You’re never too old for a family holiday
STEVE HOWARTH joins his grown-up kids at Center Parcs
WE have reached that time in life where the kids have flown the nest and are enjoying city centre living in trendy Manchester flats.
With respective boyfriend and girlfriend, they are totally into the Northern Quarter scene – meaning mum and dad back in Bolton are feeling a little bit left behind.
So a long weekend break to reconnect at Center Parcs in Cumbria was just what the doctor ordered for all concerned.
The six of us went to Whinfell Forest near Penrith where we were once regular visitors when our now big kids were small.
We had a long weekend break in a super three-bed lodge right at the heart of the amazing woodland complex.
The Center Parc offering is great, families riding around the forest on bikes with an amazing choice of indoor and outdoor activities to enjoy.
Our accommodation was a comfortable and spacious three double bed single-storey lodge which boasted en-suites all round (the master bedroom complete with whirlpool bath) an outdoor barbecue area (which we made full use of) and even its own sauna.
Despite being right in the middle of hundreds of lodges scattered around the vast site, we still had forest views to the rear and were regularly visited by wildlife including a wide variety of birds, rabbits, hedgehogs and even pheasants.
There are several different designs and sizes of lodge but they are all constructed from timber and stone so blend in perfectly with the forest environment – a kind of cross between a log cabin and an upmarket holiday chalet.
As we arrived we discovered the family grocery welcome pack which was filled with food essentials and seemed tremendous value… even including a couple of bottles already in the modern and wellappointed kitchen’s wine cooler.
Everything is well organised and the staff very friendly (although booking extra activities in advance is strongly recommended as they can fill up fast) and a trip to the cycle centre saw us all kitted out with decent quality mountain bikes and optional helmets.
After enjoying a delicious, good value meal at the resort’s Lakeside Inn (one of half a dozen or so eateries on site) and a good night’s sleep we awoke refreshed and ready for the golf driving range.
Just a few pounds got us 60 balls each to bash down the range and it proved huge fun with my wife getting hooked, smashing ball after ball in almost any direction as the local wildlife dived for cover.
Then came a change of pace as we rode over to the Aqua Sana Spa for an afternoon of relaxation and pampering as the girls enjoyed massage sessions.
The spa boasts the biggest sauna I have ever seen (seats up to 75) and various steam rooms from around the world, all with their own scent and style.
A heated outdoor pool and a wealth of treatments on offer at extra cost saw us stay there for the whole afternoon before the younger members of the group headed off to the vast indoor waterworld complex at the heart of the resort for even more swimwear fun.
A tiring but great day was concluded with a meal at another of the many on-site restaurants – this time Huck’s American Bar and Grill, which is part of a national chain serving US-sized meals for the really hungry guest.
After good value big burgers and fries all round we were totally stuffed and made our way back to the lodge for another good night’s sleep in big comfy beds.
Sunday morning saw the youngsters take to the water in double kayaks, which were well worth the £10 per half hour hire fee each, before we retired indoors for family fun in the impressive and ultra-modern, tenpin bowling alley.
It must be 20 years since I have tenpin bowled so I had forgotten what competitive fun the game can be and again a great time was enjoyed by all.
There are even bowling slides so the younger or weaker members of your party unable to swing the heavy ball can join in.
These are just a few of the many activities on offer at Center Parcs, both indoor and outdoor, and there are way too many to list here – but there really is something for everyone.
However, the biggest attraction as far as I am concerned is the relaxed pace of life once you enter the park – you really can feel the stresses and strains of life flowing away… until it is time to pack up the car and head back down the M6 with its usual queues and jams.
As I said, we used to come here when the children were small and they loved it.
The majority of people we saw were those with younger children (there are excellent creche facilities for those with very young ones), although there were also lots of grandparents tagging along so the age range was very broad.
As the recent Center Parcs TV advertising campaign (the one with the family of bears) says this is a holiday about reconnecting as in our modern world family time together is becoming increasingly precious.
But it is also about reconnecting with nature… where else can you open the bedroom curtains and see a pair of pheasants staring back at you!