Our Fondest Summer Holiday Memories

Do you remember the joy of hearing the school bell ring for the final time before you broke up for the long summer holiday?

There was nothing quite like that feeling of freedom. Weeks and weeks of adventures, exploring, and playing outside to look forward to. What could be better!

At the time, those long hot days seemed to last forever and school seemed like a distant memory.

From picnics to donkey rides, we've put together a collection of our favourite summer moments. Do you have any of your own? Leave a comment and let us know!

Family picnics

If the sun was shining, us kids would be sent off with some jam sandwiches and strict instructions not to return until tea time...but picnic food was always better when the whole family joined in! Boiled eggs, cheese, leftover cold meat, all washed down with a flask of tea or orange squash. There might even be a few biscuits or a slice of homemade cake if we hadn't caused our parents too much grief that week. Not a disposable barbecue to be seen!

© Copyright Allan Cash Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo.

Homemade toys

We didn't need much to keep us occupied and we were more than happy to make our own fun. A piece of chalk to draw a hopscotch grid, a wall for ball games, or some rope to use for skipping could keep us busy all afternoon. There were trees to be climbed and streams to be paddled in. Someone always had a jam jar handy and we could spend hours searching for newts and tadpoles.

Boys playing marbles in the street. © Copyright Alamy Stock Photo.

A trip to the seaside

The highlight of every summer was taking the coach or the train to the seaside. We'd look forward to it for weeks. The journey always felt like it took forever, but it was nothing some boiled sweets and a good sing-along couldn't help!

Once we arrived, we tried to cram as much as possible into the day. Donkey rides; sticks of rock that felt like they were going to break your teeth; fish and chips eaten out of yesterday's newspaper. If it was cold, we'd huddle behind the trusty windbreaker that accompanied every trip to the beach. If it was warm, we'd run in and out of the water while our dads paddled with their trousers rolled up or lay back in their deckchairs - still wearing their hats and jackets!

© Copyright Heritage Images / Getty Images.

Holiday camps

The really lucky ones spent a week or two at a holiday camp. There was always something to keep us entertained: splashing around in the pool, knobbly knees competitions, Punch and Judy shows...the fun was endless, even if we were woken up at the crack of dawn!

Rainy days

Looking back, it feels like it never rained during the summer holidays. When it did, we could always find something to fill our time. There were comics to read, dolls houses to build, and games to be played. Pick-up sticks, Qwirkle, Battleships, and of course Monopoly. If you had some spare pocket money, you might even splash out on a trip to the pictures.

The classic 'end of holiday snap'

If you'd been camping or caravanning over the summer, the day you had to pack up and head home was always a sad one. But you couldn't leave without taking the classic 'end of holiday' family photo!

We all remember lining up, children at the front and parents at the back, looking straight at the camera and putting on our best smiles. Sticking our tongues out certainly wouldn't have been tolerated, but at least we didn't have to worry about the photo ending up on social media. It was a simpler time, and we'll always treasure those precious summer memories.