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Active family adventures in the UK

Family activity holidays in the UK dive into the great British countryside, from ghyll scrambling and rock climbing in the Lake District to surfing and coasteering in Wales. You’ll get wet. You’ll be tired out every evening. You’ll be fast friends with your fellow guests by the end of day one. You might even get sunburnt. The only thing you won’t be is bored.

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Active family adventures in the UK

Creating family memories doesn’t depend on the amount of sunshine in the day, or getting as far away from home as possible. They come naturally from spending time together, having fun and being active. And that can happen just as easily up the road as it can in a Costa Brava beach resort.

Our UK family activity holidays explore the great British countryside, from the ghylls and fells of the Lake District to the marine wildlife of Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. Activities led by expert instructors keep you on the go from morning ‘til evening, with everything right on your doorstep, while plans can easily be rearranged according to the vagaries of the weather.

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Family activity holidays in Wales

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park rivals South Devon for natural beauty, but with more of an outward bound-y feel to its family activity holidays. It’s very rugged, protected by its national park status and stewarded by the National Trust. They help provide access for responsible explorers.

Family activity holidays here are a great way to dip your toes (and then your whole bodies) into a range of adventurous water-based pursuits under the guidance of professional instructors. You can pack in the action with AM and PM sessions of sea kayaking, coasteering and surfing, or have a rest day to explore the lovely Abermarle Valley. There’s a safe-for-swimming beach a short walk through the bluebell woods from your lodge accommodation, and land out the back where the team will often fire up the barbecue at sunset.

These are the kind of holidays where kids make friends on the morning of day one, and by the end of the week are swapping email addresses and planning to meet up again the following year. Delicious home-cooked meals are the theme, using as many locally sourced ingredients as possible. Fish might be bought from the small boats in Fishguard, you might eat homemade leek pies, or dine on Welsh sausages.

As with any family activity holiday, you want the space to add in downtime when you want, and that’s perfectly possible on the Pembrokeshire Coast. There are castles to visit just inland, an Iron Age hill fort, the oldest working woollen mill in Wales a short walk away, and cromlech – Neolithic burial chambers – in the area. So kids can also bolster their history lessons while on holiday... perhaps something to keep as a surprise until you arrive.

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Family activity holidays in the Lake District

A stay in the Lake District might involve a little rock climbing (indoor walls are used in wet weather) or a ravine scramble when water levels are right. Later, you might take to canoes for an afternoon paddling on the lake, and those with the nerve can tackle a via ferrata in Honister Slate Mine – similar to a high ropes course, except you’re using ladders and cables bolted into the rock.

“Parents tell us their highlights include watching their children take on a challenge that is completely out of their comfort zone and, with the support and supervision of the local guides, totally smashing it!” says Amy Hope, from our partner Activities Abroad. More relaxed days might comprise archery lessons, learning how to assemble a raft, and orienteering on the fells.

Lake District family activity holidays usually run between April and October when you can expect decent weather, with a minimum age of eight for most activities. You’ll stay in a centre on the outskirts of Keswick with other families who will join you on each activity, so that friends are easily made. And as with all of these trips, minimal transport is needed each day, so you can quite easily come by train if you live in the UK.