Its Whitsun half term in Wales. Well, sort of. The children have been away from school for nine weeks now, so it doesn’t really feel like a school holiday. But it should have been and we usually go away during this week. Either abroad or taking advantage of how nice the weather usually is in the UK now. And, as far as the weather goes, this year is no exception!
So, in honour of Whitsun half term in Wales, which we usually observe, we’ve decided to cut ourselves a bit of slack this week. You see, we’ve been working pretty hard during these exceptional circumstances (or crazy times, whichever way you want to look at it).
Cutting ourselves some slack involved us actually taking this Bank Holiday Monday off. It’s the first one we’ve taken this year so far and we really felt we needed it. Perhaps unfairly, we felt a bit guilty (what’s that all about!?) but it did us the world of good. As we write this the sun is shining, its about 25 degrees, and we’re only too aware that weather like this can’t be taken for granted here in Pembrokeshire! We’ve put the tent up and we may even sleep in it one night!
And after this short post we are going to down tools, enjoy the weather and have some fun as a family. Just as we should with the remainder of this half term.
We’ve been looking back at a lot of our travel photos recently and it struck us that we’ve been to some great places during this school half term holiday. Here are a few of them.
St Lucia
We went to St. Lucia in May and, although for us, this was B.C (before children) we still went during the Whitsun half term in Wales. It wasn’t deliberate. It’s just the way things fell.
St Lucia was fantastic by the way. This was the view from the sun lounger!
Menorca
When the children were really small (one still in a pushchair) we went to Menorca. And we enjoyed it so much we went twice. It really is a good travel option for younger families. The weather is usually warm but not too hot in May and it’s just a 2 hour flight from most UK airports.
Florida
When the children were a bit older we started going to Florida and the first time we went included Whitsun half term. We happened to be there for one of the Star Wars weekends at Hollywood Studios. Lucky for us as we’re all big fans. ‘May the force be with you’.
Again, we enjoyed it here so much we’ve been back several times. For us, this is probably the ultimate family holiday. All of us really love Walt Disney World. With so much to do there’s something for everyone and just something ‘Magical’ about the place. We’ve been 3 times but would definitely go again which probably says a lot about how we feel about the place.
In May the weather was really good. But then this is ‘The Sunshine State’. We also ticked off a ‘must do’ by paying a visit to the Kennedy Space Center.
Center Parcs
We’ve been to Center Parcs around a dozen times and at least a couple of those were in May. Again, we’ve been there when it was only Whitsun Half Term in Wales and not the rest of the UK and this probably meant it was not as busy as during other School holidays.
We’ve always enjoyed our breaks there and find it very relaxing. It’s a great place to go as a young family and as part of a larger group. There’s so much to do and not all weather dependent but we have been lucky with the weather there in May and that always makes the experience a bit more enjoyable. www.centerparcs.co.uk
Exmouth
We’re fortunate to have family in Exmouth and have been to stay with them a few times including during Whitsun half term. Again, we were lucky with the weather then which allowed us to get out and about and see what Exmouth has to offer. It’s a lovely part of Devon. Quiet and peaceful with a bit of a relaxed vibe. Good for families there’s a nice beach, plenty of nice places to eat (outside if you choose) and, of course, crazy golf!
Venice
We went to Venice in the Whitsun half term and it was great. The weather was fantastic and it was relatively quiet. It happened to be another one of those where it was only Whitsun half term in Wales and not in the rest of the UK so that may have contributed to the number of people travelling at that time. There are lots of things to do in Venice for families where children are in or nearing their teens.
Thoughts
All in all we’ve found Whitsun half term break a great time to travel. The weather can be very good for UK based holidays as well as European city breaks, especially to places which don’t rely upon the Summer heat. We’ve also found that long haul to American can prove to be cheaper than waiting for the Summer school holidays which are often busier as well.
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13 thoughts on “Whitsun Half Term in Wales”
Great destinations! I’ve always found that the Whitsun half term is the best time to travel as there’s always great deals going on! I’d like to visit the theme parks in Florida during this time as it’s both warm and not too busy before peak season 🙂
Thanks Lamara. And you’re right. It’s a good time for a whole host of reasons. Visiting the parks when they’re quieter is a huge bonus!
It was great to travel a lot before the lockdown occurred… it happened to us as well we just returned from 3 weeks in Costa Rica when France started the quarantine! Those destinations looks amazing as well, I’d love to visit the UK more when it becomes possible again.
It was and maybe we appreciate it even more now Francois. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment
Thanks Francois. Sounds like you timed things well.
What a lovely post and like you I am thinking of putting the tent up in the garden lol. We always used to take the kids away over Whitsun. We always found it less busy and not as hot as summer holidays and we have been to most of the places in your photos as well. As they got older we would go further afield normally the Caribbean ( perfect weather at that time of year ).
Thanks so much Angela! This is great to hear. Haha funny that we’ve visited the same places 🙂
After all those great trips it must be strange to be grounded. I enjoy travel around this time of year, you pass on the summer prices, but get better weather. What more could you ask for.
It is a bit and absolutely! It is a really good time to good and who knows maybe we will next year
What a great list of places you’ve been able to visit over the years! I particularly love the ingenuity of camping at home this year 🙂 Certainly one to remember!
Thanks Hannah. Yes we’ve tried to do as much as possible especially as a family. Our youngest is absolutely loving the camping 🙂
I love that you did a trip down memory lane for this post. Looks like you’ve had some nice half term trips. 🙂
Thanks Lannie! Yes we’ve been fortunate and perhaps we appreciate them now more than ever