Family Retreat Locations in the UK

Whether your family is the adventurous type or prefers stay-at-home comforts, a family retreat is a wonderful way to strengthen the bonds between you and create some lasting recreational memories. No need to blow the family holiday budget. What matters most is being together, after all. Sometimes a change of environment or routine is just what you need to infuse some new zest into your family life.

If your kids are fascinated by the Middle Ages, Edinburgh could be the destination for you. This family friendly hotel is only a stone’s throw from the castle, which has guided tours daily. The one o’clock gun is fired every day but Sunday. If you’re visiting in summertime book a tour, as spaces fill up quickly.

The Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is a wonder-filled place for reawakening your inner child and reconnecting with your children. A panoply of optical illusions, light and mirrors, and extraordinary views of the city, this five-floor indoor attraction is a good rainy-day option. Open daily from 8am to 10pm.

If you’d rather burn off some steam or simply enjoy being outdoors, why not hike up Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park? On a fine day, this is a great spot for a picnic lunch, with fantastic views over the city. 

This is the birthplace of Roald Dahl; you can even visit the sweet shop (11 High Street, Llandaff) where the author and his friends slipped a dead mouse into a jar of sweets to spite the evil shopkeeper!

For a relaxing day out, visit Saint Fagan’s National Museum of History. Take your time exploring this beautiful, extensive park that recounts Welsh history from its Celtic past to present day. Open daily from 10am to 5pm.

If you like a bit more excitement, try the Taff Valley Quad Bike and Activity Centre: quad biking, archery and assault courses for 8-year-olds and up. 

A lovely way to visit Cardiff from the water is the Princess Katherine waterbus. Listen to the local commentary as you sail from Bute Park to Roald Dahl Plass in the city centre.

This legendary capital is one of our favourites for urban family retreat activities. The Hampton Court Palace hedge maze has great team-building potential. If your kids are Harry Potter fans they might enjoy a walking tour of some of the sights from the books and films.

For a more exhilarating experience, what about a ride on the London Eye? (Open 10am to 8:30pm in summer and school holidays.) To create a magical memory together we recommend an Illuminated River boat tour on the Thames after sundown.

A family retreat works best if your days are not too activity-packed. It’s a good idea to plan some quality down-time: squirrel spotting in Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens for example, or chilling in the hotel pool. 

There’s nothing like getting close to nature, sleeping in a tent and cooking outdoors to forge family dynamics. Getting back to basics means everyone pitches in to make it work and the simple life brings the truly important things into the foreground.

Our favourite place for a family camp retreat would have to be the Lake District. If you’re not ‘Into The Wild’ types, there are softer solutions: larger campsites often have a pool, shop or café. Some are not too far from civilisation, if you decide on a pub dinner for an easy meal option. 

One of the most enchanting things about wild camping is being able to see so many stars in the night sky. Why not take an Astronomy for Dummies book along for some informed stargazing?

From cosy coves to traditional seaside resorts or wide-open expanses of sand, you’re sure to find a beach to suit your family’s interests somewhere on the Isle of Britain! If you’re keen surfers, the best beaches for you are probably in Cornwall (try Porthleven) or Pembrokeshire (Freshwater West, for example). If you’re more of a sandcastles and seaside picnic family, we suggest the vast Woolacombe Sands in Devon or the more intimate horseshoe-shaped Lulworth Cove in Dorset.

It doesn’t take much expense or equipment to make a family seaside retreat memorable. The beach has to be one of nature’s best playgrounds. From sand writing or sculpting to scavenger hunts and wave jumping or riding, there are countless possible activities, all for free. If you don’t mind carrying more than a sun umbrella and a picnic hamper, bring along a cricket set and a kite for some wholesome family fun. And when all that salty air has worn you out, you can take a group nap in the shade of the beach umbrella, lulled by the sound of the gulls and the waves.

An easy option is your own family wellness retreat at home. Turn off the phones, lock the door, don your bathrobes and set yourselves up for some serious cocooning. Try out some recipes for homemade facemasks and body scrubs. Put on some relaxing music, light your scented candles, break out the lavender oil and practise shoulder or foot massages on each other.

Planning a regular family retreat vacation – even a staycation – can enrich parent-child relationships and harmony between siblings. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter where you are. The point is to be present in the moment, simply enjoying the togetherness. Where will your family’s next retreat be?