Humongous holidays - ten top holiday parks for the summer

You know the feeling. Trying to book somewhere for a holiday that’ll keep you, your partner, your three year old, your nine year old and your teenager all happy without too many meltdown rows and the teenager skulking in the corner all weekend with their DS. Add in the fact that the weather is sometimes a little inconsiderate, meaning that the promised two-day Peppa Pig World odyssey is now off limits to the three year old and the nine year old can’t learn how to surf, and it’ll be tears at bedtime all round. And that’s just the adults.

You can book your holiday anywhere in the UK and Ireland according to what leisure activities are near your site, but if you want to really ensure there’ll always be plenty to do for everyone in the family, holiday parks are a good option. They’ll have activities on site for all ages, from kids’ clubs to evening entertainment, and most of them will have a restaurant or takeaway too, so no need to walk to the local bar in the rain for dinner and a pint.

It’s not all staying indoors, though – holiday parks have enough outdoor activities on offer too for when the sun does make an appearance (it will of course decide to shine for the entire week just as you’ve arrived with the car boot loaded up with brollies and wet weather gear). You could even discover you have a budding champion in the family, such as 14 year old Claire Noonan who’s just landed the title of UK & Ireland junior archery champion, only 18 months after she first tried the sport at Craig Tara Holidays in Ayrshire.

Convinced? Good. Here are ten of our most popular holiday parks:

Broadway House Holiday Park, Somerset: Nothing cheesy about this Cheddar-based park (sorry), which has views over the Cheddar Valley, restaurant and bar with homemade food, weekend entertainment during peak season, indoor arcade games and a shop selling all the groceries, camping gear and beach gear you’ll need. There’s also a cash machine so you won’t even have to leave the site if funds get low. The Cheddar Caves and Gorge are just over a mile away if you do want to venture off site, and there are two pubs within a mile. Electric pitches at Broadway House start from £15 per night in July for two adults and three children.

Summer Lodge Holiday Park, Cornwall: This Newquay park is a short drive from the surfing beach with plenty of other watersports available to try nearby. On site, there’s plenty to do if you’re staying indoors, including kids’ clubs, a games room with pool tables, and a clubhouse showing the latest sports on the big screen, or there’s Newquay Zoo just four miles away if you fancy a day trip. The park also has evening entertainment, a takeaway, wifi and a food shop. Prices start from £12.50 per night for a non-electric grass pitch for two adults and three children.

Hendra Holiday Park, Cornwall: Another Newquay park, Hendra has won several awards including Cornwall’s Holiday Park of the Year and Loo of the Year. There’s enough to do here to keep everyone busy no matter what the time of day – pack the kids off to do some karaoke or treasure hunting at the Hippo Kids’ Club or let them loose in the indoor pool complex with flumes, geysers and waterfalls, then take in the evening entertainment with comedians, bands and cabaret. There are also bars, restaurants, takeaway facilities and a fully-stocked supermarket on site. Prices start from £57.60 for two adults for a three night stay (minimum three nights), or £124.50 for two adults and three children.

Lady’s Mile Holiday Park, Devon: An award-winning park at Dawlish in Devon, Lady’s Mile is a mile from the Blue Flag beaches of Dawlish Warren and has two other beaches close by. You might not get to the beach with all the facilities available on site – take your pick from the games room, bar, indoor pool, restaurant, fitness centre, takeaway and evening entertainment, or just tell the nine year old that ‘surfing’ means browsing the net with the free wifi. A large grass pitch for two adults and three children starts from £34.75 per night.

Newton Mill Holiday Park, Somerset: Just a couple of miles from the World Heritage City of Bath, Newton Mill has plenty to do for all ages whatever the weather. The park’s a David Bellamy Conservation Award Silver winner and has award-winning showers and loos, always a plus even if the kids won’t be that impressed by it. There’s a converted mill with waterside terrace which also has a conservatory and indoor bar restaurant, a well-stocked shop, wifi and takeaway food. Prices start from £26 per night for a non-electric pitch for two adults and three children in July.

Ty Mawr Holiday Park, Conwy: Younger kids will love this family-friendly park on the North Wales coast – there’s an indoor pool with flume, kids’ clubs and loads of organised sports activities. For everyone else, the park has a TV room, games room, wifi, a restaurant, an inn with bar meals, a takeaway and an entertainment bar with live bands, cabaret, theme nights and competitions. Ty Mawr prices are £21-£35 per night for a non-electric grass pitch and £23-£43 for an electric pitch, for two adults and three children.

Coast View Holiday Park, Devon: This Teignmouth park overlooks Lyme Bay a few minutes from Shaldon village, and has loads of leisure on site including a bar, restaurant and indoor heated pool complex with a soft play area. The park also has a shop and a play park with assault course for older kids as well as an enclosed outdoor play area for younger ones. Pitches at Coast View start at £21 per night for a non-electric grass pitch, again for two adults and three children.

Callow Top Holiday Park, Derbyshire: There’s plenty to do at this award-winning Derbyshire park, which also has an autumn half-price offer from 21 September. There’s an amusement arcade, family discos, live bands, quiz nights and bingo in season, on-site supermarket, inn selling pub grub, indoor pool, TV room, café bar with pool tables and satellite TV, and even a micro-brewery selling Callow Top’s own Bad Ram real ale. Prices start from £19.23 per night for a non-electric pitch for two adults and three children up until 19 July, and from £26.50 at other times.

West Bay Holiday Park, Dorset: Another award winner, West Bay Holiday Park in Bridport has a beach on its doorstep as well as plenty to do on site – there’s an indoor pool with separate toddlers’ pool and full-sized flume, kids’ clubs with activities for toddlers to tweens, amusements, a climbing wall, family evening entertainment, shop, off-licence, cash machine and a bar and café with harbour views. Pitches start from £53 for a two night stay for two adults and two children, minimum stay two nights.

Woolacombe Bay Holiday Village, Devon: With 20% off in July, now’s a good time to pitch up to Woolacombe Bay, which has tennis, pitch and putt and crazy golf on site as well as indoor and outdoor pools with water slides, free kids’ clubs including one for teenagers, evening entertainment including cabaret and discos, and a sauna, steam room and spa bath at the on-site Romano Spa. Prices in July start from £31.64 a night for an electric pitch booked for two adults and three children. 

Enough there to keep even the sulkiest teenager, crabby kid or grumpy other half entertained. Don't forget to pack the umbrella - and the sunscreen, just in case.