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 Child
Friendly Holidays
Actually, being eco-friendly
with your kids is not difficult -young people love messing about
outdoors and exploring their environment. You can have just as
much fun exploring a wilderness as you can in Disneyland.
Outdoor holidays are possible
at farms, eco-centres and nature parks -our page on to wildlife
holidays gives examples of conservation and wildlife trusts
to visit.
For a more active holiday, there
are a huge range of activity breaks to consider -sports, canoeing,
rafting, horse-riding, biking, skiing -why not use the trip to
teach yourself and your kids a new skill. Alternatively, they
might enjoy something more creative -acting and performance holidays,
film, photography are all possibilities.
Accommodation: camping, staying
in an eco-lodge -forests, coasts. In particular Keycamp
have a strong environmental stance, awarding their campsites
awards for eco-friendly initiatives, and in fact ran a competition
in 2008 for schoolchildren to design an eco holiday village.
Our top ten ideas for kids holidays:
- Tree house Mighty Oak -http://www.mighty-oak.co.uk
Weekend tree top camping in Cornwall with instruction. All harnesses
and equipment supplied. No better way to get close to nature.
Suitable from four years old upwards.
- Boho Eco Lodge -http://www.bohoecohire.com
Self catering in an eco lodge in county Fermanough. They offer
cycling, canoeing and fishing. Stay ecolodges with solar power,
rainwater harvesting, reed bed sewage system and wood pellets
stoves.
- Walking/canoeing Swallows and Amazons -http://www.outdoorconnections.co.uk
Multi activity weekends at Coniston Water -mess around in Canadian
canoes under full instructio, hiking, campfires while staying
at Coniston Coppermines YHA.
- Fsmily Rafting -http://www.rafting.co.uk/FamilyAdventures.htm
family rafting in Perthhire with experienced instructors on class
3 rapids -suitable ages 8 upwards, or class 4 for 12 years upwards.
Bunkhouse self catering accommodation.
- Plan-itearth -http://www.plan-itearth.org.uk
Family based eco holidays in Cornwall -stay in a tent with woodburning
showers and composting toilets on this smallholding near Penzance
-willow sculptures, storytelling, nighttime walks, bush skills,
coracle making and much more.
- CentreParcs
-http://www.centerparcs.co.uk
Stay in a cabin at Centerparcs at Elveden in 400 acres of Thetford
Forest. They have a car free policy, and run nature tours and
activities for all ages.
- Hostelling at Deepdale Farm -www.deepdalefarm.co.uk/backpackershostel
Hostelling is not just for young people -the YHA offers a huge
variety of places to stay for all ages. Try Deepdale Farm on
the North norfolk coast, which has hostel accommodation or camping
in tipis in this backpackers paradise -coastal walks, local pubs
and fabulous seafood.
- Orchard Acre farm -tipi holidays -http://www.orchardacrefarm.com
Stay in a Sioux tipi on this farm in beautiful north west Ireland
-the tipis are really equipped with futon style beds,
cushions, rugs, bedding and a central wood burning brassier.
There is a gas stove for cooking, with pans, crockery and cutlery,
and washing facilities in the adjacent Eco Barn. Activities
include cycling, motor boats and horse-riding.
- Single Parent Holidays -http://www.singleparentsonholiday.co.uk
Not forgeting the parents, this company specialises in joint
parent child breaks in Austria, Greece, Croatia, Spain and
other destinations in Europe. choose from beach, activity, wintersports
holidays in family friendly hotels.
- Centre
for Alternative Technolgy
-http://www.cat.org.uk
For a true eco-break, stay with the experts at CAT in Machynlleth,
North Wales and learn skills in sustainability from wilderness
skills to ecobuilding, including workshops specially aimed for
young people.
Other Activities, Holiday Parks
and Campsites
- Butlins
-the original family holiday camp with resorts in Skegness, Bognor
Regis and Minehead.
- Centreparcs -the complete family retreat with resorts
at Sherwood, Oasis Whinfell, Elvedene and Longleat.
- Days out with the kids -a bright listing of things to do with your kids
-search by region, age and whether you want to be indoors or
outdoors.
- Disneyland Resort Paris -top tourist destination for families
in Europe, with two theme parks, seven hotels and a range of
dining and entertainment options. The Resort also features the
Disney Village entertainment and shopping complex and Golf Disneyland,
a 27-hole golf course.
- Doit4Real -the YHA activities for young people
-mountain biking, film making, rock climbing or canoeing in England
and Wales.
- Eurocamp -family camping and self catering holidays
to over 150 holiday parcs in 12 countries throughout Europe.
- Explore
Family -adventure holidays
for families from the Dordogne to Morocco.
- Green
Box -family activity
eco-holidays in Ireland -climbing, walking, caving, canoeing,
watersports, fishing.
- Hoburne -owns and operates seven holiday parks
in the south and south west of England.
- Keycamp
Holidays -mobile home
and camping holidays for all ages on sites in Austria, France,
Italy, Luxembourg, Holland, Spain and Switzerland.
- Kids
in Tow -founded in 2004
by Lyndsay Hudson, who was looking for activity holidays for
her own family, this site is a veritable conucopia of activity
holidays for children around the world.
- Logoland -themed short breaks from the theme
park of the famous toy manufacturer at Windsor. Also at Billund
in Denmark, Berlin in Germany, and California in the United States.
- Park Dean Holidays
-UK based self-catering holiday park operator with 20 holiday
parks: eleven in the South West of England, six in Scotland,
two in South Wales and one in Norfolk.
- Plan-it Earth
-eco camps and yurt holidays at Govena, a smallholding run by
Rachel and Daid Smart Knight in West Penwith, Cornwall. The great
thing is that they offer additional discount if you leave the
car at home!
- Westar Holiday Parks -family holiday parks in the West Country.
Holidays for young people only
- JCA
Summer Camp -activity
holidays for children -land, environmental and water based activities
or ski training.
- KidsKlub -specialists in in providing adventure
activity and outdoor educational experiences for young people
from 6-16 years old at a variety of venues arounfd the country.
- PGL
Leisure -residential
activity courses and adventure holidays in the UK and overseas.
Summer camps for kids, children and teenagers as well as family
activity holidays.
- School Groups Abroad -a very useful resource from from Cactus Language
who specialise in school language trips around the world, including
France, Spain, Mexico, Italy, Germany the UK and Russia.
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