Quieter August UK break

[searchforthesun]

I want to go away for 5/7 nights in the UK during the school summer holidays with my 2 kids, 11 and 15.
we had booked a beach break but I’ve just cancelled it as I know it will be packed and I just can’t face it.
is there anywhere that won’t be as busy but still things for us to do?
we like paddle boarding, nice shops to wander round, brunch, walking, some activities for the kids.
we also have a dog that needs to come wit us.
i just don’t want to spend the week not being able to park and queuing.

Speaking as a resident of Cornwall...you can still find peace and quiet even here in the summer. My golden rule, that I share with everyone, is: nowhere's uncomfortably crowded if you're prepared to park a mile away and walk. Except for St Ives of course.

But how about Dorset? The Isle of Purbeck and the Jurassic coast are lovely. We've had a couple of lovely holidays camping near Kimmeridge and Lulworth. Just avoid Durdle Door if you don't like crowds!

Snowdonia? We took our mid teens and went to a couple of the Zip Worlds which were really fun. Did some mountain walking and went to Port Meirion and Caernarfon. Was fun and chilled

Cheshire/ Wirral has loads of paddle boarding places plus can get the train across to Liverpool and SUP at the Royal Albert Dock via the Watersports centre, or Chester with the river Dee, plenty of shops.

We always go to Woolacombe for a week every year. They have surf lessons and a dog friendly part of the beach. I don’t find there are many queues. Decent restaurants. Ilfracombe near by is good for a walk round the harbour and coasteering at Hele bay.

Northumberland - we adore it there, such beautiful coastline and countryside, lots of castles to explore and rarely busy

Thank you for all of your suggestions, I’ll start researching!
we went to Snowdonia last year and loved it.
We have see most of Cornwall as we had a motorhome for a few years (we loved it) .
Ive never considered Cheshire.

West coast of Scotland, second half of August.

The Scottish schools will be back and th weather is usually really good. Lots of outdoor activities.

The Northumberland coast is stunning and much quieter than the south coast

Another vote for Northumberland. We escape the hordes in Devon every year and go up to see family for a week, and we've never had to worry about crowds anywhere really. Loads of fun stuff to do.

Second Scotland late August.

I'd also suggest Tees Valley area, it's lovely and overlooked, plenty of day trips to be had.

It will be utterly heaving. My parent lives there we don’t visit that time of year. It’s unbearable. Go elsewhere OP.

North coast of Northern Ireland

edited to add - you can drive up to Scotland and get the 2 hour ferry across to Belfast. Nice drive, cheap ish ferry and lovely people / surfing and chip shops at the other end!

Are you talking about Cornwall or Dorset??

Either way, clearly you don't know the right spots.

Croft Farm Water Park in Gloucestershire? It’s not coastal but the lake is great and the water sports are on site (you can take your own board/kayak if you like). There’s a couple of nice towns around, beautiful countryside. The lodges are quite acceptable standard. Not too far from the Severn or the Wye for alternative kayaking.

i think it really depends how you're willing to travel, particularly if you're only going for 5-7 nights. Basically think of pretty anywhere that you've never heard anyone go before and it will probably meet your requirements! If it's close enough then Scotland might be a good option after their schools go back mid-August. East Lothian around North Berwick might suit or the East Neuk of Fife has some pretty villages and nice coastline, both are within easy reach of Edinburgh for a day trip. Likewise, North Ayrshire around Troon and Largs has some sheltered coast line and day trips to places like Bute and Cumbrae on the ferry, and you can day trip to Glasgow on the train.

Eden Valley - some nice shops in Penrith and Carlisle, close to lakes, but Eden itself is generally really quiet. You can paddle board on Ullswater, walk to Lacey Caves or around Armathwate, nice hills up to Alston, day trip on Ullswater ferry, and so much more.
The quieter places to stay will be the Pennines side of Penrith, not the Lakes side.

Ceredigion, absolutely beautiful and whenever we have been in school holidays it’s far quieter than Pembrokeshire and popular North Wales seaside towns - bit of a hidden gem. We like Tresaith, Llangrannog, Aberporth and Mwnt is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world!