Not my normal October half-term holiday break, however a staycation it was this year due to the current situation. PRIMROSE VALLEY We settled on an extended family break to Yorkshire. It suited us to stay at Primrose Valley Holiday Park through Haven Holidays in Filey. I have been to a few of their parks when my daughter was younger and the last time, I stayed here was approximately 20 years ago. Fair to say it has changed quite a bit. Primrose Valley is still one of their biggest holiday parks. Upon booking we were given instructions on how to book activities during our stay and entertainment. At present, Haven are only booking hideaway breaks with no entertainment passes included. These can be added in future, depending on local lock-down rules. Luckily, we were able to add them on and visited the entertainment every night. If you wanted to eat on-site, you also must book this in advance. We were met upon arrival at the park and given a pack with information in it. We had booked our swim slots for Thursday morning and went to the adventure pool. WOW! Great changing facilities, plenty of space for swimming, some bubble pools, slides and children’s activity/splash pool. There are also plenty of activities you can book in advance for the pool which we have done before. There are plenty activities to keep your little ones busy if you wish – e.g. Aerial adventure course, climbing wall, kayaking, pedalos, crazy golf and even a funfair. The park is also on the beach, which is great for families or if you are taking the dog with you. We didn’t eat on-site, but there were 2 lovely restaurants to choose from. We stayed in the deluxe newer 3 bedroomed mobile home. It was lovely, had heating in every room, 2 toilets, shower, good sized kitchen and living area. The location was handy for the entertainment and was very clean. No need to worry about Coronavirus as it had been fully sanitised. OUT N’ABOUT Primrose Valley is in an excellent location which made it easy to get out and about. On our drive down from Scotland, we stopped at York. WOW!! What a beautiful city. I can’t believe it has taken me this long to go. So many beautiful streets, local shops, quaint restaurants and cafes, especially around the Shambles and Minster areas. Lots of local history if you wanted to visit York Minster Cathedral, York museum and castle, Van Gogh museum or the Transport Museum to name but a few. GO APE – We booked for Go Ape at Dalby Forest for 7 of us. My 2nd time at Go Ape and it didn’t let us down. Nothing better than zipping through the forest. Fantastic value for money taking approximately 2 hours to get around the course. Approximately 50 minutes’ drive from Filey. FILEY town centre is only a short drive away. Beach and promenade looked beautiful and again had a lovely town centre. Even had a big Tesco supermarket for anything you need or there is a supermarket on-site which wasn’t expensive. FLAMINGOLAND – We went to Flamingoland on Wednesday for the full day – 10 am till 5 pm. Most of the rides were open which was great. Lots of choice for different ages and the queues weren’t long which was great. My favourite ride was Velocity – Accelerating from 0-60mph in just 2.8 seconds and hurtling through over 2000ft of hairpin turns, dramatic inclines and spine-tingling falls. THE COAST – SCARBOROUGH, ROBIN HOOD’S BAY AND WHITBY – We travelled to some coastal villages en-route home. Scarborough has 2 bays with sandy beaches are split by a headland bearing the 12th-century Scarborough Castle. We parked in the new town area and walked downhill but took the Victorian Central Tramway funicular train back which links the town centre with South Bay and its harbour. Scarborough also has a SEA LIFE Sanctuary and Peasholm Park Japanese gardens. Scarborough is smaller than the likes of Blackpool, but you’ll still find fun at the fair at the amusement arcades and such like. Robin Hood’s Bay was my favourite. It is such a picturesque old fishing village on the Heritage Coast of the North York Moors. It is a fantastic place with child and dog-friendly sandy beach, as well as rock pools to explore and ancient fossils to discover. I loved Wandering through its narrow, twisting cobbled streets and alleyways, you can easily imagine the sailors and fishermen, smugglers and press gangs that walked these streets hundreds of years ago. Today it is a vibrant village, with a wide range of café’s, pubs, restaurants and shops as well as many stunning coastal and country walks, cycle paths and bridleways right on the doorstep. You can also cycle to Cumbria or Filey and travel along the lovely coastal walks. Whitby– Not too far from Robin Hood’s Bay. Another seaside town split by the River Esk. On the East Cliff, overlooking the North Sea, the ruined Gothic Whitby Abbey was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for “Dracula”. Nearby is the Church of St. Mary, reached by 199 steps. We visited The Captain Cook Memorial Museum, in the house where Cook once lived. You can find displays paintings and maps. West of town is West Cliff Beach, lined with beach huts. I wouldn’t’ hesitate to explore more of Yorkshire in future. A beautiful part of England.
