UK family holidays & child friendly breaks

Looking for the best UK family holidays? Offering outdoor adventures, picnics in the great outdoors, and ice creams at the seaside there’s no better time to enjoy child friendly weekend breaks in the UK. Enjoy lazy afternoons with no agenda, family games, and fun places to explore. Create special moments that make lasting memories.

Go pond dipping in Cornwall, try archery at Sherwood Forest or sail out onto a Scottish loch for a big adventure. Gather together at the end of a fun-filled day, fire up the barbecue for a family meal and share stories. The possibilities are endless on your Forest Holiday, with locations around England, Scotland, and Wales to choose from!

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Best UK family holidays

Whether you have little ones who want to splash in puddles and look at the squirrels, older children itching to explore the forest and build dens, or teenagers in search of Wi-Fi, pizzas and movies, a Forest Holiday brings you all together and allows the time and space for simple pleasures. It’s great too, for getting the generations together, with well-equipped self-catering cabins that can sleep up to 10 people.

Forest Holidays is the ideal setting for your UK family break. Whatever you want or need, from travel cots to cycle hire, from pre-booked activities to movies in your cabin, we’ve got it covered. All you need to do is gather your family and enjoy your break in the forest.

A break tailored by you

It’s your family, your holiday. It starts with your cabin in the woods; how the story then unfolds is up to you. Whether you want all-action outdoor adventures or family down-time enjoying the views, it’s your choice and it’s simple to tailor.

The options are endless. Fly down a zipwire at Keldy, try gorge scrambling at Ardgartan Argyll, or canoe down the River Wye at Forest of Dean. Hire bikes and explore the Cornish coast and countryside at Deerpark, or get the tribe out into the treetops at Go Ape, near to all our locations.

Take the slower road with a family portrait photo in the beautiful setting of Blackwood Forest, go pony trekking through Robin Hood country at Sherwood Forest, or take a toddler-friendly Sun and Shade trail at any of our locations. Our Forest Ranger adventures lend themselves to family time too.

Back in your cabin, relax in comfort and feel the soothing energy of the forest as you sink into the hot tub. Pre-book Breakfast packs, children’s activity packs, and even your own In-Cabin Chef for a special family meal. Connect with the In-Cabin Entertainment package for premium Wi-Fi and family movies.

Whether you want adrenaline-fuelled family adventures, fun in the forest or an easy life back in your cabin, simply pre-book from our range of treats and activities and enjoy the UK family holiday of your dreams.

Villages and towns, attractions and theme parks, coast and countryside

Nowhere beats the UK for sheer wealth of family-friendly activities and days out. Our small island is brimming with museums, castles, adventure playgrounds and theme parks, pretty villages, vibrant cities and quirky and delightful visitor attractions. Venture from the forest and you are never far from a great family day out in the UK.

See how our country has been shaped by its history. Kids will love exploring Clearwell Caves, just a short drive from our cabins at Forest of Dean, for the story of 4,000 years of mining. Or Cresswell Crags, close to Sherwood Forest, with its Stone Age art gallery.

If something more up to date is on the wish-list, Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire is an easy drive from Cropton and Keldy, Blackwood Forest is close to Peppa Pig Land and Thorpe Forest is within striking distance of the seaside entertainment at Great Yarmouth.

On rainy days, everyone will be enthralled by a trip on a steam train with the North York Moors Railway near to Cropton and Keldy - particularly when it stops at Harry Potter’s Hogsmeade Station! Or how about a trip down memory lane at the Hamilton Toy Collection in Callander, near to Strathyre? At Deerpark, you are just 15 minutes’ drive from The Eden Project, where you can wander through a tropical rainforest, oblivious to the British weather outside.

This is just a flavour of the wonderful family attractions across Britain and each of our locations offer countless opportunities to explore and enjoy the local area.

Let forest experts teach you about the secrets of the forest

Spot rare butterflies and birds, see the forest wildlife by night and enjoy a teddy bears’ picnic with the little ones. Build a den, light fires, and learn how to make nettle tea. Our Forest Ranger adventures offer something for every member of the family, from nature crafts for the youngest to the revival of childhood memories for mums, dads, and grandparents.

Each of our Forest Rangers have their passions and each location has a story to tell. At Deerpark, enjoy the Explosive Mines walk and talk, and at Forest of Dean, look out for wild boar on the Night Vision adventure. Learn about the resident pine martens of Strathyre and discover the muntjac deer at Thorpe Forest.

For the little ones, the Mini Forest Ranger adventure introduces the wonders of nature, with lots of hands-on activities, from catching bugs to making crafts with foraged treasures. Mum or dad often find they learn almost as much as the children!

Much-loved by families is the Forest Survival adventure, where you learn how to build a shelter, light a fire without matches and forage for food. Watch dad discover his inner caveman before the kids take over and do things properly!

Our Forest Rangers adventures are understandably popular, so it pays to pre-book them when you book your cabin to make sure this is one family activity that you all get to enjoy. 

Cabins for up to 10 people

When you have a family group that doesn’t fit the standard two-plus-two of most holiday accommodation, you can find your options limited. At Forest Holidays, UK breaks for families of five or more are easy in our spacious cabins. Stay in anything from a cosy two-bedroom cabin up to a fabulous five-bedroom treehouse, sleeping up to 10 people.

Delight your family with a hot tub holiday. All our Golden Oak and Silver Birch cabins have a private hot tub on the decking, where you can listen to the birdsong and gaze at the stars. Our Golden Oak cabins also have a gas barbecue, for those relaxed family evenings when you bring the family together.

We haven’t forgotten that the dog is part of the family too. That’s why half of our cabins are now pet-friendly and you can bring up to four dogs per cabin. Your pet-friendly holiday accommodation is the same spec as the non-pet cabins so there is no need to compromise on quality.

If you are staying in a larger family group – perhaps three generations getting together for a special occasion – you can book two or more cabins. You can select specific cabins for a small fee too, to ensure that you are together in the forest.

A holiday highlight for everyone

It’s possible that your family won’t forgive you if you miss the opportunity to book a cabin with a hot tub! All of our cabins have their own hot tubs on the decking, which are ready to hop into whatever the weather.

After a family hike through the forest or a busy day at a theme park, what bliss to return to your cabin and jump into the hot tub with nature all around you. It will soothe your aching limbs and allow a sense of joy to bubble up, leaving you renewed and refreshed.

Children and teenagers will love lounging in the hot tub and once the little ones are in bed and the teenagers back indoors on their phones, enjoy a peaceful moment with the hot tub to yourselves.

The ultimate gift

JuneFriday19

Escape to the forest for a Father's Day weekend and enjoy the perfect combination of action and relaxation, for dads who deserve some down time.

Family holidays in every season

Whether it’s the big two-week family holiday in the summer or a quick getaway at half term, Forest Holiday ticks all the boxes for a family break. Free from the classroom, the children can spend hours playing outside, while the adults enjoy freedom from the daily routine.

Our cabins offer the ultimate year-round holiday destination. At springtime, in the Easter holidays or the May half term break, the bluebells are out and the forest is bursting into life; take a woodland walk with the Forest Ranger, smell the wild garlic and look out for baby owls, young rabbits and the return of the migratory birds.

In the summer holidays, enjoy picnics in sunny woodland glades, let the children dip their toes in the stream as they fish for sticklebacks and enjoy warm evenings with the barbecue on. Notice how peaceful the forest is even with every cabin occupied.

As autumn rolls in, October half term means crunching through leaves, marvelling at the russets and golds of the trees and squealing with fright and delight at our Halloween activities. And in winter, at Christmas and the February half term, the forest has its own beauty. If you are really lucky, the snow will fall, creating magical holiday memories.