The brand new Haven holiday park with NERF training camps, £1 kids meals and nearby beach
“CRASHING into the fence in the kart!” trill our four young daughters when asked what their favourite part of their holiday was.
Suffice to say, steering the kart was not the strong suit of Emilia, eight, and five-year-old Eva.
But as Emilia explained, if Eva hadn’t been distracting her by yelling it wouldn’t have happened in the first place.
Luckily, Haven’s newly revamped £11million holiday park in Skegness, Lincs, is full of friendly people who don’t care about the odd fence post looking a bit wonky.
And Emilia and Eva barrelling into the fence on a pedal kart while Jessica, eight, and six-year-old Isabelle looked on in peals of laughter didn’t cost us an extra penny — luckily.
As a family of six, finding affordable holidays can be a little tricky.
But Haven offers great-value trips with activities for all ages.
We went along to the Skegness park late last month, staying in a three-bedroom caravan.
There are three grades of caravan, Saver, Bronze and Silver, which sleep between four and eight guests.
Our Silver one had plenty of room for everyone and featured a modern kitchen/living room with comfy sofa-bed, as well as an outside deck and its own car parking space.
Where Haven comes into its own is with the many cheap activities.
Everyone loved the Bungee Trampoline, with ropes attached that help you soar.
This was a particular favourite with Isabelle, who spent the whole 15 minutes screaming at the attendant to help her go “higher, higher, higher!”
All four children were also excited to try the NERF Training Camp — especially Eva, who initially thought she was too small to join in but then was allowed.
That was a decision probably regretted by the instructor, Alfie, who spent the next hour desperately trying, and failing, to teach her how to reload her gun while being sprayed with pellets by Isabelle.
Fish and chips
The idea is for two teams to get a ball into the opposing side’s goal, but if you’re shot you drop the ball.
Sounds simple — but never underestimate four kids’ ability to totally miss the point of the game.
The park also has family-friendly entertainment and music each night plus an outdoor area for shows if the weather’s good.
There’s an arcade with the obligatory 2p machines, teddy-grabbers and some hop-on rides for smaller children.
There’s no risk of going hungry either.
There’s a pub on site, offering budget kids’ meals for £1, plus pizza and burger venues.
We also had a fun-packed time in the park’s pool, which you can book if you have a Play Pass.
An hour was just about right for us, as grappling with four kids who are still at the swimming stage where they look like they’re drowning most of the time can be nerve-jangling.
For those who prefer the sea, Skegness Pleasure Beach is a few minutes’ drive, or walk-able if the weather’s good.
Even on a Sunday out of season there was loads going on — amusements, rides, a log flume and loads of seaside-style shops.
We picked up a fish-and-chip lunch for all six of us for £24 — and a cute addition to our cuddly-toy collection in the shape of a sausage dog christened Skeggy.
According to Jess, our weekend in Skegness was the best holiday ever — and we didn’t even need to shell out for flights.
GO: Haven Skegness
STAYING THERE: A three-night weekend break in a three-bed silver caravan costs from £425 based on two adults and two children sharing, arriving on October 20.
See haven.com or call 0333 202 5250.