We haven't had a holiday in this country since 2001 but only probably because of the weather. If only we could be guaranteed even just a few weeks in the year when it would be almost certain to be sunny, I would stay here as some of the scenery in this country of ours is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately you can't guarantee that even in July or August. In my job, I can't just take short-notice holidays when the weather looks like it might be settled for a while so even though I don't enjoy the no-frills flying experience one bit, it's something I endure to get me a week or two of almost guaranteed sunny weather.

For some reason if my travel plans don't involve getting on a plane I don't feel like on holiday

I don't care about the weather, if its good its a bonus.

I love everything about being abroad from the local people to the different beers and even going to the supermarket and buying some weird and wonderful grub to try, and knowing your a thousand miles away from all lifes troubles helps as well.

Sitting in a bar in Spain of an evening is just such a different atmosphere in a good way!) to home.

The UK is OK and I think Cornwall is lovely but I couldn't give up my foreign holidays, sunshine or not

Not if the bar is loaded with Brits it aint!!
On that less serious note, i always find it amusing when you see people eating their full English breakfast, drinking some imported warm ale, queuing up at the chippy for curry chips, etc - and then saying how lovely it is to be abroad

In saying that, i end up buying a bottle of irn bru at the end of a week in spain

abroad for me, why pay for a week at butlins when you can go to spain etc etc for the same price. im like many other members tied by school hols and i would like to spend my hard earned cash on a holiday abroad where its warm and less chance of rain than the uk,

Why does everyone assume that by staying in the UK that means you have to go to Butlins?

Even if you fancy a caravan park though, there are some tremendous ones in the UK with fantastic facilities equal to those abroad, but the one thing they can't guarantee ..... sunshine!

So i would agree with that being the case, the holidays in this country are too expensive!

No two doubts about it...abroad for me anytime
Although we have had some lovely holidays in the uk, and some half decent weather, it just does not feel the same as packing your suitcase with loads of bikinis, shorts, strappy tops, suncream, guide book, lazy books for the sunbed.
Going abroad is about experiencing different cultures, food etc (and of course 99% sure of getting guaranteed sunshine.
The buzz of of buying euros (for what their worth , at the mo) making sure you have your passport and tickets ready, the excitement of getting to the airport, boarding your flight and to me the best bit is... the heat that hits you when you step off the aeroplane when you arrive for your long awaited, every penny saved up for holiday in the sun

I used to enjoy the buzz of all the different foreign currencies, but now it's all Euro it's not quite the same!!

I'll agree about packing the case though, when i pack the suitcase to go down the caravan it won't feel the same, even if i get a lovely sunny week. The anticipation of going abroad is always higher i guess!

Sitting around the same hotel pool day in, day out isn't my idea of a good holiday - it's fine for the first few days while I wind down from work but after that I want to be out and about experiencing the local life and culture of wherever I am, even if that's only people watching sat in some quiet pavement cafe. And I hate even more hotels with 'animation' teams constantly trying to cajole people into joining in things. I'm the curmudgeon in the corner who thinks that entertainment in a bar, either inside or outside the hotel is quiet evening of conversation ruined! And I simply find it too hot to go to southern Spain and the like July and August - I've even forsaken my beloved this summer because having reached a 'certain age' the idea of having hot flushes in that sort of heat and humidity is simply unbearable

So the sort of AI holiday that suits many families just isn't me and do love spending my summers here in Scotland - lovely long days, some of the best beaches in the world for walking along and plenty of history to soak up. And when I need to chill - I'll happily do that in my own garden. But I do also love to escape to somewhere warmer in the autumn and to have a treat to look forward to in February, away from those chill east winds off the North Sea - not hot, just warm enough to leave the jumpers behind and to sit out in. So I reckon that I couldn't do without either holidays at home in the UK or in warmer climes.

SM

I would love to spend a week each year by the seaside in this country. The problem is the cost is often a lot more than going abroad and then there is the weather issue. Ideally I would like a fortnight abroad and a week in the UK. I have such fond memories of childhood holidays on the south coast and more recently, days out walking along the seafront with an icecream in hand. There is nothing like the great British seaside and each town is different to the next.

I've spent my last 5 years having holidays in this country and up until last year struck pretty lucky with the weather. As others have said there are some beautiful places in the UK, I adore the beach at Sandbanks, Dorset, and during the summer of 2006, when sat on that beach, well you could have been anywhere - just wonderful. The thing I like about holidays in this country is the fact you have more control (apart from the weather). No flight delays for a start...the thought of having to experience some of the delays I've faced in the past now that we have 2 children just fills me with dread. If you are late starting off on your journey it doesn't matter, you can go at your own leisurely pace when there's no plane to catch. All that said, however, after last year's holiday, 2 weeks in North Devon, just as the floods started and having to drive miles out of our way because the motorways were closed, we've decided to spend just a few hundred pound more for our first family holiday abroad. Whether it's the right decision I'll find out soon, but at least my children should be able to dip more than just their toes into the sea. Plus no cooking for a fortnight!

I would love to spend a week each year by the seaside in this country.

That's where I am so lucky - I spend around 46 weeks each year by the seaside because that's where I live!

SM

Marvellous! Where are you SMa, if you don't mind me asking?

I have no excuse - none of us do really cos aren't we all, wherever we live, something like no more than 50 miles from the coast? I should get in the car and go drive somewhere.

because having reached a 'certain age' the idea of having hot flushes in that sort of heat and humidity is simply unbearable

My sis and I are your typical beach bums Our hols consist of chilling out around the pool everyday with a couple of beach visits thrown in. We love the sun and spend most of the day on the sunloungers or in the pool. We've been doing this for years. The other day she said to me "What sort of hols will we be having when we're in our 60's because we can't be lying around the pool in our bikinis then, can we?" I suppose she's got a point

"What sort of hols will we be having when we're in our 60's because we can't be lying around the pool in our bikinis then, can we?"

Just have a look around you when you're lying by the pool. You will see quite a few ladies doing just that, even though they really shouldn't as it's often not a pretty sight.

Marvellous! Where are you SMa, if you don't mind me asking?

On the east coast of Scotland to the north of Dundee - my house is less than 10 mins walk from the beach and I look out over it every day on my way to work! The train 'station' - which consists of the platform with a bus shelter on it - is right by the beach and on day like this you'll have found me and all the rest of the regular commuters gazing out to sea with our backs to the track because the view across the Firth of Tay towards St Andrews is so wonderful. On a clear day you can see the Bell Rock lighthouse out to sea on the horizon. In the winter it can be cold but I even love it in January and February because my usual train coincides with the dawn and watching the sun rise out of the sea is magical and is a sign that the mornings are getting lighter. I love the fact that on a nice evening I can walk home the long way, ie around the small bay and out to the Ness (headland) by the sand dunes which edge the gold course - the one Tiger Woods hates because he's never mastered it - he might have won the Open at St Andrews but Carnoustie has always defeated him! Proof that St Andrews might be 'the home of golf' but that Carnoustie really is the more testing course and sorts out the the big hitters from the skillful players - or so my golfing neighbour assures me, I've never played the game in my life

SM

Sounds fabulous SMa. Who needs a UK holiday when you have that right there?

We always have a holiday abroad and a holiday in this coun try. Abroad to relax in the sunshine, but saying that, the last few years in Beni have been hitty missy, seahouses in the caravan is a break away from home with the same routine except you og away for days regardless of the weather, it doesn't put me off.

abroad definatly, number 1, guaranteed sunshine, number 2, it is much cheaper than the uk.

SMa wrote:

That's where I am so lucky - I spend around 46 weeks each year by the seaside because that's where I live!

SM

I'm looking at the sea right now We have a couple of beautiful beaches here- its just a pity that you can only sunbathe on them for about 2 days every year