Great British Holidays

[Oola]

I saw a piece on tv about people that are choosing to holiday 'at home' in the UK now, thanks in part to the credit crunch. I thought back to some of my childhood and teenage holidays - the ones where we didn't go camping in France.

We visited North Wales a lot, around Pwllheli and Llandbedrog. Although the weather was sometimes not particularly spectacular, we always enjoyed being on the beach, looking in rock pools, climbing around the rocks around the old stone farmhouse we were staying in, taking a walk along the lane and talking to the sheep in the evenings.

We also used to go down to Devon and Cornwall quite often. We have friends near Kings Abbott in Devon, so that was always fun. My sister's then boyfriend also had a family home right on the River Dart - the old customs house in Dartmouth. My sister used to stay with his family and we camped nearby. It was gorgeous down there, I remember a little place called Sugary Cove that we'd go and visit, and really enjoyed the steam train ride into Paignton.

Cornwall was fantastic - great weather, warm sea and loads to see and do. We would stay at Whitesands Lodge in Sennen, just a mile or so from Land's End. At that time I was on my own teenage hippy trail, and I remember one year I took my best friend down and we henna tattooed our feet and I played my new Beatles records constantly. Mum and Dad stayed in the main house and we had a dorm room in the backpacker's hostel bit, it was so much fun. I'd get up every morning and be treated to a full vegetarian English breakfast, then we'd go down to the beach or into Penzance to look in the shops, or perhaps visit the Minack Theatre or something. I always enjoyed those holidays.

I reckon the UK has so much to offer - I haven't even begun to explore it properly - not even been to Scotland or further north than Manchester! And to be honest, I've enjoyed my UK holidays just as much as Zakynthos, Cuba and France in a way. OK, so the warm, sunny weather in those places was nice, but sometimes I think people should look closer to home before jetting off. I would still like to visit places like New Zealand, the US, Canada and parts of Italy, but I'm keen to get to know my own country a bit better too.

How about you?

[franbee]

We could never afford to take the family abroad when the kids were young so we used to rent a cottage from the 'farm holiday guide', the cheapest we could find, for a week, and eventually we could afford 2 weeks. We took Mum with us, she would babysit if we wanted to go out for a walk in the evening. We always went 'wakes week,' the local holidays when OH's works shut down. That was June/July, and we still prefer to holiday at that time if we are in UK.
We went south a lot, to Somerset, Devon, Dorset, Cornwall. Favourite places were Perranporth, Mevagissey, Dartmouth, Start Bay, Cheddar. We had a holiday in Norfolk and spent a lot of time on the Sandringham estate, lovely woods and picnic areas. One year we stayed in a relative's house in Lincolnshire whilst they were away, other holidays were in the Lake District, North Wales, and Oban in Scotland.
The only part of England I haven't explored on holiday is Suffolk. OH and I did a tour of Scotland right up to Orkney.
If I was on holiday in June, July or August I would probably camp in the UK, or have a city break out of season, but in April, May or Sept I prefer France.

[jazzactivist]

I agree with you both, and am so glad that people are starting to see the benefits of holidaying 'at home' in the UK. When I was a small child my family always holidayed in the UK. We lived in Gloucestershire, but didn't go that far away really - to Weston Supermare and Burnham-on-Sea for weekends in the old caravan that belonged to my dad's whole extended family: cramped conditions, damp sheets and surrounded by mud and sheep. Frequently to Devon (around Barnstable) in static caravans: flat sites, walks along the Dart, arguments with neighbouring vans about their noise. Caravaning in Cornwall now and then: exciting walks along the cliffs near Sennen, my dad making plans to up sticks and open a daffodil farm. And in Wales near Tenby where my dad bought a small, traditional Welsh cottage for £200 from the Spar noticeboard: Halfway up a mountain in the clouds, woodstove for cooking and hot water, a cludgy out the back, and Welsh speaking distant neighbours.

We always travelled there in my family's Morris Minor - my dad, grandad and his dog, Titch, in the front, and my Mum, Grandma, me, my sister and our dog, Mitzi, in the back, plus all the luggage in the tiny boot and wrapped up in tarpaulin on the roof rack. The weather on these holidays was always shockingly bad, and my mum hated them because to her she just had the same role as ever but in the countryside, but I loved them so much that in my adult life I always choose live in places where other people go on rural holidays!

Now Andy and I still mainly holiday in the UK, and both love it. I think that it is the combination of unexpected discoveries, unpredictable weather, and the unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. To me, a renaissance of British holidays would be great. I really missed what I considered to be good holidays so much when my family lived in South Africa, despite the safari parks, rainforest rambles, and warm sea and cloudless beaches.

[Crocus]

If I think of all the beautiful areas, the villages, locks, ancient bridges, ancient buildings, (Arlington Row is one I can think of now), the Yorkshire Dales, Lake Windermere, Kirkstone Pass, Derbyshire, etc. etc. etc. you should struggle to get bored in the UK. Tarr Steps, Postbridge (ancient Roman bridge in Dartmoor) I could go on and on.

[jazzactivist]

There is a lovely view of Lake Windermere not far up the road from where I now live, crocus. Andy passes through Windermere and Ambleside alongside the lakes on his way to and from work, lucky thing. Did you ever go to Wilderness Lagoon in the eastern Cape? My family liked going up the east coast Garden Route for our holidays, probably because it was quite green and vaguely like the UK, if you squinted a lot! We often used to take our holidays at Wilderness, Knysna, a place that I think was called Otter Bridge that had beautiful camping between the sea and the rainforest where they showed outdoor wildlife films with a sea view behind the screen, and also, sometimes, East London and Port Elizabeth, with the camp site right next door to the snake park! Even though I liked those holidays as a child too, where we stayed in rondavel-like cabins, I always longed for the UK ones that I had known. I don't know where we will go on holiday now, since we have been everywhere in Scotland and now live in an area where we used to take holidays. Any suggestions anyone?

[Crocus]

Hi Jazz, I'm not sure about Otter Bridge, a beautiful resort we've been to on a few occasions is Storms River Resort in the Tsitsikamma National Park, where the Otter Hiking Trail starts.

http://www.saparks.com/accommodation/tsitsikamma_storms_river.htm

This resort is "squeezed" between the sea and the mountain - spectacularly beautiful. The snake park in PE we went to on a regular basis as we lived in Port Elizabeth for 3 years. The Wilderness Lagoon is a pretty place, especially The Heads.

Tell Andy from me that he is a very lucky guy travelling along those lovely roads and scenery to and from work! Wow, how lucky can one be eh?


(Sorry, I'm total off topic here, I just wanted to explain about the Tsitsikamma National Park.)

[jazzactivist]

You are right, crocus, it was Storms River. I think that "Otter Bridge" was the name of part of the otter trail when I was a child, where you walked over a rope bridge above a lovely gorge. Even though there was a small resturant and shop, and the outdoor nature films it was a very natural place and these things didn't intrude on the landscape. I can't imagine how the men at the snake park had the courage to drape those poisonous snakes all over their bodies. There were lots of stories that they had been de-fanged or drugged so that tourists could take photos, but the presnters always sounded quite nervous to me.

I can't think of anywhere in the UK where there is a similar holiday place to the Storms River one - wild camping in a beautiful location with just a few organised, natural, things on. I think that it was way ahead of its time with regard to environmental considerations. Here they seem a bit too contrived, like Centre Parcs, or just ordinary camp sites. Does anyone have any suggestions of camp sites in beautiful places in the UK where there are also organised natural / environmental activities?

[Crocus]

Hi Jazz, A bit of homework for you! ;):cool: I found these links to, maybe, more or less what you are looking for? (I hope!). xx

http://www.howstean.co.uk/camping.htm
http://www.lakedistrictcamping.co.uk/area.htm
http://www.icumbria.info/local/camping-sites/
http://www.monmouthcanoe.co.uk/

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/the-50-best-camping-sites-125-480374.html


http://www.activitywales.com/experience-days.asp?day=691&search=Rock%20Climbing

http://www.chycor.co.uk/aaariv/accomhp.htm

http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/article2078953.ece