• This topic has 14 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 3 years ago by P-Jay.
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  • Decisions about Summer Holidays
  • SaxonRider
    Full Member

    Mrs SR is now off until 19 August, and we are thinking about our holidays with the kids.

    We have a few thoughts, but don’t really know what’s feasible in terms of things that are open and accessible. I mean, they say that London is pretty much open, but I just spent Friday to Monday (inclusive) there, and it was completely dead – including the Central Line at rush hour! Many shops have still not opened, nor have many restaurants… and in spite of the fact that pubs can be, the ones I tried to visit were locked up tight.

    Possibilities for us included:

    1. Going for a couple of weeks to our place in Belgium
    2. Camping in Northumberland (anywhere between Newcastle and Lindisfarne)
    3. Camping in West Wales (near Dolgellau)

    Of these (or anything) can people local to the areas under consideration say:

    1. If things are open and functioning at a reasonable level?
    2. If locals are okay having tourists return? (I want to be sensitive to whether or not we would actually be ‘wanted’)
    3. If travel is allowed at all?

    Experiences/thoughts/comments/insights welcome

    RoterStern
    Free Member

    Well as far as the European destinations are concerned they are screaming out for the tourists. I know someone who is at the Garda Lake at the moment and they have been made to feel very welcome and safe ( lots of measuring of temperatures at the hotels restaurants). But I’m talking from the perspective of living in Germany and for us all borders within Europe are open.

    n0b0dy0ftheg0at
    Free Member

    I’d love to revisit Dolgellau, having lived there from approx ’82 to ’85, to see what it’s like now. Not to mention it’s a great base for CyB; Cader Idris; Mawddaach Trail; Precipice Walk; Bwlch Y Groes; Fairbourne; Barmouth etc.

    Just rather tricky to go to without a car, in that respect Machynlleth is usually better, their train station has reasonably frequent trains from civilization.

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    savoyad
    Full Member

    On (3) camping in West Wales – campsites are reopening next week, but note that it’s without toilet/shower facilities for the time being.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    We’ve booked a week in Anglesey and a week near aberystwyth first two weeks of August. Don’t really mind if things are closed as the places we’re staying at have wifi. General plan every day is lazy morning, leave house by 11.30 with picnic. Arrive at a place.. hoping for beach weather but hill walks, forest walks, playparks, attraction if one is open. You know just whatever.
    Happy to just not be at work and away with my kids and wife. Taking my bouncy bike of course for early morning or evening jaunts.

    sofaboy73
    Free Member

    my partner and myself are going through the same decisions. we’ve decided overseas is out due to potential faff with insurance of things get cancelled due to secondary / localised lock downs or not getting covid related insurance.

    Wales currently isn’t open for tourism but the next announcement is this week and is highly likely it will be from mid july

    if you’re looking to book somewhere, id get onto it pretty quickly. we’re off to the lakes camping for a week in august, a number of the sites we regularly used are already fully booked due to restricted numbers / everyone having the same UK based ideas.

    the are you going to be welcome is a different question and i guess it very much depends on where you are going and the type f holiday your planning

    wors
    Full Member

    If i had a place in Belgium, i’d be going there! not too far to drive back if you need.

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    The Gov. has just announced a reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% for the tourism and hospitality industry in the UK… how much they’ll pass onto consumers I don’t know.

    Personally we’ve postponed our trip to France until summer 2021. We’re looking at Bluestone for Sept/Oct, they’re saying at the moment they’ll be allowing smaller groups in the Pool (it’s always too busy anyway) and the same sort of Social Distancing regs as everywhere else. Out thinking is that it’s not massively expensive, it’s 2 hours down the road and it’s an enclosed resort so we won’t upset any locals.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    I am certainly not going out of Scotland this year. Perhaps we might get the odd overnighter in August – wild campin. I have two weeks off in Sept – hoping to go on a bike tour again wild camping.

    Depending how things go tho I might take unpaid leave / quit inorder to make that tour a month long

    hooli
    Full Member

    We’ve cancelled the plans we had for France and Spain and decided to stay in the UK this year.

    The only small issue is a number of places we have stayed in before are all fully booked. I think other people have the same idea!

    freeagent
    Free Member

    We postponed our two week trip to Lake Garda (planned for the last two weeks of August) to the same dates next year.
    Too much uncertainty, high risk of the things we planned to do either being shut or crap due to rules/regs and didn’t want to spend the money only to wish we’d stayed at home.

    We were just discussing this at work this morning, and everyone who had an overseas summer holiday has either cancelled it themselves or had it cancelled by the airline/tour operator.
    General consensus was nobody would be happy putting down money they couldn’t get back as very low levels of confidence in short term future, don’t want to get caught up in local lock downs, etc.

    If i had a place in Belgium i’d go there – whatever happens its only cost you the travel..

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    Realistically, EU holidaying by late summer?

    Not quite the same but full of info

    molgrips
    Free Member

    We’re planning on going to actual West Wales for a couple of weeks although I haven’t booked a campsite yet. We’re staying in the UK because of the travel uncertainty but also because UK businesses really need our money.

    Also, I don’t necessarily recommend Dolgellau as a base it’s a bit dead. But it does have CyB.

    lister
    Full Member

    @P-Jay: have Bluestone told you the big indoor activity zone is closed?
    It was converted to an emergency hospital and is remaining as one (completely unused as yet thankfully) for a while longer.
    Just wondering if they are highlighting that in their literature?

    P-Jay
    Free Member

    @P-Jay: have Bluestone told you the big indoor activity zone is closed?

    Yeah, well they’ve not expressly said “the Activity Centre is a Field Hospital’ just that’s it ‘hibernating’.

    I think it was in the process of being ripped out anyway, they’ve got some kind of Centre Parcs esq dome now, I haven’t been for a few years so I’ve no idea what it’s like.

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