THESE days, holidaying at home has much to commend it, not least the fact that the "flying game" can do little to spoil your enjoyment, writes MALCOLM ROBERTSHAW.

So forget those crowded airports, flights which very seldom gel with your own timepiece and the current relative newcomer to the air passenger harassment scene, dust fallout from a certain Icelandic volcano.

Since 1987 the Center Parcs organization has been concentrating on both long and short-stay vacations, now having made large inroads into a concept which originated in Holland back in 1967.

Owned by the Blackstone Group, Center Parcs is synonymous with the short break experience and claims its chalet style accommodation has around 90% occupation per annum.

The UK now houses four centres of Center Parcs excellence with holiday villages situated at Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, Whinfell Forest in Cumbria, Elveden Forest in Suffolk and Longleat Forest in Wiltshire. Each centre provides exceptional leisure facilities and all are discreetly situated within some 400 acres of natural woodland – where else could you be joined for an al fresco breakfast by squirrels, a family of mallards and other assorted wildlife?

It being some six or seven years since my wife Anita and myself last enjoyed the Sherwood Forest facilities we set off early on the Friday morning for Center Parcs, Nottingham and our eagerly anticipated weekend break. The journey of around 70 miles was easily put behind us, but our three teenage grandchildren (Rebecca, William and Sam) and their mum and dad (Sarah and Nigel) must have been up at the crack of dawn, having already arrived on site.

This was, of course, pre-lunch and access to our accommodation was not until 3.00pm (it’s also worth remembering that you must vacate your residence by 10.00am on the day of departure) so there was time to kill.

However, time never drags at Center Parcs and there were plenty of attractions awaiting the seven of us, including a nature walk with its almost surreal wildlife Hide, an early visit to the Sub Tropical atmosphere of the Swimming Paradise and its slides, flumes, wave machine and wild water rapids, followed by a very enjoyable pub lunch at the Forresters’ Inn before opening time at the villa.

The size of our party found us in an Executive Lodge which featured three en suite bedrooms upstairs for the Baxter family and an en suite bedroom on the ground floor for my wife and myself.