I stayed at one of Haven’s biggest holiday parks in the UK – here is what you can expect
ENERGY bills are rising, petrol prices have gone through the roof and even feeding the family is costing more than it should.
All of which means expensive foreign holiday you were planning may have to take a back seat yet again.
Buy it’s possible to have an incredible trip away without breaking the bank — and without leaving the UK.
And time it right, and you’ll get the best of British weather, the best of British scenery — and have a good, fun, active time.
So it was for us in Pwllheli, Gwynedd, where my family and I were able to tackle, among other things, bike rides, swimming and even tank driving — and all within the site we were staying.
Hafan y Mor is one of Haven’s biggest holiday sites. And just about one of the biggest activities we faced there was the Aerial Adventure.
This obstacle course of high platforms, ropes and zip wires took on added meaning for my eight-year-old lad Jack, who had got the jitters and backed out of doing something similar a year or so ago.
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Craggy pastures
But he was determined to put that behind him and, harnessed up and hooked on to overhead wires, he made short work of every twist, turn and challenge thrown his way.
Aerial Adventure is in the Dragon Lakes Adventure Village — the beating heart of Hafan y Mor’s activities centre.
Here you can take your pick from The Jump — a giant freefall onto a huge inflatable cushion — Segway rides, mini tanks, climbing walls, bike hire, a boating lake, archery, football . . . you get the idea.
And, of course, let’s not forget the swimming pool, which is always a highlight of our stays at Haven holiday parks.
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This one was especially fun with its four-lane drop slide, lazy river and wave machine.
Much of my wife’s time in the pool was spent rolling her eyes as young Jack insisted on dragging his old man to the top of the stairs for yet another go on the slide.
And if the weather doesn’t hold out, there’s still enough indoor entertainment to keep you happy.
Head to the amusement arcade, which has all the classic games from penny drops to grabbers, then in the evening grab a drink and settle down for one of the all-singing, all-dancing shows.
If that’s not enough to keep you busy, outside of the site you’re spoiled for choice.
This is Wales, after all. Mountains, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, castles, zipwire rides over slate quarries, beautiful beaches . . . the list is endless.
About a 25-minute drive away is Porth Neigwl Beach, or Hell’s Mouth, a rugged four-mile stretch of pebble and shingles that’s backed by craggy pastures.
The blustery winds and roaring waves have made it a popular spot among experienced surfers but it’s still a great place to walk, even if you don’t fancy a dip in the sea.
When you’ve taken in the best of the scenery, potter 15 minutes in land to the charming Sun Inn, a classic pub that serves a fab steak and ale pie and a rib-eye slathered in peppercorn sauce.
If you’re after something a little more refined though, then in between here and the holiday park is Twnti Seafood, a fresh fish restaurant that serves the best local grub, from lobster how-you-like-it to platters loaded with scallops, prawns and lashings of garlic butter.
Getting back to Haven for the evening offered welcome respite from all the adventure.
We’d stayed in a three-bedroom, Silver grade caravan that was comfortable enough to have spent the entire week in — but why would you do that with so much on offer on site and beyond?
On top of a swish modern kitchen and living room with all the mod cons, we had our own private veranda to soak up those summery evenings.
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During our stay, me and the family would joke that Hafan y Mor sounded like asking if we can have any more.
But let’s be honest — this holiday park has everything you could possibly want or need. No Mor, no less.