Family Holidays in the UK
The messages are mixed and the data is confusing. The accepted wisdom is that, in credit-crunched Britain with the economy in recession and Sterling weak against the Euro, more families are taking holidays at home. Travel companies report that bookings are holding up well to the sun spots of the Med, but even if they ultimately decide to shell out and head for the guaranteed warmth of Spain, Greece or Turkey, more Britons are at least prepared to look at family holidays in the UK.
A top domestic destination has proven to be Wales. It’s easy to get to from most of central and southern England and for a relatively small country Wales has a big choice of holidays, from the traditional seaside holiday with buckets and spades on glorious sandy beaches, to climbing sheer rock faces in the Snowdonia range of mountains. Other options tend to be more energetic, such as mountain biking, horse riding and pony trekking, canoeing, walking and the latest craze called coasteering – jumping from cliffs into the sea - a pastime previously called suicide. More sane pastimes also include golfing or sailing on tranquil lakes or from the many marinas dotted around the coast.
Family holidays UK don’t get much more traditional than the good old British beach holiday, and Wales certainly has a number of top seaside resorts to choose from. In the north of Wales Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Beaumaris, Prestatyn, Cemaes Bay and Anglesey offer 125 miles of beaches, beautiful harbour villages and historic sites. North west Wales and the Lleyn Peninsula features Criccieth, Pwllheli, Porthmadog, Harlech, Aberdaron and Barmouth. The west coast and Cardigan Bay boast Aberystwyth, New Quay, Gwbert on Sea, and Aberporth while the beaches of Tenby and Saundersfoot in the south west and Pembrokeshire are stunning and relatively undiscovered. For Carmarthenshire and the Gower, the holidaymaker can choose from the Gower Peninsula, Pendine, Swansea, Port Eynon, and Oxwich.
If you want to combine a value for money holiday with a minimal carbon footprint, then mountain biking holidays are an obvious choice, for the fitter among us at least! Wales has some of the best mountain bike trails in the UK and the best known has to be the Marin Route, a challenging 15 mile ride from Betws y Coed through the rugged Gwydir Forest in Snowdonia. More trails are being constructed, with two further routes totalling 30 miles to be opened soon in nearby Penmachno.
For those who like the outdoors but don’t fancy expending that much energy, camping seems to be making a comeback as the ideal adventure family holidays in the UK. Wales has dozens of excellent campsites ranging from a pitch in a farmer’s field to luxury “supersites” with all the amenities. Some of the best are in Cardigan Bay, where you can pitch your tent on the end of a headland looking out to sea. If you’re lucky, you might catch sight of the dolphins that inhabit these waters and have been spotted in pods of over 2,000 strong.