't be in the future. I'm plane phobic so that's a no-go.

DH says I'm selfish by not flying and limiting our family summer holidays to the Uk. We have been to France but I'm not good in the heat....really not good. I can't be in the sun and neither can DD. Anything higher than about 22 and I'm done for.

I don't see why we can't book a cottage/farmhouse/hotel in the Uk....somewhere where is lots to do. There are so many places we haven't been and lots of places we have that would be great for a holiday.

I thought Cornwall, Tenby, Cumbria, Scotland etc.....but he refuses. He says it will rain and then what will do.

As a child, we spent pretty much all of our holidays in Scotland so I'm very used to waking in the pouring rain and just get on with it. He says that's no holiday though. We are reluctant to go to France due to the increasing safety worry at the Tunnel. We were planning on going to Disney Paris in July but after last week with the gunman, we thinking not. We could go to France but don't really want to take a long ferry as DH and kids get sea sick badly.

Any ideas.....and places it's highly unlikely to rain. We live in East Anglia so somewhere not near here would be good.

We have lived in Germany and loved it but I wouldn't really want to visit at the moment.

Yea, I guess we could take the train to south France and then hire a car when there. Just looking at awful lovely holiday parks at the moment.

Why wouldn't you want to visit "at the moment"?

Due to the attacks, violence and general unrest taking place between migrants and Germans at the moment.

I think people have picked up the 'psychotherapy' angle because the title references tension between you, that words like selfish are used in your OP, his moaning and rain aversion (he is so NOT 'hard as nails' ), and because it isn't just suggested places you want, but suggestions in order to be able to persuade your DH.

So presumably you need nice places with lots of indoor activities. Museums, galleries, indoor attractions, stately homes, etc? And also coastal or mountain?

York? (Bound to rain, as in Yorkshire.)

OP I think you need to stop reading the Daily Mail or wherever it is you are getting these ideas from that there are marauding migrants on every corner of the continent waiting to pounce on you, I really do. There is no "general unrest" in Germany.

Still can't see what's wrong with my solution of you and ds going to Scotland and dd and dh going somewhere hot on a plane.
Then everyone gets the holiday they want.

I honestly did want ideas for nice UK holidays Blu. I guess, like someone suggested, I shouldn't have written any backstory . I will know in future.

Looking at France....nothing south of the Dordogne grabs me.....DH wants boiling Cotes d'Azure temps.....I want Brittany. When I went to Brittany for two weeks as a teenager, it was boiling the whole time. When DJ went with his parents, it rained every day....hence he really doesn't want rainy holidays now. They used to also go to Wales every year and lived for five years in west Scotland so I guess he has been put off by bad weather.

Never mind, we'll sort out something.

I fly for a living and so does Dp.

I actually don't think a fear of flying course would be of any use to you.

The company I work for used to hold them with great success. You seem to have resigned yourself to never flying again.

To anyone who wants to they can be a great tool.

The Isle of White is lovely....and being so far South does tend to catch the best of the U.K. weather although obviously it's not exactly guaranteed sunshine.

I've had a couple of family holidays there staying in a lovely national trust property and taking our car over to explore the rest of the island.

The ferry is longer than an hour but it's not exactly open sea, more a little channel, so I've never experienced any movement on it that would lead to sea sickness.

If that's still a no-no you could leave your car at Portsmouth and get the passenger only catamaran (45mins) and then hire a car the other side.

What about Jersey/Channel Islands? Like being abroad, but not.

Absolutely hate flying I spend most of it half breaking my dh hand and face buried into his chest but I still go because I want to see a new place and once I touch down I'm fine.

We had an absolutely lovely holiday in Cornwall in summer last year it rained once but there's so much todo you don't really notice it! It wasn't hugely expensive either! £560 for first week of the summer holidays we pre booked all our activities where possible online so saved on ticket fees and were able to spread the cost over a few months.

I think though you all do need to compromise abit more on holidays. I think maybe you've idealised Scotland because it's safe no flying etc.

The Isles of Scilly are gorgeous, on a sunny day it feels like the Caribbean. You could get the boat & the others can fly.
Tresco has some gorgeous holiday cottages, there's a spa and great places to eat out.
We've had good weather in August several times.

Sounds lovely, will look.

your dh is right about France.

Brittany is basically same weather as Cornwall.

You need to go far south enough to get past northern weather. It doesn't have to be Dordogne, from the Loire is usually 'southern' weather

How about the Lot area? You don't have beaches, but lovely rivers, valleys, villages etc.
We canoe on the river, horse ride in the hills, visit beautiful ancient villages and towns and sit by the pool on the other days

Interrailing? I've been a couple of times and it's brilliant - you could Eurostar to Paris or Brussels and then go to lovely cities.

Or apparently the Isles of Scilly are lovely - my folks went the year before last and they swam in the sea, it was so warm.

I always wanted to go on the kinds of holiday my friends went on. We went abroad loads, but my parents mainly took us to mountainous places where we had to go on lots of Long Walks.

I love the Scilly Isles, but it is always windy, which gets a bit much after a while.

I would go for the shortest ferry crossing and ten Europe is your oyster.

Have you looked at Eurocamp/Canvas holidays. They are all over Europe.

There is a middle ground somewhere - not sure where geographically but there must be a somewhere in between UK weather and Spain weather. At a guess I would say halfway down France, but you would have to research this. Switzerland and Austria in the summer are lovely as well.

I think some ferry crossings are under 2 hours if you are dead set against the tunnel. I would dose the family up on travel sickness tablets and travel bands and just go for it.

I love Scotland and I love walking but walking in the rain isn't something I want to save all year to do, despite being able to appreciate the landscape,so I can sympathise with your DH there.

We've been to the Dordogne and it wasn't great weather. It was ok but too chilly to swim in the pool. It was overcast I'd say 60% of the holiday. I've been other times and it was boiling and sunny the whole time.

I can't justify basing a holiday on purely the weather though. I would rather spend quality time with my family. Also, whilst a lot of people fly, a lot of them fly somewhere hot and stay in the hotel and pool the entire week, not seeing anything of the country they've gone to so in essence, just because it's abroad, doesn't mean an adventurous week of culture for everybody.

Lemonski, I see your point on saving all year to have a wet, rainy holiday dressed in nothing but a peter storm and wellies .

I will be more open minded and try to worry about the tunnel then. To be honest, DH thinks he is at Le Mans whenever we exit or enter the toll stations so I won't worry too much about getting through customs unscathed.

Ooh, I've found two campsites with mobile homes.....one in Bergerac (pomport) and one near La Rochelle (sequoia Parc). Both look good for the kids and do able for me and Dh.

walking in the rain with a Goretex on does not sound like a holiday, it sounds like something to suffer through remembers DofE route marches fondly
I'm with your DH. What about a touring holiday - my DM, Dsis and I toured Northumberland once, 'twas lovely. Holy Island, lots of lovely scenery, nice cities, had a blast.

Agree with pps that you're really limiting yourself and the kids if you won't fly. Fear of flying is completely irrational statistically. That doesn't make it any less shit to experience though. I fly almost monthly - combination of work and leisure - and I also dislike it - can't stand heavy turbulence - it's miserable - but there's no way I would deny myself all the amazing experiences I have overseas. Just no way. Have a glass of wine and relax. Do a course at heathrow. Do CBT. Hypnotherapy. Hell - go to the GP and get some diazepam. Whatever it takes! There's sooo much out there and off this little isle. Failing that St Mawes is lovely

I really don't think you're going to see a refugee at the Tunnel. You might have to queue to get there if operation Stack is on and you might have to wait a bit for 'points failure' but you don't see anyone either end as there are big fences and as said before, you drive straight onto motorway.

On return trip you don't go into Calais and last August when we went backthere was no sign of anyone as you don't actually go into Calais. We didn't see anyone other than other holiday makers and Lorry drivers, despite the things in the media.

There was a thread on here last summer, mostly about Operation Stack. Most of us were a bit worried about what it would be like but it passed uneventfully for pretty much everyone, just delays in some cases.

I agree that Jersey and the Isle of Wight are lovely. The Swiss Alps are great in summer, dry, sunny and neither cold nor hot. Not cheap though.

You're lucky that I've got to go and read bedtime stories, otherwise I'd dig up the stats on the risks involved in driving down the motorway from Calais to the South of France. Makes the allegedly terrifying risks of air travel (apart from the taxi ride from the airport at the far end of course) look like a walk to the corner shop.

So flying somewhere, in your mind, means you have to lie by the pool for the whole time you have some odd ideas!