Please help me sort through some issues with arranging - somewhat late, apparently - an August trip.

We plan to fly with our two young children, ages 7 and 9, to London in mid-August and spend two weeks there and in Scotland or Ireland.

It apparently takes a day to get to Ireland from London and another to return - so we would lose two days from our brief trip - although perhaps we could fly into London and out of Dublin.... but I would think it may be hard to find that sort of three-city roundtrip without adding considerably to the expense.

Alternatively, we could visit London and surrounding day trips, and then train up to Scotland for a few days to a week. I am reading in these forums, however, that Edinburgh lodging now may be impossible to book during August, due to festivals.

Please help me sort through the possibilities. Thank you for any suggestions!

Julia

Just a few random thoughts to help you get started:

• "<i>but I would think it may be hard to find that sort of three-city roundtrip without adding considerably to the expense.</i>"

You wouldn't want a '3 city Round trip'. What you'd want to search for is called 'open jaw' (or multi-city on some booking sites).

You'd book Home to London, and then Dublin or Shannon or Glasgow or wherever to Home. Should cost about the same as R-T in/out of one city. Then you arrange your transport from London to Ireland or Scotland separately on a discount airline (or possibly the train to Scotland)

• Scotland is a big place. While Edinburgh will be full to the rafters in August -- you could go 100 other places in Scotland.

• 1 week is not very long in either Ireland or Scotland so you don't want to spread yourselves too thin or try to "do" either country. If you want to go to Ireland -- I'd consider doing open jaw Home > London, then fly Aer Lingus from Heathrow to Shannon. Explore around western Ireland for your week, and fly home from Shannon. You wouldn't have time to do Dublin <i>and</i> the scenic bits on the west coast.

• If Scotland seems more to your liking -- same sort plan. Open jaw to London and home from Glasgow or Edinburgh. You could fly or take the train to Inverness, collect a car and drive through north and central Scotland making your way south to fly home. You wouldn't have to visit Edinburgh at all unless you want to attend some of the festivals/Tattoo. Edinburgh is magnificent - but August is difficult and there are hundreds of other great places you could visit instead.

• OR -- you could spend a week in London and a week touring a couple areas in England. Your options are just about limitless.

Thanks. I think we are going to go open jaw to London and home from Dublin. We'll visit Scotland another time, when we would be able to include Edinburgh....

Just one suggestion . . consider Shannon instead of Dublin. Dublin is an OK city w/ enough to see/do. BUT most of the the main scenic areas are over on the west side of the country and much closer to Shannon.

If I only had 7 days in Ireland I'd stick to the west/southwest and not go to Dublin. If I had 10 to 12 days -- then adding Dublin and the east would work.

Yes, I've seen it mentioned on this site that Shannon is a more beautiful area. But our kids are still very short-attention-span. I'm guessing that there might be more to hold their interest near Dublin? Playgrounds, kids' museum, day trips that do not involve long hikes or drives? These are not children who enjoy miles of scenery. They are more your Legoland sorts. As they get older, this will presumably change - the eldest is already showing more patience, and both of them enjoy reading - but the youngest still does best with a changing variety of activities.

If it was me and I had short attention span kids, I'd maybe consider Scotland instead of Ireland. There are soooooo many castles they can clamber over and under, and Nessie and highland cattle and more castles. I have yet to meet a child who didn't enjoy taking a boat to an island castle or seeing the kilted soldiers at Edinburgh castle. Plus falconry centers, and wildlife parks,etc.

Do get me wrong - there are lots (and LOTS) of castles and such in Ireland too.

Maybe my bias is showing but a week in London and a week in Scotland would seem about perfect for a family IMO.

OR -- even 2 weeks in London w/ day trips to places like Hampton Court Palace (children LOVE it), Legoland, Windsor, and so on.

If you do choose Ireland -- I still think the W/SW would be better w/ lots to see/do/explore.