UKC

Before my wife and I had children, the list of places to go and exciting things to do would have needed several lifetimes to fulfil, and the difficult decisions each January were: "how many of these fun things can we fit in to the year".  Now we have two children (3y/o and 8mths) the list is just as long, but the reality is that none of the things are really practical to do with kids. At these ages I'm not really interested in trying to drag them along to a crag, or carry them on a hut-to-hut in the Alps, or anything like that which, when it comes to it, would be no fun for them, and as a result, an expensive, stressful time for us. I'm not up for Type 2 fun with toddlers. 

So, my questions are firstly: am I being overly negative? I've no doubt many of you cycled around the world with your babies in panniers, climbed Mont Blanc with a 2 year old stuffed in your pack, and explored the Amazon with a malaria-riddled toddlers, all to great effect, but for the rest of you, what have you found that works?

Secondly, while the idea of Centre Parcs isn't something I would have considered before children, it seems like a decent enough option now.....or Eurocamp...or something like that. With consideration of my kids' ages, has anyone got recommendations of areas (in the UK, or Europe - fly or drive) where you can be somewhere beautiful, have some fun active stuff to do with the kids, maybe even creches or activity groups, and maybe, just maybe, something nice for the parents?

Before I despair and just wait another three/four years before trying to do anything fun again, what are your recommendations? Thanks y'all.

edit: the Otztal Valley looks great, but it's a hell of a drive.

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Font is brilliant with kids that age and was our holiday of choice when ours (now 5 and 7) were very small. 

First went skiing in the Alps, (staying in a cabin 15 minutes walk up the mountain with no running water inside, had to fill jugs from trough outside) when they were 1 and 3. Generally a great trip, although had to keep a close eye on they being warm enough.  To clarify, the 3 year old was skiing a couple of hours a day, the youngest spent most of the day inside.

Lots of camping trips, albeit usually in campsites from a few weeks old onwards.   Cycling trips with one on a bike mounted seat and the littlest in their car seat strapped to a trailer from a few weeks old onwards.

The pace of the holidays definitely slows down, long drives need to have plenty of breaks built in but there's still lots of fun to be had and it's surprising how quickly they become more capable, and therefore in my opinion, more enjoyable to be with.

In reply to Sam W:

Thanks for the reply. Can I presume that looking back you felt those trips with them were on balance worth it?

We went with a big group of families to Font when our first was about 5months and it went very well. That's something I'd like to repeat. And skiing as soon as possible! It just seems that it's going to be a lot more expensive. Either you're paying for childcare, or you take it in turns to ski so never actually spend time on the slopes together. I know, #firstworldproblems

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Yes, all absolutely worth it.  The holidays were generally 80% fun and about 20% child-caused hard work, so decent ratio of type 1 pleasure.  We were always keen that the arrival of children wouldn't completely change our former lives, so it ticked that box, and in the longer term, it means our kids expectation from the off has been that they'll do lots of physical activity on holiday.

To start with skiing was actually quite cheap.  Lift passes are often free for little ones, and we would buy a single adult pass and swap it between us, while the other did childcare.  We did try putting them in ski school one year, but to be honest, it was rubbish and we decided we would rather have them on the piste with us. Last Easter (kids 4 1/2 and 6) was the first time we could ski as a 4 and cover pistes across the whole resort at a decent pace. We take touring skis and generally get some time to ourselves (individually) by going for a skin up the pistes at the start or end of the day.

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

We used to love active holidays before we had children, then our children were close in age and our daughter was ill as a baby, so... anyway now they are 4 and 5 and we have great holidays.

My husband is not a climber or camper and not very adventurous - he likes the sun. We would have gone on skiing or cycling holidays in the past. However our best holidays with children were:

 - Summer holiday in the alps when the children were babies - one would go in a back pack the other in a front sling and the baby would sleep for 2 or 3 hours so we could get a decent walk in. The ski resort we stayed in had a toddler pool and there was mountain biking, cycling and golf. One of us could go for a ride or something, the other take the children to the pool, then we could all walk in the afternoon.

 - Eurocamp (even for my non-camping husband, as the tent had beds) in France - not by the sea but there was cycling, kayaking, swimming, go karts, it was cheap and the children loved it.

 - Devon at Easter / Spring - loads of walks, swimming, beaches, all the stuff that children love, plenty to do and easy to keep active at the same time

 - We waited until this year to go skiing, I have seen too many children at ski school crying or being left behind, I wanted to know that they would be old enough to enjoy it. We got half a days skiing each, they had a couple of hours then liked to play in the snow

 - Via ferrata - this is the plan for next year... I'm taking them to the local Clip n Climb to prepare them. Not sure how I will convince my husband but I'm working on it.

In reply to stubbed:

Sounds like you're making the best of it. Out of interest, can you remember the particular Eurocamp you went to, and was it recommendable?

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

We've flown every year at least once with our (now) 3.5 year old. We tend to do city breaks within 2.5 hours flying but have also done climbing, walking, kayaking in rural Slovenia and Menorca. Some stuff we have to do separate like when I took him to the local airport and we watched people jumping out of planes while his mum paddled down the Soca valley. 

That was a really good day actually leading into this conversation

Mum: So what have you two boys been doing this morning?

Boy: Jumping out of planes

Mum: *Shocked face* 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Absolutely get out and have fun. You just have to adjust and find ways to make it work for all. Above all else, talk it through with your partner.

    One option is to take it in turns for half day adventures. For example one parent minds whilst the other  goes for a walk, scramble, run, swim, surf, ski or whatever.

    Do small adventures with the children in places you want to go to / recce - small boulders make a great scramble, a walk around Cwm Idwal, make a tree shelter in forests, overnight camp on Dartmoor, rock pooling somewhere where you can suss out the climbing for a later visit.

    Go with a group of other parents and share the babysitting. Go with grandparents.

Get a child carrier and regard it as weight / fitness training.

Be careful though, a childhood of shared enjoyable adventures can lead to some very expensive kit buying when they are older. Also be prepared, they may end up a better climber / skier / surfer etc. than you are... 

In reply to Mark Haward:

Well, we do do some stuff. My three year old has been to Holland, Germany, Sweden, France, Spain, The Canaries, Mallorca..... quite well travelled for such a young'un. But that's mostly been visiting friends and family, or simple 'sun' holidays. I'm hoping for specific recommendations of campsites (with pools/adventure playgrounds?) or holiday areas in beautiful places, with stuff for the kids, and us grown ups. 

That's the bit I'm looking forward to most   Nothing would make me prouder than getting burnt off by my own kids.

 

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Every year from their birth we have camped all over the W. Country with our two kids.  Always an adventure, some type 2 fun when the weather was not so good, but happy memories.  They now both enjoy the outdoors, walking, surfing / body boarding, scrambling and skiing (though not in the W. Country!)

Agree with Sam W's post, by doing this from the off the kids expect (end enjoy) holidays with plenty of activity   

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Feel your pain! I have 3 kids. Now 7 (twins) and 5. Basically its either pay for someone to look after them so you and your partner can do things together or take it in turns to do child care. In my case neither option ever really worked for us in the early days as leaving 2 toddlers and a baby with one parent was too much to ask and the childcare costs get pretty silly with 3 little ones.  It's not so bad now as the 7 yr old twins are happy walking cycling etc. probably a couple of year off being there with my 5 year old, she's still a bit of a walking tantrum.   

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

This place is amazing for kids. We've been a couple of time now and our kids love it.

https://www.pitchup.com/campsites/England/South_West/Devon/Ashburton/river-...

In reply to doz generale:

Thanks. That place looks good. That's exactly the sort of recommendation I'm after.

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

It's a great place. has indoor an climbing wall too! 

In reply to ChrisBrooke: From the time we had children we would camp most years in North Pembroke, near St Davids. It was cheap, though I would have to admit the weather was a bit of a gamble; the children seemed to love the camping; there were so many easily accessible crags, lots of them very child friendly. We went kayaking, scrambling , coastal walking, fishing, sitting on the beach, exploring caves, great boat trips round Ramsey Island. There was often good music at the Cathedral and there were galleries and exhibitions to be found not far away. We rarely drove more than 3 or 4 miles from the campsite, we cycled for shopping. And hardly a day passed without me being able to fit in some brilliant cragging for myself with either friends or family, and all in the context of a brilliant family holiday. We did go to the Alps a couple of times as a family; it was much more expensive, much more hassle and the amount of real fun any of us got out of it was much less. For us the children genuinely introduced a whole new dimension to holidays, and we never felt that holidaying with them was a case of making do. Later on more adventurous trips around the UK and the Alps also worked really well, but only once they were old enough to make it worthwhile . The trick, we felt, was to choose the right area, and the compact nature of North Pembroke was ideal - for us. Have fun, whatever you do and wherever you do it, John.

 

In reply to John R:

Thanks for that John. We try! Most of the better holidays we've had so far have been with friends/family. Extra hands, extra kids to play with, seem to make a positive difference.

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Yes it was spotless and great for the children - had it's own herb fruit and veg garden where you could pick your own and add them to your dinner. Le Paradis in the Dordogne. Long drive but lovely area.

I would say the best thing we did with the children is encourage them to walk and cycle as soon as possible. Now we can do walks of 5 miles or so and bike rides for a morning without much moaning. This really opens up the options for active holidays.

nb. I reckon cragging would be totally doable as well, if I could persuade my husband to do it

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

the secret to getting kids to do things and enjoy it is other kids. start a families climbing club, or get working on your friendship group.   

Font , camping etc. all great, and it will only get easier. Don't rush stuff, they'll be ready when they are ready - the kids will think a week on a beach with a bucket and a spade the height of luxury when they are little. Time for those bigger adventures later.

PS - it will get harder, or rather more expensive, when school starts and your are fixed to the same week and inflated prices as everyone else.  

 

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

I'll tell you a little secret: very few French people go to ski resorts in summer and French ski resorts can be a lot of fun for kids. We had a fantastic week in Megeve, swimming, mountain biking, walking, dry lugeing, in the most stunning scenery with friendly relaxed people.

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Over the years when the children were really little we  did a load of eurocamp/key camps, mainly on the Britianny coast.  There are loads of good sites there. In the UK we did lots of camping at YHAs, sometimes handler than booking a family room, which were rare back then. One was Le Ranolien in Perros-Guirec on the cote de granite rose. We did a lot of swimming and cycling there.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Thanks. Mine are a bit little for anything too active/strenuous at the moment, but it's one to bear in mind for the future.

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Anyone else?

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

We've travelled an incredible lot with our little one, and still consider it both child and parent friendly. Our little one (5) has been to kaly 5 times, catalunya, andalusia, the carribean, italy, croatia, slovenia and in local climbing areas. Some ideas that worked out well for us:

- a climbing day is a half day, be happy to climb 4/5 pitches and to do something childfriendly.before /after.

-i've been organizing alpine family climbing weeks on easy to reach huts for my alpine club group. Check before - flat areas? Lake / rivulet? Animals? Crag in easy walking distance, with a few very easy short routes as well? Playground? One or two 'real routes' as your highlight? Parents would then change through with child care and easy walks and everyone would have some real fun.

Take lots of games / books to the crag if just the four of you and a big.mat as .base camp.

Stay in one place for several days so the little ones can slowly explore their surroundings

Fixed accommodation at campsites (bungalows) and gites can be a very reasonably form of accommodation staying in the valley.

Have fun and find out things do not necessarily go to plan, but may be even more enjoyable than planned.

 

In reply to ChrisBrooke:

Oh, and areas ... ötztal has aready been mentioned; higher up: ravensburger hütte, muttekopf hütte in western austria (we did our family camps there), paklenica ... 

In reply to tjekel:

Thanks. I’m pretty excited to return to Paklenica at some point soon. We love Croatia.