Center Parcs, Sherwood Forest, February 2014

Holidays with children are different.

We realised this in 1983 when we took little Adam for his first holiday in a cottage at Talland Bay, Cornwall. Prior to that C and I had had 10 summer holidays of touring, exploring, relaxing, switching off and generally pleasing ourselves.

From 1983 until 2005 holidays were mostly about parenting in places other than home. True, we did explore many new and exciting places, but the 'switching off' bit got replaced by putting up tents, organising activities, providing meals, resolving disputes, generally caring (on a beach you take turns to read while the other one watches). Even teenagers have to be occupied and fed and prevented from getting into trouble.

Center Parcs are great places for family breaks. You pay (it isn't cheap) for self-catering accommodation of a good standard. You get free access to the 'subtropical swimming paradise', complete with toddler areas, a wave machine, flumes and rapids and there are dozens of activities, classes, and facilities you can pay to use. Cars are only allowed on site for unloading and loading on Mondays and Fridays so cycling is safe and the worst hazard is the wildlife. (I had to brake hard to avoid running over a rabbit in the dark, one evening.)

We've been to the Center Parcs at Longleat and Whinfell, but are most familiar with our local one.

On our first morning I opted out of the toddler swimming session and found a coffee place with wi-fi so I could download part 1 of the BBC's 'Bible Hunters' to watch later. Which never happened; I was either busy or too knackered to even power up the laptop for the entire week! But I enjoyed it immensely. I persuaded C to come to a salsa class (but not to do the 'mud bath for couples', the kill-joy), played with the twins (great fun), and showed them the ducks, geese, swans, squirrels and rabbits. I saw a stoat, I think for the first time, and also siskins, which we never get in the garden here.

The lads did the Tarzan thing, the girls the spa thing, and everyone played badminton and/or tennis.

The Friday morning was difficult because you have to clear your accommodation and return the bikes by 10 am, and there wasn't anything to occupy the toddlers, as we'd had enough of the pool. So we had brunch in the Cafe Rouge and left. The only mishaps being a puncture and a lost earring (Vicky) and a sprained ankle (C - on the last morning, just walking along the road), I think everyone enjoyed our stay.

Leaves!