Holiday idea wanted ...

[Matt&JoyBongling]

We were fooled by the promise of good weather this summer and so planned to spend our holiday in England rather than going to Europe. The weather is looking much worse than expected and I am getting pressure to find some sun. If we had 3 weeks, we would go to northern Spain and hike in the mountains and play on the beaches but we don't - we have 2 weeks.

Where would you go for sunshine, beaches and a bit of culture? I'm not keen on crowds and don't want to drive more than about 15 hours to get there. We have done Bongo tours to SW France, Croatia & Slovenia. Now we want somewhere else. Italy seems the right distance but I haven't found reports of decent beaches that are not over-priced or over-crowded. Any ideas please?

[umbongocat]

could try the middle of France with lakes instead of the Sea. Limousin La-Creuse area is fab.

http://www.lelacdevassiviere.com/

Nice lake with activities if you want more to do than just the countryside walks and quiet lakes

[Matt&JoyBongling]

We like SW France but the weather forecast is not good We would have had a good time there with 3 sets of friends in the area but it appears just as damp as we have, only a little warmer.

http://www.weather-forecast.com/locatio ... sts/latest

[umbongocat]

We like SW France but the weather forecast is not good We would have had a good time there with 3 sets of friends in the area but it appears just as damp as we have, only a little warmer.

http://www.weather-forecast.com/locatio ... sts/latest

Check out La Creuse, it has different weather to what they have at Limoges. At most over August it seems to have a few days of light showers, but mostly it's good weather. Not really hot like the South, but good enough to swim and eat outside during the day and even some evenings.

There's Mont Dore... a little further south of the middle.. nice place too

[scanner]

Where would you go for sunshine, beaches and a bit of culture?

The Essex "Sunshine Coast" around Clacton is the driest area in Britain and has several Blue Flag beaches.

But if you want some culture you'll need to leave the milk out in the sun..............


PS or visit Colchester (or is it Chelmsford?) the oldest town in Britain.

[dunslair]

Given that you were fooled by the promise of good weather.......... could I suggest Cumbernauld as your ideal destination

[Matt&JoyBongling]

We like SW France but the weather forecast is not good We would have had a good time there with 3 sets of friends in the area but it appears just as damp as we have, only a little warmer.

http://www.weather-forecast.com/locatio ... sts/latest

Check out La Creuse, it has different weather to what they have at Limoges. At most over August it seems to have a few days of light showers, but mostly it's good weather. Not really hot like the South, but good enough to swim and eat outside during the day and even some evenings.

There's Mont Dore... a little further south of the middle.. nice place too

They both look nice but need to take a closer look at the forecast later in the month - it seems to be having similar weather to us at the moment

[Matt&JoyBongling]

Cumbernauld and Essex - two interesting alternatives to the Med ..... our current plan is to go to Suffolk - almost as dry as Essex but predicted to be wetter than normal this summer

I was fooled - we had such a good time in Suffolk over Easter - spending most days on the beach and thinking who needs the Med when we have such wonderful weather in England (some times!).

[Nick65]

Gorges du Tarn is always nice and hot or The Languedoc region has never let me down in 46 years. Even on a cold day it has been around 30C

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/182

You could drive it in 15 hours, and Montpellier is a real capital of Culture, Life and Loving

[scanner]

Cumbernauld and Essex - two interesting alternatives to the Med ..... our current plan is to go to Suffolk - almost as dry as Essex but predicted to be wetter than normal this summer

I was fooled - we had such a good time in Suffolk over Easter - spending most days on the beach and thinking who needs the Med when we have such wonderful weather in England (some times!).

If you get rained out in East Anglia you only have a coule of hours on the A14 to put up with

[Matt&JoyBongling]

Gorges du Tarn is always nice and hot or The Languedoc region has never let me down in 46 years. Even on a cold day it has been around 30C

http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/182

You could drive it in 15 hours, and Montpellier is a real capital of Culture, Life and Loving

I have relatives near Albi - we have stayed with them twice - the last time we had great weather. The first time, we had rain, mist and fog - both visits were in August. The weather tomorrow is predicted to be 19oC and rain If we had more time, we would aim for Gorges du Tarn and stay there if the weather was good - if not, go on to Northern Spain. As we have 2 weeks, that would be too far for a relaxing trip

[Matt&JoyBongling]

Cumbernauld and Essex - two interesting alternatives to the Med ..... our current plan is to go to Suffolk - almost as dry as Essex but predicted to be wetter than normal this summer

I was fooled - we had such a good time in Suffolk over Easter - spending most days on the beach and thinking who needs the Med when we have such wonderful weather in England (some times!).

If you get rained out in East Anglia you only have a coule of hours on the A14 to put up with

True - but we will be grumpy with it! There is loads to do around Southwold - but having been cooped up in an office for the last year (apart from a lovely break at Easter), I really want to see the sun .....

[Nick65]

Albi and that area is a bit of a bugger as the mountains can mess with the weather there. Try Marseille or Arles region.

Have you considered Southern Italy? Take the Bongo on the train

[Matt&JoyBongling]

Arles looks really nice for a cultural tour - the google images of the area look great. Not sure about the beaches though - what are they like? We have a 2 year old and 8 year old that need to burn off steam running about on sand and playing in the sea.

South Italy looks really good - certainly a place for the future but the train will not take vehicles at the AFT height of 2.1m - most seem to have a restriction around 1.75m and it would be too far to drive there and back in 2 weeks

[Nick65]

The best beach close to Arles is St Maries de la Mer, La Plage de Beauduc, or pop down to Montpellier for a mornings shop, bite to eat at lunch time, then pop down to Carnon or Palavas les flots and have a bite to eat in Aigues Mortes on the way back. The beaches there are soft and sandy and the water is good there as it remains shallow for quite a while, then dips, and then shallow again (Carnon est is quieter and has more play areas)

Probably a 50 minute drive from Arles to Montpellier.

We used to swim at Pont du Gard as well. Fantastic day out, take a picnic and enjoy the whole day there. It is just to the north of Nimes in a place called Remoulins (Nearest)