Chaletpark Holiday

Bring a bike to get your bearings with a ride along local cycle paths – there’s plenty to see as you pedal, including windmills and small villages (where you may just want to refuel with some traditional pancakes). Keep going for half an hour or so and you’ll get to Alkmaar, home of the famed cheese market along with a clutch of museums dedicated to cheese, beer and the Beatles. Seeking a blast of sea air? Take the half-hour drive to Egmond aan Zee for several kilometres of splendid sandy beach, or head a little further north to the Schoorlse Duinen to walk or cycle through the country’s tallest and widest dunes. If it’s not quite beach weather, take the opportunity to come face to face with the fish at the aquarium in Bergen aan Zee. Head for half an hour in the other direction and you’ll hit the coast again, with more cheese-scoffing opportunities in Edam and some great seafood restaurants among the colourful wooden houses at Volendam harbour. If the foodie trail doesn’t suit the tiddlers’ tastes, perhaps consider a trip to the huge playground at Speelpark de Swaan or seeking out butterflies and birds in the tropical gardens at Vlindorado (both 20 minutes away).