UK Bucket List Holiday Destinations
As summer swings round once again, talk in our house has turned to holiday destinations and where we’d like to go. Since having Bertie, we’ve tended to stay close to home – up to an hour and a half away really – because travelling with kids is hard.
This got Brett and I thinking, though, of all the places we’d love to take our kids in the UK that feel unachievable right now. Some because of finances (whoever heard of a cheap trip to London!) and some because of the distance (Hull to Cornwall is a 6 hour minimum car ride).
So here is our UK Bucket List of places we both want to take the boys one day. Hopefully I’ll be able to come back to this post and update with links to reviews as we tick places off our list. I’ll probably also add to it overtime as we hear of new places, or the kids have new interests which spark ideas for new places.
Legoland, Windsor
Not sure if this is more for Brett or for Bertie. Both love Lego, but one definitely loves it more! Although staying in the Castle Hotel would be an absolute dream come true for Bertie who would fully immerse himself in feeling like a real knight.
In all honesty, this is one I think I’d wait a little while longer for. While I know there are rides and activities for children of all ages, I have fantastic memories of getting my first driver’s license in a little Lego car, and you have to be 6 to do that. Bertie’s not really that into rides yet, and I think it would be such a long way to go, and such a lot of money to spend, for him not to go on any rides!
Warwick Castle
Where do I even start with Warwick Castle! From real knights putting on daring shows to Zog’s quest and play area – there’s so much to do at this castle that I feel like we could spend a week there and still be having fun.
Another huge draw is the overnight options. You can stay in a medieval knight’s tent, or splurge on the chance to stay in a real tower suite with your own concierge and private tour of the castle! The knight’s village has a banqueting hall where you are entertained by knights whilst eating your evening meal and later provide activities like archery and sword fighting to entertain the littles. It’s literally Bertie’s dream come true! Unfortunately, it’s a long way to travel for us, and a little out of our budget.
Update August 2023: we made it! We made use of a 2 days for the price of 1 offer and visited Warwick Castle and stayed overnight in the Knight’s Village in June. You can read all about it here!
London (show, Tower of London)
Where to start? There’s just so much to do in London as a tourist – the Tower of London, the m&m shop, a west end show, the London eye, London zoo, Hamleys… the list doesn’t end!
I still remember the first show my parents ever took me to – Starlight Express. All they’d told me was it was a show about trains so I wasn’t looking forward to it, but boy was I wrong – I was enthralled from start to finish. I never lost that sense of wonder when watching a West End show, and I can’t wait to share that joy with my own children one day.
Hadrian’s Wall – coast to coast
I might be a bit crazy for this one, but just imagine walking the entire length of the most extensive Roman remains in the world. Not to mention the breathtaking scenery, just the thought of walking in the footsteps of real Romans sends a chill down my spine!
With 84 miles of walking over a recommended 6 days, this would be an awesome family adventure one half term when the boys are old enough to be learning about Romans in school. Bertie already loves all things Roman, but just imagine being that kid in the class who can say they’ve walked along Hadrian’s Wall. Hands on history at its finest!
Tintagel Castle
With a history starting back in Roman times, there’s no end to the adventures that have been had at this castle which mixes real history with myths, legends, and folklore. Not to mention that it’s on its own little island a stones throw away from Cornwall which comes with its own plethora of beauty and things to do.
It’s so far away from our home in Hull, that it really is more of a dream than a realistic holiday destination for us. I’ve visited Cornwall once, and I remember leaving at 4am to miss the heavy traffic, and still not arriving until the following afternoon (accounting for stops for the weary driver!). Sometimes, our tiny British isles can seem so vast.
Beamish
Somewhere else I have really fond memories of as a child, but have never had the chance to visit as an adult.
This isn’t really an era of history that Bertie’s overly interested in right now, but it’s somewhere I’d love to take him to immerse him in what life was really like in the past and this is something Beamish does better than anywhere else I’ve been. You really do feel like you’re walking down an old high street and into Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe.
NCT 500
Ever since I stumbled across a blog post many years ago (I so wish I could remember which and credit it!) I’ve longed to do this road trip. Initially I wanted to do it before having children, but life has a funny way of changing our goals. Now I think it would be an awesome opportunity to teach the boys about living sustainably off-grid whilst enjoying the spectacular Scottish coast.
I do have a lovely Scottish friend who I often talk to about this trip, but, in reality, it’s a lot of driving with young children. Definitely something to look at doing one summer holiday when the kids are older!
Tenby, Wales
I remember this being one of our last full family holidays. We drove all the way with the trailer tent and pitched up just outside of Tenby, a harbour town known for its beautiful beaches.Close by is Folly Farm, a dinosaur park, and Heatherton Activity Park, meaning there’s plenty of things to do in the local area.
Again, this is beautiful place is just a bit too far for us to visit right now (at least 5 and a half hours) but I’d love to visit when we can all cope with a longer car journey, and maybe even make a longer trip out of it and discover what else Wales has on offer.
I’d love to hear about your bucket list locations – where are we missing? Where else do we need to go? Where has been your favourite family holiday in the UK? Let me know in the comments below!
