Nobody knows when we will be travelling again but we can predict with some certainty. Firstly, travel within the UK is likely to happen before most foreign holidays, and if we get another long hot summer, families will be desperate to get away to the countryside and coasts.
Secondly, once we get the all-clear, there could be a stampede to book the best holidays, so it makes sense to start planning right now.
Here, Mark Hodson of 101 Holidays picks ten of the best post-lockdown staycations for families.
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Escape to Northumberland
It’s not only government advisers that enjoy family holidays in the North East of England. Further north of Durham lies the gorgeous county of Northumberland where you’ll find the castles of Lindisfarne and Bamburgh, superb beaches, a beautiful National Park and Hadrian’s Wall.
Find a suitably secluded place to stay with Cottages in Northumberland.
Here’s some things to do in Northumberland with kids.
Go boating on the Broads
You don’t need any previous boating experience to rent a motor cruiser on the Norfolk Broads, where you can wind down, take it slowly and enjoy unspoiled views of reed marsh and woodland, and pretty thatched cottages, stopping for drinks and meals at waterside pubs.
Rent from Waterways Holidays.
Hunker down in Cornwall
Often in the UK there’s a choice between piling down to the coast or finding a lovely secluded cottage in the countryside.
But in Cornwall you can have the best of both worlds with this hand-picked selection of affordable cottages near the beach with Classic Cottages.
Find out more about family holidays in Cornwall.
Get active in Snowdonia
Snowdonia National Park is not just one of the most beautiful corners of the UK. It’s also an exciting adventure playground where kids can test themselves and enjoy the big outdoors. There’s hiking and mountain biking, of course, but also rock climbing, white water rafting, surfing and fishing.
You can rent a remote cottage within the National Park with Rural Retreats.
Relax on the beach
If you’ve been trying to entertain, educate and confine young children during lockdown, you’ll adore the Sands Resort Hotel & Spa on the north coast of Cornwall.
It’s ideal for kids from babies up to eight years, with an enchanted maze, bouncy castle, pirate ship, playgrounds, zip wire, football and tennis spread across six acres of grounds. There’s a free supervised kids club in the morning and regular visits from a local owl sanctuary and Blue Reef Aquarium. The hotels plans to reopen on 1 July.
Read this review of Sands Resort Hotel & Spa.
Yes, you can have a pool
You want the privacy and safety of a cottage, but the kids are craving a pool … here’s a solution.
Helpful Holidays have put together a collection of cottages in Devon that have either their own private swimming pool or a shared pool.
Whizz down a zip wire
If you want an adrenalin-packed weekend, head to Kingswood Family Adventures which has five holiday centres across the UK, from Northumberland to the Isle of Wight, and a choice of more than 50 activities, from zip wiring and rafting to kayaking and shelter building.
It’s great for letting kids off the leash and building their confidence, and there’s a free child place for every full-paying adult.
Have fun in the Cotswolds
The Cotswolds is packed with attractions for small children, including wildlife parks, country parks, farms, a wetland centre and a vintage steam train.
i-escape.com has put together a guide to the best family-friendly hotels and self-catering properties.
Options for single parents
Lockdown has been especially tough on the hundreds of thousands of single-parent households in the UK, and many will be craving a holiday. But they aren’t always well served by mainstream holiday companies.
Step in Single With Kids which has a range of good-value group trips, from glamping in the Cotswolds to a beach holiday in Pembroke.
Here’s what you can expect when UK campsites reopen.
Go five-star in Cornwall
For five-star self-catering on the beach, Gwel an Mor in Cornwall is an inspired choice. Stay in a stylish Scandinavian wood-built lodge, eat freshly-caught seafood and keep the kids busy at the wildlife centre and the rock pools and sandy beaches at Portreath and Gull Rock bay.
For more ideas, check out 101 UK Holidays.
Disclosure: this guest post was supplied by 101 Holidays.
