Having visited Holgates parks before just as a couple I knew our stay in one of their new Luxury Glamping Pods for our first family trip of the year to Bay View Holiday Park was going to be a perfect mini escape for us all! Join us on our family weekend glamping escape to Morecambe Bay.
Family Glamping at Bay View Holiday Park
Travelling to Bay View Holiday Park this time with our three year old daughter, Skyler and our pooch, Betty the Cavapoo we were all excited to see where we were staying. As a past glamper I was expecting a bit more than the last basic wooden shaped pod we had previously stayed in so we were amazed to see such great facilities inside this brand new huge fully kitted out luxury pod. Now this was truly a massive step up from the past traditional camping we had also done where you literally had to bring the kitchen sink along. What a luxury having your own full bathroom and mini kitchen inside complete with sink, kettle, toaster, microwave, fridge freezer and crockery. The biggest plus for me was the fact the beds were made up and we didn’t have to stuff the car with the usual bedding we normally would have to bring. The only things we needed to pack was our towels, clothes and our snacks. The double bed was very comfortable and Skyler was super exicted with her own little section at the back of the pod with her special bunk beds! The dining table, TV and sofa area is a great space too which leads out to the patio sitting area.
Once the car was unloaded from the parking space nearby, I could feel myself relaxing like I had fully escaped to a magical garden of our own and switched off from the world. The walled garden shared with just one other pod made us feel like we had our very own open space. Skyler and Betty were safe to roam within the garden area which made a great space for everyone to play a few games out on the grass in the sunshine. These two pods together would make a great escape for two families to share. We started plotting and planning who we could come back with next time to share our secret find!
Once unpacked, we headed out for a stroll out the back of the park onto the open marsh land which leads down to the sea front. Soaking up the amazing blue sky views across Morecambe Bay we had definitely lucked out with the weather, the views were simply stunning. Skyler having just learned to ride her bike was able to meander down from the park and along the quiet country lane. We then headed to the onsite bar for a much-needed glass of wine for mum and cold beer for dad. We were able to sit in the beer garden and soak up that early Spring sunshine! What made it extra special was that we also got to see one the famous Morecambe Bay sunsets which allowed us to take some great photos for Instagram to envy all my friends.
Once the sun had set, we headed into the The Bark Inn, the dog friendly section of the onsite bar & restaurant to order our evening meals. Whilst we were waiting for food Dad took Skyler to play on the machines in the small arcade and games room and I sat with Betty while she made friends with all the other ‘poo’s’ at the Bark Inn. Seems having a poodle mixed dog now is the ‘designer thing to do’ and of course holidaying on a holiday park with your 4-legged friend goes hand in hand so it was nice to see that Holgates are accommodating dogs inside at this park. With our bellies full from our delicious food we headed back to the pod as it was bedtime for the little one. Once Skyler was asleep, we manged to sit and watch a film and enjoyed another drink. With it being a warm day, we were able to sit with the patio doors open to let in the night breeze, this was welcomed as the pod is nice and warm inside and well insulated.
The next morning, we were all up early and raring to go on our family bike ride into Morecambe. Luckily, we have a bike seat for both our 3-year-old and our Cavapoo. We decided rather than cook breakfast in the pod (which we could have done quite easily) we would go to nearby Archers Café which we could easily access from the back of the park straight out onto the quiet flat coastal footpath and meander down to it. What a busy little spot this little find was, which already had a queue out of the door at 9.30am. They offered takeaways which suited us fine as they didn’t accept dogs inside but we were able to sit outside on their benches to eat our breakfast buns while Skyler found some bunny rabbits, guinea pigs and goats to look at as part of their free attraction.
We then set off on our bikes into Morecambe which took us around 10 mins (we cheated a bit as we were on electric bikes) which was a nice flat ride. The first stop on our journey was Happy Mount Park, a free park for kids of all ages offering a range of things to do such as play areas, trampolines, train rides, zip wires, mini golf, café, swing boats and more! We had been here in the past to the outdoor Splash Park which is definitely worth checking out (check ahead when open in summer months). Something we are keeping in mind for when we return for another break!
Our bike ride continued along Morecambe promenade and was so nice to see so many people out enjoying the sun and the beach on a lovely sunny day. We stopped at the main beach in Morecambe and bought a bucket and spade to build some sandcastles with Skyler. Of course, a trip to the beach is not complete without some chips so we shared some and Skyler had an ice cream. With our sandcastles built and ice creams eaten of course a trip to Morecambe also needs a visit to the arcade which brought the big kid out in Mum and Dad too! Morecambe is filled with lots of fun things to do for families and we also did see there was a local bowling alley and Jump Rush trampoline park here too, both now on our ‘must visit’ list for next time.
We carried on our bike ride down the huge main jetty at Morecambe and then stopped at the iconic Midland Hotel for a refreshment. We had read about the new Eden Project North coming to Morecambe and sitting outside The Midland Hotel we realised we were looking across at the site of new location that would be coming very soon, what a fantastic addition to the area this will be.
Heading back from Morecambe we joined the Lancaster Canal at Hest Bank Hotel and followed the meandering canal down past some great places to eat along the way. One being the Royal at Bolton Le Sands which is not too far to walk from Bay View Holiday Park. As we were still on our bikes and the sun still shining we ended up going a little further, as far as Carnforth. We stopped at The Canal Turn to have our dinner here before heading back to the pod for our final night. On the way back to our pod we were treated to a second glorious, unmissable Morecambe Bay sunset!
With Sunday being our last day of our short trip and with mum not wanting to cook, after all we are were on holiday, we ate breakfast outside Squirrels the onsite Bar and Restaurant. After a lazy morning I packed up the pod and dad took Skyler to the onsite park. All packed up we then all headed over to Holgates flagship park at Silverdale just 10 minutes’ drive away. Here we went swimming with Skyler which we had to pay a little extra for but it was well worth it. She loved the 2 pools they had there and best of all the water was lovely and warm. Their pool area also offers a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. After the swim Skyler was able to burn off even more energy in the indoor soft play area. After all that fun we were able to go for a quick walk down to Silverdale beach which is a beautiful place to visit when in the area and another great spot for a great sunset photo but sadly we had to head home as the little one was tired.
We thoroughly enjoyed our short weekend trip and are already looking to come back to Holgates again soon with our extended family. We may even book the second pod perhaps with them and explore more of the places to see and do we didn’t get time for on this trip.
Caroline and her family stayed in a Luxury Glamping Pod with Bunks (pet friendly) at Bay View Holiday Park.
To find out more information and to make a booking, get in touch with Holgates today.
