UK holiday with teenagers

[2catsand2kids]

I’m looking for ideas for where we can go for approx one week in the summer holidays 2025. I have two DC who will be 13 and 14 and my DH. We usually go abroad as every time we stay in the UK it just seems to rain all week and be expensive but we’re considering it next year (although part of me thinks we should just head to Morzine in the alps).

Does anyone have any suggestions of locations or specific accommodation you would recommend for a family of four with teenagers in the UK?

what do they enjoy?

Go somewhere where they can socialize with other teenagers would be my advice. Otherwise you are looking for a miserable holiday with 2 whining teens as my husband and I discovered this summer. 14 and 13 is the time the closest children start pulling away from their parents big time. We booked a cottage every summer for many years and it worked. This summer our 15 and 13 years olds are purposely mostly staying in the bedroom and mostly refusing to join unless for dinner once a day. Constant whining "can we go back tomorrow?". It is so different from the previous years. If I was to go on holiday on the UK again I would book a caravan park or glamping so at least they could make friends with other teenagers. Looking forward to other people's suggestions as to the location

Depends what they like?
Cornwall is nice but can be wet in the summer doesn't stop our kids though they just surf when its wet.
North Wales has some stunning locations I feel as good as Cornwall, plenty of activities to see and do only a few surfing locations though.

Depending on what they like, another vote for north wales. Gorgeous scenery and loads to do (assuming they like active!) - we went years ago and the had zip world, bounce below, a surfing place. I think there's now a forest rollercoaster too!

My youngest teen likes city breaks. This summer we've done a few of those rather than a longer holiday - Liverpool, London and Dublin. He loves history and eating so he's sorted

Mate goes to those lakes in the Cotswolds
says kids love it. Paddle boarding etc.

? South Cerney?

https://www.habitatescapes.com/inspirations-offers/luxury-lodge-holidays-in-the-cotswolds/

I haven’t been for years but dalyan was small enough that you could stay in town and let kids roam for a bit while you sit having drinks after dinner

plus keep safari. Waterfalls. Boat trips. Ours loved it 🥰

I know Mumsnet has mixed views, but at that age, ours loved Centre Parks.

Center Parcs is another good call. We took youngest DS and his cousin last year (they were 14 and 16) and they had a great time. We didn't see much of them - they were out most of the day on their bikes and then every evening walked off to the amusement arcade

Aviemore area, great for walking, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, quad bikes etc. self catering or hotel options.

With a couple of nights in Edinburgh on the way!

Isles of Scilly - nothing to do but explore - but safe enough that they could head out on bikes on their own for a few hours. Novelty for 21st century kids!

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. They love doing different activities (they’re currently both on Scout camp for a week) and I’ve been considering north Wales (we’ve been before a few times). I’ll have a look at the Cotswolds and Scotland too (they’re not very into surfing so probably not Cornwall). I did look at Center Parcs but for a week in the summer holidays it was extortionate!

@drang246 I’d love the Isles of Scilly, I’m not sure how affordable it is or how easy it is to get accommodation there, have you been?

Creiff Hydro. Plenty of activities.

Loch Tay Highland Lodges. Water based activity.

Both could include a city break. Edinburgh one way, Glasgow the other.

Or a very short flight to The Netherlands, plenty of city/beach options. Den Hague is fab with a tram ride to the beach, Rotterdam rather cool and urban.

The Suffolk or Norfolk coast. Lots of scenery to explore you can find some beautiful uninhabited beaches and lots of activities you can book if you want to have more structured adventures.

it also has the benefit of the weather being more predictable than other areas of the county.

Not much fun for you (unless you like activities) but PGL do family holidays?! The shows/games rooms/swimming at butlins would be good as well.

What would be your reason to go to Morzine in the summer? Is it the mountain biking?… If so, Bike Park Wales in S Wales is fab.

We are currently in Northumberland which has great food, amazing beaches, walks and castles as well as Hadrian's Wall, some interesting museums like Cragside and mining museum and today we are walking with alpacas. But we did combine this with a few nights in Edinburgh which the DSs (19 & 15) really loved.

More for the hiking and all of the other activities on offer for a very reasonable price with the multi pass, as well as beautiful scenery and (hopefully) good weather without it being too hot. The accommodation I’ve looked at is a reasonable price there. I also like the idea of driving via the champagne region and picking up some bubbly! Husband is less keen on a long drive and doesn’t really like driving abroad.

Ours get bored with just countryside or just city breaks. We've done Oxford and Cambridge in the past and it's a nice mix of both. Stayed in the city centre, did museums, shops, cafes, etc mixed with lots of bike rides into the countryside. Plus punting which was a big hit. Lots to keep them occupied and DH and I were never bored either.

We’ve driven to morzine. Is not too bad. The French roads are lovely to drive on! The M25 was awful! I’ve only ever driven on it once before! I hated every second of it!

We stayed over near Dijon to break the journey up.

We’ll with the drive for the scenery, activities and weather

Ours enjoyed Edinburgh Fringe at that age. You do have to be careful what shows you choose - some of the stand up can be very cringey with teens even if billed as suitable - but there was dance, music, theatre etc as well, and a real buzz. (NB not been since pre-pandemic). I like my bed, but some people do festivals at that age and you could combine that with some outdoor activity stuff before or after. We also went to that activity place in Snowdonia and they did stuff there (we camped nearby). IKWYM about the weather though (veteran of many Welsh holidays)