The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
RUN, SHOUT, LET IT ALL OUT
GO WILD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE At the Tudor Farmhouse in the Forest of Dean, a charming boutique hotel with wood beams and an excellent restaurant, a three-night Breakout Escape offers the perfect balance of nature and nurture.
Guests will be handed a wild swimming map on arrival, and they can take a picnic hamper to enjoy on the riverbank too. The price includes breakfast each day and dinner one evening, plus a choice of two outdoors activities: take a guided evening wildlife safari looking for boar, deer, badgers, foxes and hedgehogs or take a 90-minute stand-up paddle boarding lesson.
A three-night Breakout Escape costs from £945 for two adults and two children aged up to 12 (01594 833046; tudorfarmhousehotel.co.uk).
EXPLORE THE COAST,
PEMBROKESHIRE
For beautiful beaches and outdoor adventure with far fewer people than England’s south coast, try Pembrokeshire, Britain’s only Coastal National Park.
These all-inclusive adventure holidays with Preseli for ages eight and over combine action-led days where you and the kids can try everything from coasteering to sea kayaking to surfing over two to five days. Aprèsadventure accommodation is in either a five-star eco lodge in a wooded valley close to the beach; or you can glamp and stargaze in one of the “domes from home”. Either way, you won’t have to cook – meals will be served up at the lodge. Afterwards, talk about your escapades round the campfire or by the warmth of the wood burner. Two-night breaks from £285 per adult, £225 per child (01348 837709; preseliventure.co.uk).
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The average water temperature in Pembrokeshire in June is 13.4C. That’s 2.2C higher than in May.
FIND FAIRY TALES, NORTHERN IRELAND Northern Ireland is a land steeped in stories, from tales of cunning giants and kings-in-hiding to the real-life places that inspired CS Lewis’s Narnia. On this six-night, fully guided trip, your family will travel the epic Causeway Coast, including hiking to the Giant’s Causeway for tales of Fin McCool, plus canoeing and seaweed foraging along the shore. Other highlights include visiting the craggy ruins of Dunluce Castle (the supposed inspiration for Narnia’s Cair Paravel) and searching for puffins on Rathlin Island, where Robert the Bruce once took refuge.
From €2,450 (£2,100) per person based on a family of four, including accommodation and some food. Travel to Ireland extra (00353 91 457898; wildernessireland.com).
ON YOUR BIKE, GLAMORGAN Thrill-seeking families who aren’t afraid of a little roller-coaster riding should book themselves a “Ticket to Ride” at BikePark Wales in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons. Ideal for beginners and nervous parents, the 3.5-hour sessions are a great introduction to the network of more than 40 mountain bike trails, which sweep through the Welsh mountains and include the longest beginner mountain bike trail in the UK. With a bike lift, bike and equipment hire and “pedal pass”, it’s like skiing but with no snow. Afterwards, stay in one of the cute cabins at The Roost Merthyr Tydfil, just one mile from the trails, which includes a bike wash and dry room for all your dirty gear.
Guided “Ticket to ride” sessions cost £65 for children and £80 for adults and include all equipment (07730 382 501; bikeparkwales.com). The Roost Merthyr Tydfil costs from £67.50 per night for two adults and two children. Minimum two-night stay (07484 697392; roostmerthyr.co.uk).
STRETCH LITTLE LEGS,
PEAK DISTRICT
If you haven’t had enough of family walks yet – maybe lockdown taught you to love them – then you might want to try this four-night full board walking holiday through the UK’s oldest national park. Departing on May 31, this hike will take you through limestone valleys, to the gritstone escarpment of Stanage Edge (from where Keira Knightley stared out meaningfully in 2005’s Pride and Prejudice), through idyllic towns and villages, including Bakewell where you can fill up on tart, and even through the grounds of Chatsworth. Each day there will be a choice of routes to take with your walking leader and you’ll be based in one hotel, so there’s no need to worry about luggage.
£609 per adult – kids go free (020 3974 8865; hfholidays.co.uk/families).
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The Peak District is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its status as a National Park in 2021.
LET IT GO, LAKE DISTRICT
The six-night Lake District Family Activity Holiday with Responsible Travel is based around the picturesque Borrowdale Valley and Derwentwater. There’s a good choice of activities for those with kids aged eight and over, including walking, climbing and scrambling, abseiling, canoeing and sailing, raft-building and orienteering. You’ll stay in the Victorian Keswick Country House Hotel in Keswick, close to pubs and within easy reach of the towering fells and glistening lakes of this outdoor playground. The price includes accommodation and breakfast each day, activities, and some other meals, including a welcome dinner on the first night. From £655 per adult, £375 per child aged 8-13 (01273 823700; responsibletravel.com).