MattKn

Ahoy Fodorites!

I am once again coming to the well of knowledge which has been so helpful in the planning of so many of our trips.

That said, my wife and I will be taking our kids to Birmingham in June 2009 for the Rotary International Convention and would like some suggestions from you folks.

Our daughters, both age 11 (yes, identital twins), and our son, 13. Our initial plan was to go to London for a few days, then on the convention in Birmingham and then on to somewhere else for 3-4 days.

Here's where the questions come in:

1. Between London and Birmingham, what are some good activities to do with kids, places to stay, etc. We don't really have a budget so please use your creativity.

2. After Birmingham, my wife would like to go either to the beaches in the south of France or possibly on to Ireland. Any suggestions here?

3. We have also considered just staying in England and would love some suggestions on destinations or places to stay.

Our travel to Europe so far has been Rome, Siena, Florence, Venice, Paris, The Loire Valley and Normandy, just to give you some insight to help suggest another Europeon destination.

We are open to most European destinations but don't want a super-rigorous travel day in the middle of our trip.

Thanks in advance and I really can't wait to see what surfaces in this thread.

AtlTravelr

We were in England & Wales with kids ages 11 & 13 several years ago. We were there for 3 1/2 weeks so I'd vote for staying in England and seeing some off the beaten track sites.

We loved Cornwall. You could maybe do this after Birmingham. We took surfing lessons at Sennon Cove, visited Mount Saint Michael (nice to compare to MSM in France), saw Tintagel Castle - where King Arthur was "born". There were lots of castle ruins (our favorite) and though it is not like the French beaches, Cornwall could still could offer some warm days. Wales would also be a good spot for after Birmingham. Edward's castles in North Wales are fabulous (can you sense a theme here). We love climbing all around these ruins. We also had a great time both places meeting locals as it seems many Americans do not get that far out of main tourist areas.

The Cotswolds are on your way to Birmingham and there we again saw Castles, cute towns, etc. Also went bike riding for a day, though I can't off the top of my head rememer which city this was.

We've also been to Ireland but if you only have 3-4 days then I would save it for another trip.

W9London

The answers to your question really depends on what you and your kids enjoy. Do they like history, castles etc? If so there are several castles where you can make a day trip out of London, including Windsor, Hampton Court Palace. Would they enjoy arts--then British Museum, V&A, Tate (Britain/Modern), Royal Academy of Arts. Do they like outdoor? Lots of good walking destination, including various thematic walking touris in London, parks and rambling in Hampstead Heath as well as Cotswald of course. The only kinds of entertainments I'm not so keen personally (though popular among teenage nephews) are Mme Thussaud's and London Dungeon. I suggest get the kids involved.

From Birmingham, you can go to Lake District, esp if you like scenary and hiking. I personally think June is the best time to travel--before the kids go on school holidays and hotels and B&Bs start charging peak fares. Of course the weather can be unreliable but days are longer (doesn't get dark until after 9pm).

PalenQ

If going by train - a great way to get around England and the kids may love to ride trains - consider the England Railpass - especially since kids under 16 get a FREE pass to match watch their parents buy. for lots on British trains i recommend: www.britrail.com, the official BritRail site; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - this site let's you download their free 2008 European Planning & Rail Guide that has a good chapter on Britain and British/english trains.

Several Fodorites are experts on British trains - esp AlanRowe and GeoffHamer (and others) - search under their names for lots on the intricacies onf the Byzantine English rail fare structure, etc. But don't overlook the pass, esp since the kids get a free pass. Passes not sold at British stations as Brits are not eligible to use them.

dmlove

We spent 6 days in the South of France at the end of a trip (Amsterdam, Prague and Berlin) a few years ago with our then 17, 20 and 21-year olds. We based ourselves in Juans les Pins, had a car, and visited Monaco, Biot, Cannes, Antibes and St. Tropez (each late afternoon/evening, after spending the day at the beach or pool). We loved it.

We have also traveled with two of them when they were your kids ages(the third is actually a girlfriend) in the UK as well -- London, and then by train to York and Edinburgh on one trip, and Stonehenge, Oxford, Cambridge by car on another trip. All were wonderful, and I couldn't pick which was better!

Londonres

You could consider going towards Ludlow, Ironbridge, Shrewsbury and Church Stretton. An excellent area for history, walking and sightseeing.

PalenQ

Yes indeedy - Iron Bridge Gorge, where the Iron Age began is a fascinating place with lots of remains of old factories, smelters, etc. and the Iron Bridge, the world's first use of iron i think in a sizable structure

Shrewsbury makes a lovely base - we took a bus from there to the national park or whatever they call the Iron Bridge Gorge thing and buses circulate around the park stopping by the disparate sights.

MattKn

Wow, some really great and diverse ideas. Here's some follow up questions that I've come up with after reading the info here:

1. What are The Cotswalds and where?

2. How to travel to either Whales or south of France?

3. How tough is it to adjust to driving on the left hand side of the road if we chose to rent a car?

Thanks, Matt

flanneruk

1. It's Cotswolds. Rolling countryside (allegedly hills, but some might call them pimples) and lovely small towns (visitors call them villages, which irritates us since we've had our town charters for at least 800 years) running SE-NW about 80 miles west of London. Sort of on the way between London and Birmingham if you trake the Great Circle route. www.cotswoldaonb.com

2. It's Wales. North/South travel in Wales is tricky. so you need to tell us where in Wales you want to go. Previous posters refer to North Wales: there really isn't a sensible alternative to driving if you want to see its castles and hills. For the French Riviera: practically every airport in Britain has cheapo flights to Nice, Go to the whichbudget site

3. Millions of us drive to the Continent every year. We have to change driving side, language and method of reckoning distance the instant we drive off the train or boat. None of us make a fuss about it.

AtlTravelr

MattKn- We did have a car for our trip to England/Wales. We stayed in the Cotswolds and used it as our base for visiting the area seeing things like:

Went to the town of Broadway and went up in the "folly".

Visited Bourton on the Water - saw the miniature town

Went to Stratford upon Avon

Warwick Castle - great restored castle - some special events like jousting, etc.

Not sure if those all qualify as Cotswolds sights but we were able to visit them easily from our self-catering unit in Lower Swell. I highly recommend that you consider doing a self-catering as it was great for the kids to have their own room, have breakfast in our house, walk around the little village, etc. We even rented a movie (yes, Notting Hill) one night and watched in on the dvd player at "home". While many places in Italy only offer you a one week rental we were able to get 3-4 days at many places in England.

We did need to adjust a little to driving on the left, but we've done it several times now and don't have a problem. As with any driving in Europe it helps to have a good navigator (me) and a confident driver. We like the "adventure" of driving and especially in the countryside it made for easy touring - we could just stop at any village/sight that caught our eye without having a grand plan.

kleroux

My children and grandchildren liked Hampton Court because of its mediaval kitchen and people in period dress wandering around explaining things. They also loved the carriage ride around the gardens. The Tower of London complex is a winner, as is taking a Hop on Hop off bus tour. I think driving in the UK is do-able. But you have to be super careful after the third day when you are feeling confident and can then get careless. Esp. after stopping for gas or food.

ElendilPickle

Here's a link to my trip report from May 2007. We did a loop of sorts, starting and ending in London, and including Oxford, Warwick, the Peak District, north Wales, Shrewsbury, the Cotswolds, Bath, Salisbury, and Winchester.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35015831

We rented a car when we left London.

Lee Ann

nanawick

We lived in London for 3 years and spent every weekend traveling the entire island. Both Scottland and Wales are fantastic. Google for B&B's in the UK, some are on farms which would be interesting. Lots of hiking as there is no such thing as private land. When in London don't forget the Madame Trussads wax museum and the dungeon and torture museum, kids seem to just love both of them. Across the Thames, they converted an old energy plant into the new TATE museum. There is a walking bridge across the Thames to get to it and last time I was there had some real interactive exhibits. Also the train system is both effecient and lots of fun. There is a town in northern coast of wales, LLundudno(not correct spelling) that is a victorian beach town that can be reached by train and you don't need a car when you get there. Also, take the train south from London to Brighton, see the brighton pier and the summer palace. So much to do...so little time.

semiramis

I agree with Londonres. Shropshire is VERY near Birmingham and has plenty of stuff that kids would be interested in. Ironbridge is literally packed with museums and other things - including one museum especially for kids and teens - Enginuity (I may have spelled it wrong). Blist's Hill Victorian Town also had a lot of kids having a good timewhen we were there. Church Stretton has wonderful hiking paths. Shrewsbury and Ludlow are great medieval towns.

crazyhorse42

I think two attractions your kids will enjoy around the London area are Hampton Court Palace (it has a fun maze in the garden that children love) and Madame Tussaud's wax museum. I heard somewhere that there is a new wax figure of that Hannah Montana character...your girls may enjoy that! Are your kids into Harry Potter? If so, you may enjoy a day trip to Oxford. Many scenes from the film take place here (like the Grand Hall), and your kids may get excited to see that.

PalenQ

And don't neglect the London Dungeon, a perennial favorite with British families - though much disdained by FodorBrits it's nevertheless one of London's top tourist attractions in terms of visits

Lots of ghoulish special effects and macabre diaramas, etc. On the South Bank area by London Bridge.

HappyTrvlr

Our kids loved visiting all the Harry Potter sites.

PalenQ

And don't forget about Alton Towers when incorporating things into you itinerary that kids that age may love - a theme park but with a real English bent.

irishface

I agree about the London Dungeon even though a lot of fodorites scorn it. I took my nephews (10 and 12) there and they loved it. Also second the suggestion of the miniature village in Bourton-on-water.

Queen Mary's dollhouse at Windsor Castle was fascinating to the boys much to my surprise as that was my choice for the day. We all enjoyed the castle itself and the changing of the guards there.

I'd also recommend spending the whole time in England rather than flying off to another country this trip. There's so much to do and see. You have some excellent suggestions from above posters.

peggionthego

I vote along with the other posters to spend all your time in England. Also suggest you consider Churchill's War Chambers in London and perhaps Greenwich Prime Meridian. My kids liked Avebury better than Stonehenge. If any of them are interested in theatre, there's the Globe Theatre, either for a tour or to watch a performance. Lots of wonderful Indian restaurants in England. Bath was a big hit with my kids; Warwick Castle is fabulous. So is Leeds Castle.Any Harry Potter interests among your kids? There are entire Harry Potter tours!For any Churchill fans, there's also Chartwell.