MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Looking at going away in Aug for a week with friends.
They may be set on Northumberland (another current thread!) but me and the good lady have been relatively recently so less enthused about going there again so soon. Can’t decide on an alternative though...camping (or pads) likely - thought of Pembrokeshire, N Wales, NY Moors, Forest of Dean, New Forest....where else can I suggest for our holibobs meeting tomorrow night folks? Travelling from East Mids and they’ll be dragging a caravan with them so places involving mega miles less likely.
Scotland.
Wishaw.
Devon or Cornwall of course, duhhh
Just got back from a week in Pembrokeshire. Was awesome. Like Cornwall but waaaaaay better.
Wishaw.
Bloody tourists 😁
Wishaw, all you need to know.
https://www.ilivehere.co.uk/wishaw-psycho-paradise-with-****-all-to-do.html
Scotland.
Went to Devon last year, round lynmouth. Great place. Very quiet really - I think people just drive past to Cornwall. I thought it kicked the crap out of Cornwall! Also north norfolk is lovely, weather is fairly predictable over there, nice beaches and less flat than you might think, even some decent mtb about (round sheringham).
North Wales coast is also good - harlech area. Fantastic beaches, weather a bit unpredictable though. Loads to do
Pembrokeshire does look bloody lovely I have to say. Good for biking too I believe. Beaches look amazing.
Went through it once to get to Ireland and to Tenby a few times - crazy when I lived in South Wales for the first 21 years of my life. I’ll be trying to convince our friends for a trip back to that corner of the Fatherland 😉 Zilog - where did you go?
The Glamorgan Coast from Cardiff to Porthcawl has some surprisingly lovely spots. We go there a lot.
Isle of Purbeck and the Jurassic coast. Easy access from S.E England and a plethora of things to do. Accommodation ranges from basic camping to large country houses.
London, duh.
Definitely Pembrokeshire!
Gorgeous place 😀
Northern Ireland?
Abergavenny, Dorset (also live there) Devon, Fife, Perthshire.
Ecclefechan
Went through it once to get to Ireland and to Tenby a few times – crazy when I lived in South Wales for the first 21 years of my life. I’ll be trying to convince our friends for a trip back to that corner of the Fatherland Zilog – where did you go?
Stayed on a caravan park near Narberth that had a few secluded "glamping" (basically a wooden cabin thing, no actual camping involved!) units at the back with awesome views & private hot tubs! Was a case of just randomly picking somewhere but turned out to be a decent location as it's reasonably central and nowhere else in Pembrokeshire is more than a 30-40 min drive away max. Plus it was really nice!
Took bikes but didn't end up doing that much cycling. Not sure it's that great for MTB - had a nice but non tech ride in the Preseli Hills and rode the only (very short!) section of the coastal path that's a bridleway. Lots of nice road/gravel riding around the country lanes etc. There is a NCR that runs all the way through Pembrokeshire.
Loads to do though - great walking, beaches (loads of deserted ones as a lot of them are inaccessible by car), decent pubs/beer/restaurants if you know where they are. Day trip to Skomer was a highlight as there are about 30k puffins on the island at the moment!
Saundersfoot & Tenby are nice (we walked between the two along the coastal path which was a good walk), a bit touristy but way less than say Newquay in Cornwall.
Scotland.
Scotland.
Our favourite UK destination is the North West of Scotland, particularly around Gairloch & Poolewe.
Luton.
Joking aside, and I know it's not the idea of the thread, but with all the the mentions of Scotland, if I lived in the bottom of third of the country then I'd definitely drive<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> to France instead for the same travelling time.</span>
Denshaw, there's a nice caravan site and a pub just up the road, Pennine Bridleway passes the Pub.
Don't approach the locals.
Scotland
Dumfries n Galloway for a break
Gairloch for proper holidays
What about my adopted homeland of North Norfolk, quiet here with beautiful beaches at Wells, Holkham, Cromer etc. Plenty of tourist places to visit and some good cycling, if not full on MTB?
Luton.Joking aside, and I know it’s not the idea of the thread, but with all the the mentions of Scotland, if I lived in the bottom of third of the country then I’d definitely drive<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”> to France instead for the same travelling time.
But 7 hours from the Midlands will get you into Scotland going north. 7 hours going south you'll still be sitting on the M25...
edit, and the quote function still doesn't work properly.
Caravan you say?
Let's see ...
Kent*
*pronunciation may not be as you'd expect 😉
Scotland. It helps to live here too, ken?
they’ll be dragging a caravan with them so places involving mega miles less likely.
Most popular/nice places will already be fully booked up for August for caravans
But 7 hours from the Midlands will get you into Scotland going north. 7 hours going south you’ll still be sitting on the M25…
7 hours going south from Heathrow will see you still sitting on the M25 if you leave at the wrong time.
+1 for Pembrokeshire. Or mid-Wales.
North Cornwal, The Gower or South West Scotland.
Probably in reverse order of preference for me, been going to cornwall since I was about 12 so feels like a second home, even though it's full of the dregs of society now. The Gower is lovely but accomodation is less plentiful.
Dumfries and Galloway is probably my favourite place in the world.
Regular visitors to north Wales. Just love it!
I certainly wouldn't recommend going to Northumberland again, not if you've been there recently.
After all there's nothing much to see as it's such a small area and you can't move for all the tourists in the summer.
The beaches are dreadful too and so packed you can't move on them.
That's why i'm not going there this summer, oh no, not going anywhere near it.
Honest. 😉
West wales is stunning, around the Aberporth, New quay area. Like cornwall but quieter, beautiful beaches and also cheaper :-). Also stayed in Dumfries and Galloway a few years ago which was nice
Scotland, West Coast, Oban & above.
Northumberland for short breaks.
Torridon
Perthshire
The far North West (Durness)
The Borders
England.
I love the way some people go, "Scotland" or "England". As vague as you like.
Why is it always left to me to suggest Blackpool?
I only said “England” to make exactly that point “thebrick”. Saying “Scotland” is just plain daft.
I’d add Northumberland, the Lakes, Yorkshire, Cornwall and the Peak District to my list. Plus London. And Norfolk.
So many wonderful places in England and Wales...I go to Scotland occasionally for golf. My fave spots are Isle of Purbeck and the end of the Gower Peninsular. But Cornwall and Devon are just amazing when it’s quiet.
Where's a good place to base for a few days in Northumberland then? Eyeing up a longer weekend just shortly and it's relatively virgin territory for us.
Isle of scilly , leave the car behind and just relax
walk a bit then eat some cake walk a bit more have lunch walk a bit more and have beer with an amazing view
lol@ a caravan holiday to London
South Hams and Dartmoor but don't tell everyone.
Oh, and I wouldn't bother with the New Forest unless you really like queueing to get through Lyndhurst. Can be lovely, but only when its quiet which is about never.
joking aside, and I know it’s not the idea of the thread, but with all the the mentions of Scotland, if I lived in the bottom of third of the country then I’d definitely drive to France instead for the same travelling time.
What makes France so much better that you wouldn't consider Scotland? Some parts of Scotland are quite magnificent (same as many parts of England, Wales and Ireland I'm sure) and are hard to beat. If the weather was more reliable then it would attract a considerably higher number of visitors from all over the world.
You kind of gave the answer in your reply Bruce. There are spectacular parts of Scotland, however when choosing a holiday destination, reliability of weather is a major consideration and not to be underestimated. Also when heading the Scotland's West and NW midges can put a huge damper on a holiday. I have had a few almost unbearable evenings around Glencoe and fort William due to this.
Being somewhat less flippant. I suppose it depends what you want to get out of the holiday but few places are entirely about one thing.
A few days in Northumberland? I'd probably base myself near Rothbury. There's touristy things close by: Cragside; Alnwick Castle, and plenty of riding/walking in the area as well. If coastal stuff is your thing then maybe around Bamburgh but it's a lot busier/touristy there.
Some parts of Scotland are quite magnificent...
France is generally warmer. And the food is better. 😉
We had our catch-up last night and Pembrokeshire was an easy sell....so just a case of finding a good site.
A day at Brechfa too 🙂
Thanks for all the suggestions folks.
Aye the weather may be better but can you get a macaroni pie though?
North Norfolk for us the last few years. I'd happily move there.
If they want Pods, look at Whitemead, in the forest of Dean.
Its pricey, but not Centre Parcs pricey.
North Uist
South Uist
Barra 🙂
(waits patiently for somebody to say Vatersay, but I consider them on and the same on account of the causeway)
Exmoor's rubbish
Benbecula.
What makes France so much better that you wouldn’t consider Scotland?
Food and weather.