[SA Chris]

google "car hire free car seats"? They are always a faff, and leave some time to fit them yourself, as they don't take responsibility. I had to do it in the airport underground parking in Lanzarote in midsummer, still dressed for Aberdeen weather, while tired and grumpy family were waiting.

I know it's a faff, but worth using price comparison sites like holiday autos to shop around, although car seats are often hidden, and usually a flat fee per hire. Brutal. Can you get away with packing a booster for one, or still too small?

[teestub]

Can’t you get your car seats as additional free hold luggage, or do you want to avoid the faff?

[Will Hunt]

They're still too young/small/light for boosters so it's the full 5-point harness F16 seat.

Google? That's what UKB is for!

[SA Chris]

If you are not taking a push chair, i think you can take a seat as additional luggage, as above. A faff, but big cost saving. At leas you won't be taking bouldering mats

[seankenny]

Goldcar want £100 to hire two car seats for a week...

Goldcar are cunts, avoid at all costs.

[Will Hunt]

Looking to go away in the 1st week of June.
Don't want to fly, but would like to go abroad. We'll have two kids with us aged 7 and 4 so not a city break touring museums and galleries; there needs to be a beach and some nice countryside and some nearby towns/interesting things to see.

There's the tunnel, but that bit of the northern coast of France looks very meh and Brittany is a right schlep from Calais. There's the ferry, however my wife has a "thing" about being sick and will not tolerate the idea of the ferry to St Malo. She miiiiiiight be persuaded onto the Holyhead-Dublin ferry but also might not. I've no idea about the geography and tourism of Ireland but the east coast south of Dublin looks like it has nice beaches but also fuck all else except cows.

Scotland is the most foreign culture available without travelling off-island. This could be good as we've never holidayed there and the kids aren't so young that they couldn't hack a bit of a drive. I've no idea where we might go. One of the more accessible islands? The west coast looks more interesting but it will also be getting into midge season which could be a ruiner if there's no wind.

Please provide inspiration and ideas.

[teestub]

Is that half term for you? Was going to suggest Cornwall or North Devon, but guess it could be well pricey if school hols.

I reckon the far south west of Cornwall is at least as ‘foreign’ feeling as Scotland, but in a Mediterranean rather than Scandinavian fashion.

[Johnny Brown]

Mull is a good place to start. Oban isn’t too far, the ferry is short but still feels exciting, the wildlife and landscape is great. Of course the weather is a complete fucking gamble, but get a nice day on the beach at Fidden and you’ll be in family heaven. There’s even bouldering.

[lagerstarfish]

We've had a few good holidays around Le Touquet, Fort Mahon, Quend Plage, Berck

not far to travel, massive beaches, France

[SA Chris]

If you are heading to Scotland, a good place to start is one of the seaside towns in East Lothian. We have had great holidays there with the kids. North Berwick is really nice, with lovely beaches right in the middle of town, a great playpark the seabird centre, and some nice walks and bike rides along the coast, plus a walk up the Law if little legs are up to it. There is also East Links Farm Park (only place i have ever had to forcibly remove a howling daughter from because she didn't want to leave!), the John Muir Country Park and the National Museum of Flight (kids got bored there before I did).  You are also a short train ride into Edinburgh City Centre and National Museum etc, Castle, Golden Mile et etc etc. You can even stop in Northumberland on the way home or back.

Alternative to France is ferry to Channel Islands? We had a great week in Jersey, but were very lucky with the weather. We flew, but didn't hire a car, just got a full week bus pass for the family.

[duncan]

Looking to go away in the 1st week of June.
Don't want to fly, but would like to go abroad. We'll have two kids with us aged 7 and 4 so not a city break touring museums and galleries; there needs to be a beach and some nice countryside and some nearby towns/interesting things to see.

We spent a very pleasant week at Couleville-sur-Mer (aka Omaha Beach) Normandy last summer. It's 4 hours drive from Calais. The Dieppe ferry saves 1.5 hours on this if you can stomach 3 hours on a boat.

The beach is big and good. Normandy countryside is very pleasant in a Dorset style with lots of cute villages. Mont Saint Michel is touristy but totally worth a visit. Rouen has a lovely medieval quarter. There is the D-Day stuff.

6th of June is the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings which may mean accommodation is tight.

[Falling Down]

I know you’ve said it’s not an option but me and W have done the St Malo overnight ferry in June several times and the channel has always been flat as a pancake.  Book a cabin, drive on. Nice dinner and drink, bed then wake up in St Malo, drive off and bingo you’re in beautiful Brittany.

[stone]

The Gower near Swansea has a totally awesome beach, sweeping sand, waves, rockpools, scenery. Fantastic for feeding bits of cheese to sea anemones etc. Once, when I was there as a child the whole beach was covered with starfish.

[sxrxg]

I know you’ve said it’s not an option but me and W have done the St Malo overnight ferry in June several times and the channel has always been flat as a pancake.  Book a cabin, drive on. Nice dinner and drink, bed then wake up in St Malo, drive off and bingo you’re in beautiful Brittany.

For normal people I'm sure it being summer and flat makes a difference... Personally though I'm still sick even in these type of conditions (including on this crossing). Yes my wife thinks it is hilarious, it isn't too pleasant though and whilst I'm happy enough to dela with it for a holiday I can understand why someone who wants to start the holiday in a relaxed way might think differently.

And yes I have tried sleeping... Wake up to be sick. Ginger sweets, nice but zero change in sickness. Pressure point bands, just sweaty and annoying. I now just accept it and sit out the deck with a sick bag.

[SA Chris]

Have you tried Avomine? Helps the kids travel sickness. We went on a boat trip summer before last, seems like they both take after their mum when it comes to the sea. I was fine so i was the "lucky" one one cleaning up duty.

[Falling Down]

Fair do’s SXRXG.  I do get seasick myself when it’s choppy so I can sympathise massively.  It’s very unpleasant so apologies if I came across as blasé about it.

[Yossarian]

I took the kids to Scotland the summer before last. Airbnb just down the coast from Mallaig, walking distance to miles of white sandy beaches. Various boat trip options from Mallaig. Ferry to Skye, etc. It was lovely in a demolish a sizeable pile of paperbacks in a week / barely talk to any other humans apart from a couple of brief discussions about the weather sort of way.

[Aussiegav]

We’ve had two family trips (3kids aged 15 to 5) to Marseille. Drove to St Albans. Dumped the car on a back street and caught the train to St Pancras. Then euro TGV to Marseille. We were there by 7pm. Booked a lovely 2 bed apartment near the harbour.
We then either caught the bus or walked to the beaches. There’s also a city beach you can swim at as well.

Marseille has beaches, an awesome skate park on the beach. You get all that comes with a city break as well.

It had a rep as a dodgy city. But it’s not. We had two brilliant holidays there.
I managed to meet up with someone viaUKC and went climbing in the Calanques for a day. Caught the bus out to Luminy.

That’s also something we did as a family as well.

Hope this inspires you.

Bon vacance

[SA Chris]

I know you’ve said it’s not an option but me and W have done the St Malo overnight ferry in June several times and the channel has always been flat as a pancake.  Book a cabin, drive on. Nice dinner and drink, bed then wake up in St Malo, drive off and bingo you’re in beautiful Brittany.

I've been wanting to do this for a few years, really want to go to Crozon Peninsula for cragging, surf and beaches, but it's a long long drive from here.

[Will Hunt]

We’ve had two family trips (3kids aged 15 to 5) to Marseille. Drove to St Albans. Dumped the car on a back street and caught the train to St Pancras. Then euro TGV to Marseille. We were there by 7pm. Booked a lovely 2 bed apartment near the harbour.
We then either caught the bus or walked to the beaches. There’s also a city beach you can swim at as well.

Marseille has beaches, an awesome skate park on the beach. You get all that comes with a city break as well.

It had a rep as a dodgy city. But it’s not. We had two brilliant holidays there.
I managed to meet up with someone viaUKC and went climbing in the Calanques for a day. Caught the bus out to Luminy.

That’s also something we did as a family as well.

Hope this inspires you.

Bon vacance

I think we could have a winner here!
Thanks, everyone, for the ideas.

[T_B]

I’ve been to the Calanques the last two summers en famille (stayed near Calanque de Sormiou once, the next time we stayed in the town of La Ciotat as we liked it). I really like that area. Proper French holiday scenes in the summer - rammed but quite chilled. Some superb coastline.

[SA Chris]

The multi day sea kayaking trips look amazing too.

[roddersm]

She miiiiiiight be persuaded onto the Holyhead-Dublin ferry but also might not. I've no idea about the geography and tourism of Ireland but the east coast south of Dublin looks like it has nice beaches but also fuck all else except cows.

If you are considering that I'd suggest getting ferry from Cairnryan to Belfast/Larne instead and heading to somewhere on the North coast, plenty of beaches and you could combine with a trip to Fairhead... 

[jwi]

We’ve had two family trips (3kids aged 15 to 5) to Marseille.
...
We then either caught the bus or walked to the beaches. There’s also a city beach you can swim at as well.

Marseille has beaches, an awesome skate park on the beach. You get all that comes with a city break as well.

It had a rep as a dodgy city. But it’s not.

That’s also something we did as a family as well.

Hope this inspires you.

Bon vacance

I was pleasantly surprised by Marseille too. The pier near the Museum of Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean, where lots of locals swim was great. The museum was fantastic as well. The calanques are of course great

[SA Chris]

If you are heading to Scotland, a good place to start is one of the seaside towns in East Lothian. We have had great holidays there with the kids. North Berwick is really nice, with lovely beaches right in the middle of town, a great playpark the seabird centre, and some nice walks and bike rides along the coast, plus a walk up the Law if little legs are up to it. There is also East Links Farm Park (only place i have ever had to forcibly remove a howling daughter from because she didn't want to leave!), the John Muir Country Park and the National Museum of Flight (kids got bored there before I did).  You are also a short train ride into Edinburgh City Centre and National Museum etc, Castle, Golden Mile et etc etc. You can even stop in Northumberland on the way home or back.

I swear I posted before this came out. https://www.independent.co.uk/money/best-places-to-live-in-the-uk-revealed-in-annual-sunday-times-guide-b2513145.html