After the summer holidays last year, the big subjects were
- how expensive once-cheap Spain, Greece and France were now thanks to the Euro
- what a wash-out the summer weather had been in the UK
So what's the answer? Pay the price for sun or pack your wellies?
Which brings us to the New Forest in Hampshire. It's a beautiful place - quiet country, deep woods, ponies wandering wild - and offers all sorts of activites (both energetic and relaxing) which don't all rely on warm weather.
It sounded perfect for our dream of a holiday offering some luxury rest for the adults and adrenalin fun for our three children - Amber 8 and Tom & Judd 6.
We stayed in two hotels: the first was the Balmer Lawn Hotel, a 4 star hotel in Brockenhurst. We arrived late on the first evening but the staff couldn't have been friendlier, immediately conjuring up some great burgers and homemade fries for the children and some delicious food for us. No matter that the children were over-excited and just wanted to dart around the restaurant - the staff knew exactly how to win them over, with some of the stickiest ice-cream we've seen.
The weather at the beginning of the break was pretty good, but it was great to have a lovely child-friendly indoor pool as back-up for when the inevitable rain came.
Further into our stay, when we'd reached the second hotel, the heavens opened. Luckily the Bartley Lodge Hotel in Cadnam also had a lovely indoor pool, with a gentle walk-in slope which was perfect for mums and little water babies. There were cots available in family rooms and the bunks had bed guards to stop any unfortunate bumps in the night - crucial for our 'thrash-around-in-bed' children.
What we loved
- National Motor Museum at Beaulieu - not just somewhere for boys (although the classic racing cars and World of Top Gear hit our boys' sensitive spot), there's a fun monorail, James Bond Experience and a stately home to look around
- Bear It In Mind at Beaulieu - a shop-cum-toy hospital full to the ceiling with teddy bears and other soft toys. Bears of all makes, shapes, sizes and heritagesrub shoulders in the front, while in the backroom, heads, arms, eyes and noses are patiently stitched back on. There are even teddy making workshops - but only for adults!
- Burley Villa School of Riding in Bashley - it was pouring when we arrived, but this simply meant that the children's 30 min riding lesson was moved from the outside paddock to the huge indoor training arena. The boys had never sat on a horse before but their nerves soon changed to big grins and they were desperate to return the next day to do a 2-hour beginner's forest trail.
- Paultons Park - With over 50 rides for toddlers through to older children, our highlights were the water rides and a stomach-churning up-and-down ride called The Edge. For littler ones (those under 1m go free), there are some fun gentle rides, water play and garden areas, plus some cute wildlife and even a few dinosaurs to wander round and see. Despite moments of torrential rain, there were enough interesting undercover places to shelter, such as Wind In The Willows. A definite thumbs up all round.
What to watch out for
Despite us seeing this as a cheaper holiday, it was all too easy to spend lots of money on all the activities, which included archery, canoeing and cycling amongst others. Set a budget before you go, and do a mix of free stuff (walking, bringing your own bikes if there's room and making full use of the hotel facilities), as well as the more expensive ones.
Plus if you're on a tight budget, there are some fantastic campsites in the New Forest.
For more info
Visit The New Forest Tourism Association for full details of activities and places to stay, plus an interactive map.
