70th bday present for my Dad

[Blown2CV]

appealing for ideas please... my Dad is 70 in mid July and as most men are, he's fairly hard to buy for. He doesn't have a lot of likes and hobbies... things that would probably be go-to areas. He plays golf but has been bought every damn golf thing possible over the years and then some. He doesn't really watch or follow sport. He does like food! He is besotted with his 18 month old grand-daughter though. I would very much like to get him something meaningful. My Mum is next to useless here as she insists he doesn't want a fuss which i think is more her than him. She has so far suggested a backpack and a dashcam, which are not things i am going forward with! I wonder if maybe a weekend away with all of us, but TBH I am not sure if I could spend a whole weekend with my Mother!! Maybe other middle-aged men on here have similar gifting problems... over to you! thanks

[tighnamara]

Blown2CV said:

appealing for ideas please... my Dad is 70 in mid July and as most men are, he's fairly hard to buy for. He doesn't have a lot of likes and hobbies... things that would probably be go-to areas. He plays golf but has been bought every damn golf thing possible over the years and then some. He doesn't really watch or follow sport. He does like food! He is besotted with his 18 month old grand-daughter though. I would very much like to get him something meaningful. My Mum is next to useless here as she insists he doesn't want a fuss which i think is more her than him. She has so far suggested a backpack and a dashcam, which are not things i am going forward with! I wonder if maybe a weekend away with all of us, but TBH I am not sure if I could spend a whole weekend with my Mother!! Maybe other middle-aged men on here have similar gifting problems... over to you! thanks

A professional photo shoot with his grand daughter.

[thebraketester]

Take him to a Michelin star restaurant.

[anonymous-user]

Tartan pattern slippers from M&S?

[67Dino]

For my Dad’s 70th. my brother and I and my brother-in-law took him on a few days whisky tour to Isla. Never done anything like that with Dad before and it was really excellent fun for all of us, and nice to spend time together. After all, ‘the best presents are your presence’

[anonymous-user]

New Record player. 70 so born in ‘48, coming of age late 60s they love those old records. Presuming he hasn’t got one already of course, but even then you can buy him a better one..

Hope you find that more constructive than I found some of your contributions to my early threads..

[R1gtr]

thebraketester said:

Take him to a Michelin star restaurant.

^^^^^This, if you can afford to push the boat out a bit, a night at Gleneagles hotel with a round of golf on The Kings Course and dinner in Andrew Fairlie's restaurant. Looking at near a grand for the 2 of you but it will be memories you will never forget.

[marcg]

Balloon flight

[bearman68]

Balloon flight is a good idea, my idea was a glider lesson.

I had a glider lesson bought for me, and now spend many weekends gliding. But I really need to be retired to do it properly, so who knows where this would take your Dad.

[ApOrbital]

Clay pigeon shooting and a nice meal after ?

[ambuletz]

photoshoot with him and his grandaughter? get a picture of him/the grandaughter put onto something (more imaginative then a boring mug)

[parabolica]

Experience gifts such as the suggested meal are always a pretty safe bet at that age; my dad just turned 70 as well and we had a really good meal with close family. On the gift front, how interested in mechanical/engineering type things? My dad is very much a hands-on, constantly tinkering with tools/gadgets type of person; I bought him a set from here Kontax which he had to build himself. Best thing was it turns up in an unmarked, unbranded box with no indication to what it is (you download the instructions) so he had to try and work out what it was before he started building it.

[Chrisgr31]

For parents presents we tend to go down the Virgin voucher experience, down ballon ride, wine tasting, gin distillery, Shard etc

[littleowl]

A watch?

[The Moose]

thebraketester said:

Take him to a Michelin star restaurant.

If budget is an issue, don’t discount lunch. Usually cheaper and great quality food.

Added bonus is if you go somewhere like Le Manoir, you can really enjoy the grounds after lunch.

[glenrobbo]

15 replies and still no proper PH suggestion?
I am disappointed

[glenrobbo]

Seriously, I turned 70 earlier this year and was quite happy just to spend quality time with my kids and my little granddaughter. No fuss, no expensive presents were required. ( Although a couple of nice bottles of single malt were greatly appreciated. ) My favourite present was a little teddy from my granddaughter with "Happy 70th Robbopops" on his jacket.

I wouldn't advise spending a fortune on grand gestures. Your Dad should already know if you love him.

I have ticked off most things on my personal bucket list, but I would enjoy going tandem paragliding again. I have done quite a few flIghts from Babadağ Mountain nr Ölüdeniz in Turkey.
Whitewater rafting ( awesome! )
Laps of the 'Ring, Le Mans & Spa all ticked off.
A few trackdays.
Quite a few Eurotours.
But by far the most enjoyable times are spent with my granddaughter. Watching her growing and learning new stuff together is really special.
Now I have recently been blessed with another two grandkids, so I'm going to be mighty busy very soon.

Oh, I visited the far North West of Scotland for the first time last year and dearly want to return. I certainly regret not going there before. All those wasted years...
I didn't dare stop at any distilleries on the tour or on the way back, because I was driving, but if I were to return as a passenger, that would be a completely different picture.


Ask your Dad if he has anything on his bucket list. You may be surprised...

[gr1340]

I got my dad a fairly decent telescope.
He has spent many evenings and early mornings looking at planets.
Or the neighbours.
He does live in the sticks though so no artificial lights to spoil the view.

[QuartzDad]

Got mine a drive a steam engine experience, loved it.

[glenrobbo]

Blown2CV said:

appealing for ideas please... my Dad is 70 in mid July and as most men are, he's fairly hard to buy for. He doesn't have a lot of likes and hobbies... things that would probably be go-to areas. He plays golf but has been bought every damn golf thing possible over the years and then some. He doesn't really watch or follow sport. He does like food! He is besotted with his 18 month old grand-daughter though. I would very much like to get him something meaningful. My Mum is next to useless here as she insists he doesn't want a fuss which i think is more her than him. She has so far suggested a backpack and a dashcam, which are not things i am going forward with! I wonder if maybe a weekend away with all of us, but TBH I am not sure if I could spend a whole weekend with my Mother!! Maybe other middle-aged men on here have similar gifting problems... over to you! thanks

Your Mum has suggested a backpack. Is your Dad an outdoorsy type who enjoys walking? Is he relatively fit and active? How about a set of Wainwright's Guides to the Lake District Fells?
Or books relating to your Dad's younger days? There is a book about the history of Airfix models that my sister got me for a birthday a couple of years ago which I really enjoyed.
Anything nostalgic hits the right spot.

I don't know his background or location, and you haven't specified a budget, but is he interested in WW2 stuff? Most of our "Baby Boomer" generation were brought up with it writ large in our childhoods.
The Battle of Britain is well covered in some really nice books to treasure.
Or a must-do at least once in a lifetime trip to attend the Last Post Ceremony at Ypres, a tour of the museums and war cemeteries. Are there any family ancestors buried out there? It would be nice to pay respects to them.
Belgium is a lovely country to visit, excellent food and some lovely people.

Just a few things to give some food for thought.