Hi,

We’ve got a week in October off work and are looking to go somewhere with easy access to toddler suitable bike rides/play areas and ideally swimming.

Has anyone done this and can recommend somewhere? The boy will be about 10months and becoming more active! We’re based in n.england so somewhere closish would be good but would travel to somewhere decent!

Cheers for any help.
Andy

Is he toddling at 10 months?

We went to Ilfracombe when no. 1 was that age but she was crawling and that was about it. The seaside never goes out of fashion and I can remember making sandcastles on the beach in Whitby in Nov with a toddler, and big coats and wellies on all round.

I’d have said CP is your best bet in Oct as it’s weather independent and set up for really small kids, but if it’s half term week it will be spendy and GOK what they’re doing about social distancing.

I’d stay home and go to local beaches and facilities (-its what we are doing with a 14 month old)

At least that way you won’t be out of pocket when the gov send things tits up.

Centre Parcs easy for young kids and meets those needs makes it easy as all on one site, especially for those with a baby.

Apparently swimming is massively restricted in Center Parcs at the mo, when outside C19 you could go there for free pretty much unlimited, check site for specifics… It’s something like two sub 2-hour sessions during a Mon-Fri booking for Longleat at least, if IIRC what a work colleague said recently.

If you pick your dates carefully (outside school hols, outside peak summer months, Mon-Fri), CP doesn’t have to cost a kidney and there’s so much there for kids and adults alike.

Easy. Blackpool!

Miles of promenade perfect for biking, the sandcastle for swimming, the beach for…. beaching.

If you pick your dates carefully (outside school hols, outside peak summer months, Mon-Fri), CP doesn’t have to cost a kidney and there’s so much there for kids and adults alike.

This, we went loads when the kids were pre-school.

Unless you get a spectacular deal it’s not really worth it in school holidays (we went in Feb, but only as our half term was a week later than everyone else; it was very cheap but half of the town was there and my kids’ teachers were delighted to be accosted in the pool by #1…).

They say CP in the Netherlands (which is a different company from CP UK) is much cheaper in school holidays, even with the ferry/tunnel.

Easy. Blackpool!

Miles of promenade perfect for biking, the sandcastle for swimming, the beach for…. beaching.

I got put off Blackpool for life by two months in the Vic in the winter as a student. Blackpool in January is… desolate.

two months in the Vic

24 years so far! 😳

Thanks for the ideas, will def look at centre parcs, I had written it off as I thought it was for older kids really. We aren’t going in the school holidays so it may be affordable. Reckon he’ll be crawling still At 10months.

If it’s in range and budget then I can thoroughly recommend Croft Holidays.

It’s a lovely family run business on welsh coast with decent swimming pool onsite, farm animals and play barn. Easy access to a very family friendly beach just a 10min drive away at Poppit sands. It’s a very relaxing place to stay with a young family.

My lad went from crawling to toddling while staying on a farm in Northumberland – the chickens would come to the door and he’d chase them

Actually, Northumberland isn’t a bad shout all round – walks, beaches, castles if he’s into it, enough for parents to be happy to.

Another amazing holiday we had was at a different farm at lambing time – kids were 15 months and 4 years. Cottage opposite the lambing barn, great group of veterinary students from Nottingham doing their lambing placements who welcomed us each morning and evening to show us the new arrivals. Youngest loved the cuddly lambs, eldest learnt about the full circle of life – walked in when a ewe they’d had to put down was still twitching 😱

Calvert Trust in Kielder might be a good shout. Lots of cool terrain to play around with on site and a wee hydrotherapy pool that you can book for baby friendly swimming.

The downside would be it’s quite isolated there.

10 Months old?

He will not care or remember anything at all about it, go where you want and cuddle him when he needs it.

Center parcs have so many restrictions at the moment it really is hard to justify the spend unless you can find an absolute bargain deal

Club 18 – 30 (months).

Was going to suggest Croft Cottages but…you’re in N England and they’re in West Wales.
Based on my experience this time last year…https://wild-plum.co.uk/
Took elder son, his partner and their then 4 month old; stayed at The Byre.
100% from us.
Lookout N & S are further along the track from The Byre.
Very well fitted out; great location; coast only a short drive so Craster, Dunstanborough, Bamburgh, Seahouses, Holy Island about 30 mins drive.
Castles galore.
Check out the Ford & Etal estate; if you’re into history, Flodden Field is 15 minutes by car.
Wild Plum market their properties through Crabtree & Crabtree who have an ever-expanding portfolio…https://www.crabtreeandcrabtree.com/

10 months is very young.

We spent 8 weeks travelling around Europe with a 6-9 month old. He just experienced all the stuff we did. He loved Berlin Zoo, long walks in a back carrier (deffo get one. I did a 10 mile round with him in the back no dramas), pootling on beaches, running around pub gardens, etc. Walking around Paris, little French market villages, even took him to Auschwitz believe it or not. Of course kept him away from some specific areas and imagery, but it’s just a stimulating day out for him. We did 4 days in Berlin and 3 weeks in Paris on the buses and metro no dramas. Nothing more exciting to a 10 month old than a bus trip!

Basically, too much waffle, anywhere where there’s lots of new stuff to see and spending time with mum and dad. Busy seaside area or touristy town. I’d probably avoid a quiet cottage in the country.

Sorry i’m dragging this up again as for one reason or another we haven’t booked anything yet!

Got the week after next off (19th-23rd) if anyone can knows of anywhere (lastminute.com I know…)

We did a couple of breaks with https://www.forestholidays.co.uk/ when our first was small. Bit like Center Parcs but you can park outside your accommodation, there’s a bit more space around them, and not as many activities on site (which you’re probably not going to use). Plenty of walking/biking/outdoorsy things though. Nice roomy chalets with woodburner, hot tub, BBQ outside, etc and way cheaper than Center Parcs, particularly if you can avoid school holidays.

The Sherwood Forest one was a short walk down a path to Sherwood Pines centre, with all the walks/bike trails/playgrounds of that. Plus easy to get out for the day and explore elsewhere.

Ah thanks, does look good and a bit more reasonably priced. All booked up though :/

Ours is a bit older than yours (3) but we had a really enjoyable week in East Lothian recently. We stayed in a cottage on Carfrae Farm – really well set up and the owner brought round the digger and the tractor for our toddler to marvel at one morning. It’s close to excellent beaches, the Flight Museum, Dalkeith Country Park and East Links Family Park.