Becoming Domestic

This time last year we were using some of my City bonus to book a Beale family holiday for some urgent winter-sun in Lanzarote, one of the Spanish Canary Islands.

We did have a wonderful time but it was tremendously expensive and if the weather had been poor we would have been hard pressed to find interesting things to do with the 3 year olds as the bulk of our time was (fortunately) spent by the pool or at the beach.

Like many families in the UK the beginning of the year involves some planning of time out and happily due to my husband’s hard work with his internet software business, Siftware, and general year-long thriftiness we are again in the lucky position to be able to take a little time out with the children and have a one week family holiday before summer.

This year however, since massively increasing our environmental awareness and our family’s impact on the earth’s environment, neither Bealers or myself were keen on flying anywhere.

We both love the UK and figured that we could probably save money and not be responsible for air fuel burning by having a UK based holiday instead. The only slight drawback with holidays in this country is that you have to enjoy being cold unless you are ok with taking your holidays exclusively in July/August or September.

As Bealers needed a very well earned break sooner rather than later we investigated Center Parcs holiday centres which looked very inviting for families with small children like us with their 400 or so acres of car-free woodland with self-contained, self-catering, log-cabin style accomodation all centered around a central ’sub-tropical swimming zone + village area’.

There seem to be hundreds of child friendly activities to get involved in if we want to (additional costs though) such as horse riding, owl watching, pizza making, belly dancing, football as well as outdoor water-based pursuits for Daddy (windsurfing, sailing). We’re presuming that the on-site restaurants will be poor as I’ve read a few reviews on Mumsnet and will bring some supplies with us rather than relying on the shop. Bealers will most probably enjoy having the time to cook and as he’s a far better cook than me I’m defintely looking forward to a break from dinner duty.

Everyone we know who has visited Center Parcs seems to have come away with positive things to say about their experience so we have booked a 1 week stay in the Lake District Center Parc, 2 bedroom house and are looking forward to a 7 days of car-free cycling, swimming and yes, the occasional 3 hours where the kids are both enjoying some kiddie club action (messy play, dressing up as super heros, that kind thing), and potentially some super-indulgent spa/treatment time for me. Gosh I now realise that we’re going to come home very rosy-cheeked indeed with all that exercise!

According to The Obsever’s ethical columnist Lucy Siegle who recently appeared on the BBC Radio 2 Chris Evan’s show with her tips for green holidaying: “Centre Parcs are very ecologically and ethically sound, and they do great and affordable family holidays, for short and longer breaks. They encourage constructive physical activities and no one drives on site – everyone cycles or walks. It’s relaxed and enjoyable.”

I’m really hoping that spring will have started to have sprung in Cumbria when we go as forest life with daffodils out, birds tweeting and buds emerging will almost certainly make us feel just as great if not even better than our week in the Canary Islands and like a great wintery weight has been lifted.

Posted on February 19th, 2007 under Being Green, Health, Things to do with young kids • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback