looking for suggestions for a 2 week camping trip with one nearly 5 and one 18 month old, will be taking car but also tag along, trailer and nearly 5 year olds bike as well. The aim is to use the car very little once there. Happy to stay in uk or go abroad but don’t want a massive drive in europe. Wondering about holland? any suggestions welcome, live in the north lakes so not the lake district please.

cheers

When the kids were younger we used to take them camping on the Welsh Coast at this campsite in Dyffryn Ardudwy, a few miles North of Barmouth.

The campsite is right next to a really nice beach and sand dunes that run for two miles. The nearest pub (with beer garden for the kids) can be reached on foot in 5 minutes via a traffic free route and Barmouth is only 10 minutes away on the train (which stops next to the pub).

From Barmouth you’ve got a really nice ride along the Mawddach Trail towards Dolgellau and there is a pub about 8 miles into the ride that provides a nice lunch stop. It’s completely flat, so ideal for a tag-a-long.

If you can get away for a day then Coed-y-Brenin is only 40 minutes away. The Pont Scethin route can be started from Dyffryn Ardudwy and Cadair Idris is only a short drive away.

If the weather is good then it’s a great place to go on holiday.

In France,any of the Yelloh sites,Les Mouettes at Carentec is 8 miles from Roscoff,overnight ferry,get there 8am,nice site,town is nice too.Google yellohvillages.
Ian

Second wheelz post about West Wales… there is also a campsite on the south side of the Mawddach Trail (I think in Cool Camping Wales) that has a huge sprawling woodland that you can get lost into (with all your camping gear, think they’ll let you ahve a fire too?) – and with pretty much direct access down onto the Mawddach Trail (you’d be ~ halfway along) so you’d be good for a ride in either direction to Dolgellau or Barmouth and there’s a pub near the little Toll Bridge (?Penmon Pool?) that’s nice to sit out for lunch etc.
Loads of good beaches, Coed y Brenin, etc. etc.
I’m away at present so can’t find the exact address for it – sorry poor post really!

EDIT – more effort needed on my part – here you go to make amends for earlier weaknesses in my previous post Graig Wen

Bakewell is nice. Greenhills is a canny site, not a bad walk into Bakewell, Chatsworth house isn’t far, and they have a superb kiddies play-park.

I add a + to anywhere along the Mawddach estuary as well. A nice part of the world.

Avon Tyrrell in the New Forest is nice. Lots of child friendly stuff. Near the beach. Middle of the New Forest so watch horse wander around loose. Easy but pretty riding.

http://www.avontyrrell.org.uk/page/Welcome.jsf

If you are going toward the end of August the Big Bike Bash is there too.

barmouth, aberdovey or borth.
been to all 3 places with the kids when they were younger for the exact same holiday you are looking for.

also padstow area for camping, with the camal trail on hand for the cycling.

but the best place ever is carnac area of southern brittany.

camping du lac just outside la trinite sur mer is heaven on earth, seriously.

http://www.camping-carnac.com/

Carnac is nice – I spent a week camping there having ridden across from St Malo.

Not sure I’d make a beeline for it again though – there are other places in France I like.

we stayed at a campsite near Ashbourne, right against the Tissington trail, you could ride 30mins into ashbourne, really nice park etc or the other direction to villages, all safely accessible via the trail. Really good biking / family centric location. Not sure if there would be 2 weeks worth of entertainment though.
There are a few sites, Callow top – Ashbourne Heights and Rivendale. All either on or just off the Tissington trail.

Pencelli Castle near Tal-y-bont, South Wales (but maybe I’m biased ;-), lovely spot next to the canal towpath (great for the tag-along), all the facilities you’d need including a play area that our 3 year old loves when we’re there (visiting family). Caravan Club so it’s not too loud or offensive when trying to get little ones off to bed. Access to proper mtb routes is easy and if you need a local guide for a night ride if you can escape for a blast then shout. Cracking family friendly pubs on the canal path too – The Star in Tal-y-bont being my local and real ale and cider watering hole of choice. A few innevitable rainy day activities too – Cantref Farm, Play Barn etc.

karnali
looking for suggestions………. Wondering about holland?

We had a very nice Tour round the Netherlands last summer Campsites seem to range from huge ones with all possible facilities to very basic ones. Obviously great for cycling once you are there with a really good system of marked out cycle routes and its a very small country to drive around. Very varied and surprisingly rural for such a small crowded country

We thoroughly enjoyed it – its an odd place tho, You would think it would be like Germany and the UK – and most of the time it is – then you find something absolutely incomprehensible 🙂

cheers for all the suggestions so far, will lookinto all of them, anymore always welcome