2 week trip to UK
 

Dear Friends,

Need your advice for a trip that I am planning to UK in the month of May. We are a couple with a 10 year old child. I have approximately 14 days to spend there. Of this I am planning to spend about 5-7 days in London. There on plan to see the other parts. I have shortlisted two key locations Bath and Edinburg.

In London :
Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Ripleys Believe it or Not, Madame Tussaud's, London Zoo, London Eye and Aquarium. Also plan to take the London Duck Tours. We will also keep a day for the National Gallery and go for an Opera in the evening.

In Bath :
- Plan to take the open bus tour, Visit The Roman Baths and Museum, Bath Aqua Theatre of Glass, Stoneage

Then go to Edinburg :
- Plan to take the open bus tour, Go one evening to "Jamie's Scottish Evening", Edinburgh Castle E-Ticket

Please advice if this is ok. Also if you could guide me on :
- From London should I drive to these place
- Should i spend 3 days each in Bath and Edinburg and then move around.
- On the way to these places should I halt at some place and stay and enjoy that location.
- Also wanted to visit a Whiskey Distellery - Any suggestions.

Your advice would be a welcome.

I'll write a bit more tomorrow (4 February), but, for now, I assume you've already obtained London lodging, but, if not, I strongly recommend a flat, rather than a hotel. It will usually be a bit better for space and expense, and will be a good deal more flexible and is likely to include a washer/dryer in the flat.

The obvious thing to note in London is that you have none of the major free museums - British, Science & Natural History - each of which have more to entertain a 10yr old than Ripleys Believe it or Not and Madame Tussaud's put together.

Would a 10yr old want to sit through several hours of opera as opposed to one of the major shows like War Horse?

Stoneage? - do you mean Stonehenge - if so then several companies in Bath offer a half day tour.

In Edinburgh there are several different bus tours but they all start from the same point by the Scott Monument

As for Distillery, well there's only one near Edinburgh and that's Glenkinckie. However to get to by public transport is somewhat awkward so you might need to take a tour from Edinburgh which combines it with other things. BUT do check that they allow 10 yr old children onto the premises

Assuming you are arriving at Heathrow it's probably easier to take the coach direct to Bath then fly to Edinburgh (please note spelling - Edinburg is in Texas) from Bristol before going to London. This saves you having to back track into London several times

Extremely sorry for the typo error, please read
Stoneage as Stonehenge
Edinburg as Edinburgh

I agree that a child would enjoy seeing the mummies in the British Museum or going to the Science or National History museums. They are also free.
I'd skip Madame Tussaud's unless he has set his heart on it.
As for the zoo and aquarium, you might be better hopping on a train to Chester and visiting Chester Zoo and/or the Blue Planet aquarium in nearby Ellesmere Port. Both are better than the London equivalents IMHO.
Trains run on the hour and take two hours.

Check that 'Jamie's Scottish Evening' is OK for a 10 year old...could be bored and drink will be taken.

In Edinburgh he might enjoy Dynamic earth, or get the train through to Glasgow for The People's Palace, Kelvingrove Museum, the new Trasnport Museum should be open and also there's the Science Museum which has an amazing Planetarium.

In London...Opera for a 10 year old could scar him for life!

re Edinburgh Pass (£26.50 1 day, £39.00 2 day, £51.50 3 days)

Camera Obscura - I like it, but you need a clear sunny day to get the best out of it

Edinburgh Butterfly & Insect World - it's a bit out of time so you'd need to allocate a couple hours just for getting to & from it unless you had a car

Maid of the Forth - need to get to South Queensferry, so allow at least half a day


Glenkinchie Distillery - as previously mentioned it's hard to get to by public transport, it's a bus ride & a walk - plus does it allow children on the tour

National Museum of Flight - WAY out of town, it's a train & bus ride, you'd really have to allocate most of a day to it

Nelson Monument - the view is as good from the ground and it costs nothing

Scottish Seabird Centre - it's what to combine your trip to the National Museum of Flight but check what birds will be visible then

Edinburgh Dungeon - it's so popular they offer regular £5 discounts for it on the back of bus tickets

Almond Valley Heritage Centre - third of the way to Glasgow, only to be done if you are passing by (which you won't)

Hopetoun House - needs a car

Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh - the gardens are free, it's only the greenhouses that you pay for

Scottish Mining Museum - out of town, allow half a day - could be combined with Butterfly World

Seafari Adventures Forth: High Speed Boat Trips - runs from North Berwick normally so you need to get a train there.

Doesn't even cover the three Royal Biggies - Castle, Holyrrod & Britannia

Please re-think seeing the Wax museum, Ripley's and even the zoo.

In London I'd skip the zoo, mme Tussauds, Aquarium, and VERY especially Believe it or Not -- all are expensive or <B>VERY</B> expensive and not even the best of their type in the UK.

In Edinburgh -- I'd 100% ignore the suggestion to get the Edinburgh Pass. It is very expansive and most of the sites covered are far down the "must see list"

And you do not want a car in Edinburgh. If you had more time and wanted to explore some of rural Scotland -- sure a car is useful. But you don't have much time so you may not get outside of the city. If you wanted to see Stirling Castle-- that is an easy day trip by train so a car wouldn't be necessary.

oops -- that should say >>I'd 100% ignore the suggestion to get the Edinburgh Pass. It is very <u>expensive</u> and most of the sites covered are far down the "must see list"<<

Thank you everyone, based on the suggestions I am making the following changes :
I will skip the Tussauds, Aquarium, Zoo and the Ripleys. Even I felt they were expensive but was not sure whether to exclude them. I will also skip the Opera and add the British, Science & Natural History Museum.

Will I get a show on pantomime? My daughter loves dance and music, so I am looking at an option accordingly. But once I have removed all these from my list do I need 7 days in London, instead could I do some outskirts?

Can I drive from London to Edinburgh? In that case can I do some other places that are worth exploring?

In Edinburgh, I am including : 2 days Bus Tour, Glenkinchie Distillery, Seafari Adventures Forth (thanks for the suggestion to do this) and Edinburgh Dungeon

Could you please suggestion some good B&B or hotels to stay along the way. In london I am staying with some relatives so will not need a acco there.

>>>Will I get a show on pantomime? My daughter loves dance and music, so I am looking at an option accordingly.
Pantomimes are a winter (esp Christmas) thing, so won't be on when you travel in May. However there are a vast range of musicals in London all year round, such as Billy Eliot, Lion King, Mamma Mia, .... Check out http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londo...n/musicals.htm

>>>Can I drive from London to Edinburgh? In that case can I do some other places that are worth exploring?
A car can be a great way to see the UK - if you have the time, and want to visit the countryside. For a straight journey from London to Edinburgh (and back?), it would be a bad choice. Either get the train (possibly stopping en route at York), or fly.

"Can I drive from London to Edinburgh?"

Of course you can - whether you'd want to do so is another question. The direct route is 8 hours of non-stop driving with surprisingly little of interest in the first 5 hours of driving.

If you are willing to spend several days doing so then that is a different question

Edinburgh is a long drive and I wouldn't undertake it with a young child. It also eats in to your time as you will be tired from all that driving! Flights are quick and relatively inexpensive. Edinburgh is beautiful so enjoy. As for London, try and visit Covent Garden, a must for shopping and dining. Try Henry's Wine Bar and then the transport museum. Glad that you have shelved the waxworks etc. The London underground will get you to most places in the Capital and is very easy to navigate. Billy Elliot would be fab for your dance loving daughter. You could think about going to Kent. Again, easy to get to on the train. The Hi-speed link runs from St Pancras to Ashford and places in between. Everyone should visit Canterbury! Whatever itinerary you settle on, have a fun and wonderful trip,

Totally agree with the others re skipping the zoo, Tussauds, Aquarium, and ripleys. For a first time trip to London, especially with a 10 year old the must sees should include: Tower of London (and a walk across Tower Bridge), Westminster Abbey, boat trip on the Thames or a walk along the south bank, British Museum, V&A and Natural History Museum, National Gallery. All these museums are free so you can do just an hour or two each. Use buses to get around as much as possible and sit on the top deck. Much cheaper than a hop-on-hop-off bus and more fun and you see a lot more than in the tube. Take a walk in the parks - especially St James' Park but also Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens.

Get a map (any guide book or on-line for planning purposes, then you can get a good one once you get there) - group your sites geographically. London is huge. For example the parks an the V&A/Nat History museum are close to each other (and Harrods is in that area). "Central" London would include Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliment (cross Westminster Bridge for best view), Trafalgar Square (Nat Gallery), Covent Garden.

For something 'different', and especially with a 10 year old, the Museum of Childhood in Bethal Green is very interesting - a look at toys from all periods. I enjoyed it as much as a child would. Also half day trips to Windsor Castle and/or Greenwich if you have time.

Since you also want to see other parts of the UK I think five full days would be enough for London. If you want to see quaint countryside (Cotswolds, etc) then drive, otherwise I would take the train. Even to Edinburgh.

If you decide to drive I'd do 2-3 nights Bath (with side trip to Stonehenge); 2-3 nights Cotswolds (quaint villages, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick Castle (a 10 year old's dream), 1-2 nights York, 3 nights Edinburgh. If you do the max in each place it adds up to more than 14 nights - which I would advise if you can. If you can't then take a night or two from a couple of places. Can you fly home from Edinburgh?

Your 10yo might really enjoy STOMP!, if it's still playing in London.

Lee Ann

Lots of great shows on in the West End if your daughter enjoys musicals. Would also recommend War Horse for that age if you have her read the book first. My nephew about the same age loved it. (it is a childrens' book)

If she still likes toys (that age threshold keeps dropping) I'd take her to Hamley 's in Covent Garden, and if she likes shopping, to Harrods. Not so educational, but a fun activity for a 10 year old young lady. :)

Another thing . . . How long were you thinking of spending in Bath? A day trip from London might be sufficient, and you might consider day trips to Windsor and/or Oxford. If you have comfortable ( and free) accommodations in London you could stay a bit longer there and use it as a base for a few day trips by train. Being gone all day will reduce the housekeeping strain on your hosts . . . And then you could fly to Edinburgh, spend four or five days and fly home from there. . . .just an idea.

You can also check out the lift times for Tower Bridge, if you are interested, on the web site http://tinyurl.com/l8y3bp and it might tie in with your visit to the Tower.

Yes now that I have a base in London, I plan to do more of day trips from London.

In Bath initially I was planning to spend 3-4 days instead I will now spend about 2 days in Bath - Want to do the Roman Bath, Aqua Theatre of Glass, Castle Combe and Stonehenge. Do you think 2 days is enough?

Also liked the idea of going to Oxford and Windsor for day trips. Any other location that we can do? Also could you please suggest the best way to travel to these places?