mizu

Hi

I'm new here but I have been reading for a while. I am a single mom with 3 kids under age 12. We go camping a lot in the US but I would like to take them to Europe next summer and I have a friend who wants to come too with her daughter. We are thinking of just England and Ireland because the only foreign language I can speak is Spanish and we don't want to go to Spain yet.

Will we be able to rent a car for 6 of us or should we plan on traveling by train and bus?

Is it going to be hard to find places to stay for 6 of us (2 rooms or maybe an apartment?) Should we think of camping instead? Are there even campgfounds there?

Thanks for your help and suggestions. We have already applied for our passports but don't have plane tickets yet.

yk

<i>Will we be able to rent a car for 6 of us or should we plan on traveling by train and bus? </i>

First of all, you need to decide where in UK and/or Ireland you want to visit.

Second of all, how much time do you have for this trip?

In terms of lodging, you should be able to find 2BR apts that can sleep up to 6 people in big cities. For smaller towns, probably a cottage? But most of these rentals require stays of 1 week or more. So how much time do you really have for this summer vacation?

I'm quite sure the Brits go camping in their own country. But rain is never far off, so be prepared to camp in the rain if you decide to go that route.

PalenQ

There are tons of campgrounds but not usually convenient to city centers or train stations - thus driving IMO is imperative for a camping trip.

And often these are family type camps where you kids can meet and play with other travelers, etc. Yet the weather in the British Isles can be wet anytime of year - mud and camping don't mix that well (most locals will camp in 'caravans' not tents) Investigate renting a RV IMO if camping. But tons of camps you can just pull into. I have camped many many times in Britain and thoroughly enjoyed it.

annhig

hi mizu - why are you letting the lauguage thing stop you?

there are millions of brits who go camping in france, italy and spain every year without speaking one word of the language concerned.

by all means come to the UK camping [plug here for cornwall which attracts loads of visitors every year doing just that] but if you really want to camp in europe, go for it. an organisation such as www.eurocamp.co.uk will give you all the information you need and take your booking in english and is fully geared up to english speakers.

I'm sure that there are more available via google.

regards, ann

KayF

Don't be put off from going to other European countries just because you don't speak the language.

My husband and I travel a lot to Europe and only speak English and there are thousands of others like us. We always try to know how to say 'thank you, please, yes, no and where is the toilet?' but certainly can't have a conversation in any other language. We get by just fine, have never had any problems. A lot of people in the tourism industry speak English and you can always gesture and point to what you want.

England and Ireland could be good but the UK (have not been to Ireland) is more expensive to visit than other European countries.

There are trains and buses everywhere through the UK and Europe, they're used extensively by locals and tourists. If you get a car, it would have to be a van for 6 people and driving is on the left in the UK, on the right in nearly all of Europe.

Good luck with the planning - it's half the fun!

Kay

PalenQ

Driving on the 'wrong' side of the road could be more a problem than communicating with folks on the Continent, many of whom speak some English - more than a few who are quite fluent - especially in places like camps that draw folks from all over Europe and Britain too.

And the weather in southern France for example is so much nicer than in places like Cornwall - i camped with my son for years all over France - we always had a 'piscine' or swimming pool in the camp to head to at the end of the usually hot day. Lots of kids there in these mini-villages.

julia_t

Personally I cannot abide camping, tents, mud, hiking to the loo, etc. Yet I do holiday on campsites with my kids, now all teenagers, and we have done for some years! Oh, and I am a single parent too.

We stay in static caravans, which are all fitted out with pretty much everything you need. We rent one with 3 bedrooms which sleeps 6, and there is also a sofabed which can sleep another 2.

The sites have swimming pools, tennis courts, crazy golf, shops, cafes, and all manner of facilities, childcare and children's clubs, plus evening entertainment if that interests you. It is not compulsory! Earlier this summer we went down to Croyde on the North Devon coast, and the site is right on the beach. We never once went to the leisure complex or the swimming pool. The one downside was the seagulls landing on the roof and stamping around early in the morning!

I much prefer to wander in Rome, Paris, Venice or almost anywhere else in Europe, but children come first for now these caravan parks/camp sites are marvellous places for children. They meet many others and make good friends, it is a relatively safe environment for them to go around in groups, and they seem to love the entertainments put on, like bingo, the junior talent show and dance contest, etc. You can hire any equipment like tennis rackets, wetsuits, and such.

They are in fact a fairly reasonable option as well, all things considered.

There are plenty of companies offering this type of holiday, all over England and some in Ireland too. Also in France and Spain.

I have used the following companies...

www.parkdean.com
www.johnfowlerholidays.com
www.haven.com

we have also stayed here when my children were under 12 and they loved it...

http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/de...asp?revid=1457

...and in France we have booked through the following operators...

www.matthewsfrance.co.uk
www.frenchcountrycabins.co.uk (here we had a log cabin by a lake that could sleep 6)

Other large companies who are very popular though I haven't used them because I like to use a smaller operator are...

www.keycamp.com
www.eurocamp.co.uk

Good luck, have fun planning, and if I can be of any further help, just post back.

mizu

julia thank you so much. That is really helpful. We actually &quot;do&quot; like tents so maybe this is the way to go sometimes.

I know I shouldn't worry about the language barrier but I do, especially when I am responsible for kids. If it was just me and my friend we'd be fine, I know that. But I would like the kids to feel comfortable and have a good time.

I did visit Europe myself when I was in college and was taken advantage of and harassed in France. I don't know whether it was because I don't speak French or because I am American or becaue I am an Asian-American female, but it wasn't pleasant. I wouldn't look forward to taking the kids to France.

We have 2 weeks and 3 weekends for the trip and want to spend 3 or 4 days in London and see York for sure. And maybe we should just go north into Scotland instead of Ireland? Is Ireland more expensive?

julia_t

I forgot to say that all the sites/parks I mentioned in my post above all take campers with their own caravans and tents. You still get the advantage of all the amenities available on the site.

With Eurocamp and Keycamp in France and Spain they do provide a huge tent with separate sleeping areas, a fridge, cooker and all equipment. I think in the UK you are expected to take your own tent and stuff with you.

You should be able to rent a vehicle to carry all 6 of you, but your luggage space will be limited so remember to take this into consideration, especially if you are taking tents, bedrolls, sleeping bags, camp stoves etc.

janisj

I'm dashing out so don't have time right now to post a complete answer - but will come back later.

Camping is fine - however I would not recommend it for a first timer to England. The weather is better than many suppose but can bet very wet/cold sometimes. W' 4 young kids, being stuck camping if the weather is lousy can be a real slog.

Many B&amp;Bs have family rooms that sleep up to five (2 adults and 2 or 3 kids). So you could find places that have 2 family rooms and split up the children between the 2 of you.

Better yet are rental cottages - you get a full 2 or 3 bedroom house w/ full kitchen, washer/dryer, garden etc for less than what two rooms cost in most B&amp;Bs.

In summer that usually means staying 7 days in one area. But that is really not a problem since a well placed cottage will let you do day tours around a wide area.

I'd also definitely consider Scotland - mostly cheaper cottage rentals and soooooooo very much of interest to both adult and kids.

Don't let the &quot;the UK is so expensive&quot; crowd scare you off since the &pound; is getting near historic lows and the $ goes a lot farther than in the past.

mizu

Thanks---janisj, I'm actually not all that worried about the $$$. (Grandparents are helping with flier miles or flight tickets for the kids, and I've been saving up).

I've been watching the exchange rates with the pound and I know they can change but it seems OK now. I am thinking it's Ireland that is still bad? So maybe we'll visit Scotland instead.

The cottage sounds cute but I don't think we want to spend a whole week in one place? Maybe we can mix up camping and small town hotels---there must be family rooms? Would we be able to rent something like a Vanagon for camping and driving around?

I'm not all that worried about driving on the left. I figure I am young (well, 36) and I can learn, and my friend who is coming too lived in Australia for a year so she already knows how.

Are there good guidebooks we should get besides Rick Steves? I know some people don't like him but his book seems good for someone like me--- a parent with young kids making a first trip. I think he took his kids there a lot when they were my kids age.

Also, is there somewher we can kind of see the Robin Hood legend area? Is there a real place---Sherwood forest and all that? My boys asked.

irishface

You mention that you seem to be reluctant to stay 7 days in one place.

My nephews (10 and 12)and I spent a week in the Loch Ness area of Scotland and could have spent more. We visited Eileen Donan castle, a museum of mystery (fairies, bogarts, trolls, ogres, etc), took a trip on Loch Ness, went to both Nessie displays, visited a wildlife preserve, Castle Cawdor, Culloden, Castle Stuart, and spent a day at highland games in Fort Augustus. All these things and much more were within an hour's drive of our B&amp;B. The highland games were informative and fun. The boys got to participate in events geared for kids.

I took their brothers to London for a week and then spent a week on the border of Wales. We went to cathedrals, castles, Roman ruins, a medieval banquet, a museum of folk life and took some easy walks in the hills.

So there was lots to do in a week. Plus we had time to kick back, hang out at beaches, play ball, fly kites, and just talk about what we were seeing and how things were alike and different in a new country.

I like Rick Steves for many places and many of his suggestions for Ireland and England are spot on. However, he does a few areas well, but there is much that he doesn't cover. So you might want to look at a few more guide books and find a place rich in history, culture, and outdoors where you can hunker down for a week. Having a cottage can make mealtime a lot easier on kids, to say nothing of the pocketbook. Perhaps you would do a week in one place and then spend your other week &quot;on the road&quot;.

It sounds like a wonderful trip, one that the children will remember forever. Have fun!

janisj

To be honest - you can generally see more when staying in one place for a week than you can moving every day or two. You avoid having to pack/unpack, check in/check out over and over again. You have a &quot;home&quot; to come back to each night w/o having to hunt down your next accommodations. plus you have a kitchen to both save money and to have food on hand if anyone is a picky eater. Not that you'd want to do major cooking (probably) but having a fridge, stove and washer/dryer is a huge benefit for families.

Say you booked a cottage somewhere near Inverness in Scotland. There are more than 100 castles w/i 40 or 50 miles, plus w/i day trips you could see Loch Ness and the Nessie exhibits, Fort George, the Isle of Skye, dolphins/puffins and tons of other wild life, beaches, lochs by the score, falconry centers, horse rides/archery/climbing/hiking/etc in Aviemore, fishing, boat rides, Believe me, there would be more things to do w/i a days drive than you could possibly accomplish.

Or in England - a cottage in Yorkshire would put close to the North Yorkshire Moors/steam railway and Harry Potter station at Goathland, Eden Camp, Castle Howard, the Dales, castles, beaches, York w/ its wonderful railway museum, Minster and the York Castle Museum -one of the best museums for kids anywhere in the country.

Likewise - an cottage a bit north of Bath would be convenient to Bath, Stonehenge, the Costwolds, South Wales and all its castles, lots of Harry Potter connections in Oxford and Gloucester, Warwick Castle, Stratford-upon-Avon and a hundred otrher places.

KayF

The Lonely Planet guidebooks (there is a Great Britain one, one for London, etc etc) are my favourites. They have excellent practical information and good maps.

The DK Eyewitness guides are good for looking at glossy pictures but low on practical stuff. They are also heavy as they are printed on glossy paper.

The Rough Guides and Footprint guides are also good.

If you have a good library or big book shop near you, go in and pick up as many of these guidebooks as you can find and look through them for info you think you might actually want when you are away. Like a street map of York, or what there is to see and do in Yorkshire and the entry fees, opening hours etc. It will become apparent which are the best guidebooks for you.

Not sure but I think the Major Oak of Robin Hood legend is still standing but in poor condition and there is not much of the forest left. I went there years ago and was not impressed.

Kay

JulieVikmanis

Whatever concerns you have they pale in comparison to mine when I first read the title of your post mistaking the ? mark for a 2 and thinking someone was traveling with 62 Moms and kids. Oof da.

Maria_H

How about staying somewhere in North Wales? There is plenty to do - castles, gardens, stately homes, mountains, beaches, steam railways and plenty of activities for the children. Ireland could be visited for a day from Holyhead and also the historic city of Chester (or even the nearby Chester zoo). We had plenty of family holidays in Wales when our own children were young and never ran short of things to see and do.

Padraig

mizu, in answer to your concern about prices in Ireland: yes, I think you would find it more expensive here than in most of Britain, partly because of how exchange rates are at present. I would add that camping is not such a good option here, as there are not many campsites with really good facilities; it tends to be a bit more basic here, partly because we Irish are not so big into camping in our own country.

About your experience in France: I am sorry that you have been left with bad memories. But I don't think it is likely to be for any of the reasons you mention. People who take advantage of, or harass, young women tend to be equal-opportunities jerks. And they are not representative of the French in general, the overwhelming majority of whom are decent people. You were unlucky.

I think Maria_H's suggestion of North Wales is a very good one. It's a place with much to charm both adults and kids. You can add in the charm of some attractive small towns and the curiosity of experiencing a bilingual culture.

caroline_edinburgh

You asked about hotel family rooms. There are some but I get the impression that they are a great deal more common in the US. The vast majority of rooms here are double (1 large bed) or twin (2 small beds), apart from some of the larger, generally more expensive and generally American hotel chains in cities. You can sometimes get an extra single bed put in a twin room but 4 bed rooms are rare (unless you want to look at hostels ?). How old are all your kids ? Would two of them be able to share a room without you ? That may be another reason why a cottage may be more suitable.

Another reason that occurs to me is around what you and your friend are going to do with your evenings, after the kids have gone to bed. In a cottage you'd have a separate sitting room where you could unwind with a drink, chat, watch TV or whatever. Whereas in a hotel room...?

The one proviso is that with a cottage holiday, you really need a car - but it sounds as though you wouldn't mind driving too much. You'd need to order a 'people carrier' (what I think Americans call a van ?) for 6 people + luggage.

What about a cottage in England for a week and a cottage in Scotland for a week ?

mizu

irishface and padraig and caroline_edinburgh and Janisj and everybody, this is great and you have convinced me. The week in Scotland around Loch Ness sounds perfect. And anything to do with castles, Roman ruins, and knights in England. So a week in a cottage in each place, and a few days in London to start? Or do cottage rentals always start on Saturday? Is there a good website to find cottages?

I'll show all this to my friend and to the kids so they'll be excited. I might not write anymore because of what happened in the lounge forum but I promise I'll read everything and thank you so much for taking the time to help me.

yk

mizu - there's no connection between the bickering in the Lounge and the Europe forum here. Sorry something unpleasant happened to you at the Lounge (that's why I never even open the political threads), but please do continue to post your questions here on the Europe forum. Your questions definitely can help others if they're thinking of planning something similar.