UKC

Looking for destination ideas for family with 9 and 12 year old children. Ideal criteria are:

Somewhere with stuff to do. Activities etc. MTB, watersports with ability to hire. Would not be taking any gear for cycling or climbing etc.

Reachable by train for most of journey (car hire and drive for last leg is fine)

Budget conscious. All included exclusive resorts are out.

Ideally not peak tourist areas but balanced with there being enough to do.

Been looking at French Alps, Ardeche, Pyrenees but having holidayed almost exclusively in UK since kids and not knowing the areas I'm not very good at this. Wondering whether others have any general or specific recommendations.

Thank you.

We used enjoy the Loire Valley, not to long a journey into France, but far enough South for the weather to be bucking up.

Last family holiday was Annecy, and could go off for the day doing Via Ferrara.

Got a grandson now so may revisit these places.

Not somewhere I’d considered so thank you.

Morzine is a good base, cable cars, buses etc means easy travel and loads of activities for all ages - lots free or cheap. We have been five times over the last 8 years

Millau/Gorges du Tarn/Dourbie was one of the best places I have holidayed with a family if you want inexpensive living in a beautiful area with friendly people. While it can't beat the alps for grandeur it is one of the most scenic areas I've been anywhere. Great biking (road and MTB), caving, via ferrata, climbing is excellent, some of the walking/scrambling is amazing, rafting/kayaking/swimming on the river. Perhaps misses a cultural hit (but then so does the alps) but very much on the revisit list for me.

Eurocamp @ Annecy. Loads of outdoor activities. Camps usually have pools. Beautiful part of the world. Annecy is gorgeous. We loved it.

More good ideas thanks. I have looked at Eurocamps (stayed in one when I was young and loved it) but the 5x uplift in price as soon as the holidays roll around stings. I expect a premium but they are taking the youknowwhat so puts me off on principal let alone budget.

In similar threads the area to the south of Briançon has often been recomended. Its in the Alps so plenty of climbing & walking, plus via ferrata, cycling (all sorts) & water sports. Being based somewhere like Vallouise could be good. 

Train stations at Argentiere & Briançon (with night train to/from Paris) or TGV to Aix en Provence, Oulx  or Grenoble & then drive

Book it direct with a campsite. Use Eurocamps, Haven Etal to research and get ideas, but book direct. We were doing this 15 years ago, when the internet was not as slick, but it must be really easy now.

The Mobile homes are not exactly the same, the campsite ones might have Euro instead of UK plugs and the campsite may take a cleaning deposit, but we never had a problem.

Something we thought an advantage was we were a little separated from Brits and in amongst Europeans, but you may or may not prefer to be in with the Brits.

We never took bikes, but a fun thing we would do was on the first Sunday we would go to Car Boot sales, cannot recall the French name right now, and buy 4 bikes as cheap as possible, €10-€20 a piece, usually by the end of the holiday, one had conked out, but usually I would sell them for near enough what I paid on the last day. The Bikes did us for Boulangerie runs and tootling around.

 

I second Morzine - great for families in the summer. 

Beware it gets very hot in symmer for children more used to mild UK weather. Also for example the Tarn river can get  very low/disappears in high summer due to no rainfall etc.

I really enjoyed our family holiday in Northumberland ..... But I guess that wouldn't be a holiday for yourselves 

Well it would - as I said in the OP all of our holidays have been in the UK. I'm just looking at what the possibilities are further afield. So thanks for your input but there was a specific slant to this question.