Day trips from London with a teenager
Jun 24th, 2002, 12:02 PM
#1
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Day trips from London with a teenager
I am taking my 15 year old son to London next month. We're going to be there for 6 days and I'm beginning to think I need to plan at least one day trip. Any suggestions? I don't know whether Windsor or Hampton Court would interest him. Are there any areas to the south that anyone would recommend?
Jun 24th, 2002, 12:20 PM
#2
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Either Hampton Court Palace or Windsor would be a great day out. But for a teenager HCP would probably be a little more of interest. The Medieval kitchens are REALLY interestin for kids of all ages, there is the maze which kids enjoy, plus you could take the train to HCP and then if the weather is nice you could take the river boat back downstream to central London.<BR><BR>Windsor castle is also wonderful, But if you want a "castle experience, you could plan a longer day trip. Take the train to Warwick and spend the entire day. the Castle has loads of things to see, towers to climb, dungeons and gardens to explore and in summer there are usually jousting tournaments etc.<BR><BR>So my rec would be HCP if you want to stay close to London or Warwick if you don't mind a 1.5 to 2 hr train ride.
Jun 24th, 2002, 12:22 PM
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It depends so much on his interests! Hampton Court has more of interest to teens, because of the kitchens and behind-the-scenes insight into the details of the lifestyle of the times.<BR><BR>There's also Brighton, an hour away by train, lots of tacky fun, some history, outdoors active things to do.<BR><BR>For a longish day trip, Warwick Castle can't be beat and is accessible by train/bus. The most interactive of the available castles, in the summer they feature actual knights on horseback, archers, falconers, etc. in a constant festival. The views from the turrets are wonderful! Check their website, i believe they have extra events on weekends.<BR><BR>The highlight of our trip last summer (for my 13 yo son) was the Astral Travels Inner Circle Tour, which spends the day going around Neolithic sites (Avebury circle, etc.), crop circles, etc. and ends the day at Stonhenge after the official closing hours, with special permission to go right inside the Stonehenge circle, which is normally roped off.<BR><BR>If he's into Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is another possible longish day trip by train.
Jun 24th, 2002, 12:40 PM
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York is a looong daytrip, but definitely with lots of interesting sights (the city has a website cityofyork.com). Then there's Lord Bath's place in Longleat; it's beyond explanation, but here's the website<BR>http://www.longleat.co.uk/<BR><BR>Then there's Bletchely Park - one has to be a WWII buff or be fascinated by Enigma to do this trip - not gussied up for the tourists, but definitely packed with info and insight.<BR><BR>There are also a couple of WWII airplane museums nearby - I want to say Duxley and Henredon, but somebody correct the spellings for me! <BR><BR>Then there's Cambridge with the punting and all.
Jun 24th, 2002, 03:22 PM
#6
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Don't blow past Brighton quite so quickly. Yes, there are touristy bits, but for a 15 year old I think the Royal Pavilion is THE answer - it's so outrageous it's hard to believe it's almost 200 years old - it looks like it was designed for a Hollywood studio - and a tour is just about the right length. <BR><BR>Couple it with a walk on the beach and out the pier and it's a pretty good day for a teenager.<BR><BR>I'm presuming you've already included Greenwich in your plans. If not, do so. Get there by walking through the tunnel under the river.
Jun 25th, 2002, 05:36 AM
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John,<BR><BR>Thanks for bringing up Brighton. It was one place I considered. We are coming via Eurostar from Paris. What I'm trying to figure out is whether we can disembark once we get into England, go to Brighton, then get to London another way. Any suggestions?
Jun 25th, 2002, 06:02 AM
#8
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I believe there are car rentals available at the Ashford Eurostar station, so you could drive from there. The drive will probably take over an hour as it's 60+ miles. Make sure your train stops in Ashford; not all do. If you don't want to rent a car, going into London then back out is probably the fastest way.
