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Hello my fellow travelers. We are headed to Chipping Campden and then up to York. We will be driving up in one day and would like to stop somewhere. We want to arrive in York by 5 pm. We have three kids (5-9 years old). What do you suggest? We will be there in October. Thank you!

janisj

The drive will take between 3 and 4 hours (depending on traffic) so I might be inclined to just press straight through and not extend it to a longer time in the car.

The main problem is the best places to stop are pretty long detours so instead of 160-ish miles you could end up w/ 200 - 250 miles.

One exception, assuming you won't have already visited, is Warwick which is no detour at all. But the problem then is it is less than 25 miles from Chipping Campden and takes at least 2 hours to tour the castle.

flanneruk

janisj's accurate, and for most people the advice has to be not to waste time trying to find nice things to do en route, but go as fast as you can, maximising your time around the Cotswolds and York.

The fastest route (M40, M42, M1, A1, A64) is in this case the best: there simply isn't a scenic alternative, and all turnoffs are massively congested. Most families wanting somewhere for children to stretch their legs would simply choose a service area on the M1: especially those between J21 and 21A, at J22, between 23A and 24, between 25 and 26, 28 and 29 and 30 and 31. All are equally mediocre.

If you're absolutely desperate for an off-motorway break, J29, the turnoff that takes you along the A617 and A619 south of Chesterfield into the Peak District National Park, does take you into open countryside. But allow at the very least 90 mins - which gives them only a quarter of an hour or so of running round time.

chartley

Assuming that travelling with three children doesn't rule out buildings, rather than scenery, you might like to consider stopping at the following, which are not far off your route.

Hardwick Hall "More glass than wall".
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hardwick/

Bolsover Castle
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...lsover-castle/

Renishaw Hall
Home of the Sitwell family. Note restricted opening hours.
http://www.renishaw-hall.co.uk/

Calke Abbey
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/calke-abbey/

Alternatively, you will see lots of brown tourist signs as you drive up the M42, A42 and M1, some of which may be for places which are more child-friendly. However, do check how much of a detour they require, and how long a visit may take.

ESW

Bolsover Castle is a good place to stop as the three kids will be able to run off lots of energy here. There is a good children's play area and plenty of space for them to run and play knights. The castle is also interesting to explore with the ruins of the state appartments, and the splendid rooms in the 'little castle' with its wall walk. There is also the riding house.

For pictures and information, look here:
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/castle...ver/index.html

There is a cafe on site as well as a Wetherspopnns pub, The Pillar of Rock. next to the castle. This provides good cheap food and may be a better bet than the castle.
http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review?id=154481

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Thank you for all the helpful information - especially the stops that are so close to the 'fast' route.

A friend had recommended Chatsworth. According to Google, this would add about an hour in the car, but it would give us at least a glimpse of the Peak District.

Is this worth it? How accurate have you found Google maps drive time estimates to be?

Thanks again!

janisj

Chastworth is ENORMOUS -- so while it may only add an hour to the drive - it will add 3 or 4 hours to your day.

If you definitely want to stop -- Bolsover works w/ the least detour/most 'fun' for the kids.

But really there is so much to see/do in York itself I'd definitely weigh maximizing my time <i>there</i> . . .

ESW

Yo could easily spend a whole day at Chatsworth if you visit the house, gardens, farm and adventure playground. Be warned, it isn't cheap.... for prices see here:
http://www.chatsworth.org/book-tickets-and-prices

Bolsover Castle is a lot cheaper.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/v...-opening-times

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janisj, ESW, chartley, and flanneruk This has been extremely helpful. Perhaps you can answer this York and London question. York: Eversong at York Minster seems wonderful to go to. Can you hear a pin drop (just thinking about fidgety children)? London question- is the London Eye worth doing? I am torn. I hear yes and no. I don't care for it but wonder if the kids will enjoy it. I know if it is a terrible day then we won't see much. To me, London is not the London Eye. Do you know OXO Tower? Is the brasserie or restaurant worth it? I hear they have good views. Thank you!

michele_d

<To me, London is not the London Eye.>

I think the kids will enjoy the London Eye. We did, and I am afraid of heights. The Eye moves slowly so you will have a great view up and down the river. I'm really glad we did it.

janisj

I personally would not take the children to the OXO Tower. The brasserie side is a little less expensive but it is still pretty pricey. (The Restaurant side is very expensive) And there is nothing there for children. You'd probably be put at tables at the back wall (still good views since it is a narrow room) but for a 5 yo -- all s/he would see it the tops of a few bldgs.

This is the brasserie side:

http://dx9rjq5h30myv.cloudfront.net/..._brasserie.jpg

and this is the restaurant:

http://img.static-bookatable.com/oxo...rop&scale=both

I can't imagine a 5 or 9 yo getting much from it (and I go to the OXO Tower once or twice a year)

I think the kind would MUCH more enjoy the Eye. But don't pre-purchase tix til the day, and you know what the weather will be. Don't do it if the weather is nasty.

As for evensong -- do your kids go to church services now and know how to sit semi-still? If so Evensong should be fine. If they get too fidgety you can always leave. No big deal.

If you are going to the Tower of London there is a cafe on the riverside between the Tower and the foot of Tower Bridge that would have fun views.

flanneruk

Evensong: the question isn't about your children's familiarity with mainstream Christian church services - in which fidgetting children's role is so fundamental, Christianity's founder went out of his way to tell grownups NOT to try to discourage them. That's what "suffer little children to come unto me" means.

Evensong is an "artificial" service, invented by Tudor academics for a very specific purpose, in an era where children were meant to be severely disciplined into grownup behaviour and respect for learning. It's aimed at a congregation that's learned to listen to composed music with respect, and the whole point of most of the Evensong liturgy is that the congregation maintains silence except when its participation is actively invited. A congregation's appreciation of the classical English choral canon is ruined by fidgetty members.

Children who've learned to sit in silence through a 45 min+ classical concert will be happier (and destroy other people's appreciation far less) at a morning service: York Minster has a range of morning services - especially on Sundays - featuring all sorts of other liturgical traditions that are much friendlier to children unused to the disciplines of classical concertgoing.

flanneruk

I should of course have written "
Children who've <b> not </b> learned to sit in silence through a 45 min+ classical concert will be happier (and destroy other people's appreciation far less) at a morning service"

janisj

OOPS -- that should say >>I think the <u>kids</u> would MUCH more enjoy the Eye<<

And I agree w/ flanner that a 'regular' morning service might be a better choice for the children . . .

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Again! Thank you all. So, we have decided to take the London Eye and like you said janisj- we will wait to see what the weather holds for the days we are thinking. Seems like OXO Tower is a no go. I did email with them and also found children menus on their site. They were very accommodating. We were thinking this instead of the Eye for a view.
Evensong. We watched a performance or a few on Youtube. Our children are extremely well behaved. They have been going to mass weekly since they were born. We may or may not do this. Thanks for all the information. One asked if she could bring a book to read if we went. We will not be able to attend a Sunday service but I did see some of the other services. Thanks again.
This is the neverending question thread. Do forgive me.
I noticed that The Original Tour is a bus tour/red bus that has different routes in London. We spoke to friends who suggested the red route. Now, is this bus different from the regular double decker bus? Are they interchangeable?

sofarsogood

<<is this bus different from the regular double decker bus?>>

yes

<<Are they interchangeable?>>

no

It's a tourist sightseeing bus, not regular public transport

janisj

I might not do the Original or (or Big Bus - which is essentially identical route-wise). They are very expensive and would get old after the initial excitement of riding upstairs - and it will take most of a day to ride if you hop off/back on anywhere.

Just go on regular London buses and sit upstairs once or twice. (the normal TFL buses are double decker)

I WOULD take one of the many river boat rides Westminster to the Tower or reverse, Tower to Greenwich or reverse, or others.

W/ kids the ages of yours I would DEFINITELY go to Hampton Court Palace and the London Transport Museum and probably the Natural History Museum.

annhig

if your kids are so well-behaved, then do take in evensong at York Minster. The choral director, Robert Sharpe was Chorus master and organist at Truro Cathedral [and director of the choir that I sing in] before he was "promoted" to York so you should enjoy it very much and I'm sure that you and your children will be made very welcome.

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annhig Nice information. We plan to go. Thanks for that note. Also janisj you are quite informed. I really appreciate all of that information.
For now, looks like we will get to London and have a nice time sight seeing.
Any thoughts on what not to do? I used to live in NYC. Is the Natural History Museum like theirs? I like it but may wait on this.
Any good restaurants around Theatre area- Drury lane or nearby?
Also, I know we won't be going to a game but is it worth visiting a soccer/football stadium. We have a huge soccer fan. If so, which one?
Thank you.

flanneruk

"Our children are extremely well behaved. They have been going to mass weekly since they were born"

Without wishing to flog the point, going to Mass weekly does NOT teach the discipline required to cope with Evensong - anywhere, and whoever the choir master is.

A family Mass is all about the constant susurration of small children. That wasn't the congregation the inventors of Evensong were aiming at: they were trying to bring back for the educated classes the quiet dignity of the monastic Office they'd driven out of England. Unlike the Church of England's morning services, or most versions of the Catholic Mass, Evensong hasn't been rewritten to be more family-friendly. It's almost always a self-conscious anachronism.

Bluntly, Evensong is far closer to a classical choral concert than to a "normal" church service. However well-behaved children may be, it's not fair on the rest of the audience to bring in children unused to the disciplines of classical concerts. Especially, I'd suggest, if they've learned the more relaxed conventions of mainstream Christian churches' Sunday services.

It doesn't help either that the convention is to use the original 1662 text of the Book of Common Prayer and the 1611 Authorised translation of the Bible: splendid for us old fogeys - but practically a foreign language for children used to what's used at St Aloysius' every Sunday. Or that a large proportion of the music sung will date from the Renaissance or earlier.

There are lots of classical concerts where a bit of audience mumbling - the norm in Mozart's day - would improve things a lot. The canon of English choral music used at Evensong isn't among them.