Traveling in England & Scotland with Kids
Mar 31st, 1998, 09:34 AM
#1
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Traveling in England & Scotland with Kids
Planning to spend a month this summer in Plymouth to see relatives, London touring and Scotland with our 6-year-old grandtwins. Anybody have suggestions as to what these areas might have to offer for little kids.
Apr 2nd, 1998, 09:54 AM
#2
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I'll bet they'd love Queen Mary's doll house at WindsorCastle. It's fantastic! Windsor Castle is also very interesting. Kids would also love the Tower of London with the guides in Beefeater Costume and the guards in tall fur hats. How about the changing of the guards on horseback at Whitehall? A ride on top of a double decker bus is also fun.
On your way to Scotland, how about a visit to York? You can visit the recreated Viking settlement and travel back through time on little cars, seeing the sights and smelling the smells of long ago. You could also walk the old city walls and visit a guild hall where the kids might pretend to be apprentices of long ago. Have fun!
On your way to Scotland, how about a visit to York? You can visit the recreated Viking settlement and travel back through time on little cars, seeing the sights and smelling the smells of long ago. You could also walk the old city walls and visit a guild hall where the kids might pretend to be apprentices of long ago. Have fun!
Apr 3rd, 1998, 02:33 AM
#3
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All the kids I know like trains and Britain is full of so called "preserved steam railways." Of particular note are the "light railways," trains built to 1/3 full size. One such line is the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Light Railway located south of London. The railway is 14 miles long linking towns along the south coast. It's great fun.
Apr 4th, 1998, 03:38 AM
#4
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Dear Mr Axworthy,
Six years old is a good age to be. Pete and Lisa give good advice: I'll add bits.................
In Windsor, they should see the Dolls House, but also visit Legoland, and perhaps walk over the river and a half mile into Eton to see the college museum, with a school room as it used to be. In summer this goes well with a 50 minuite trip up and down the river by boat, from the bridge. In short: give it a whole day...............................
Nearly all pubs that have separate restaurants welcome children. Typical pubs are the two in the old market place at Greenwich. They might go there by boat (but come back by train) and see how they would command the Cutty Sark. Also, run around Greenwich Park. Or, there are good fish and chips in Greenwich. If you take a bus, or climb, up to Blackheath, and take a paper kite with you you'll see that it is a top place for flying kites: the hilltop gets a lot of wind. Also, Blackheath is where Wat Tyler camped before his band of peasants descended upon the City of London in 1381 and gave them a bad time.........................
The Tower is a good idea, as early as possible, begore it gets too full. "Guides in Beefeater Costume" says Liza. How dare she ? These are no guides, but genuine Yoemen of the Guard, entrusted to look after the Queen should she ever visit the Tower (I think she never does). Over Tower Bridge is a museum to display the huge engines to open and close the bridge, and beyond that and a block to the left is a good pub for lunch. Then upstream a hundred yards is a battleship that you can visit......................
I find the changing of the guard a bit dull, and hard to see if you're six. The horses themselves are well worth a visit, and then you can go through the Arch, across Horse Guards, and to see the Cabinet War Rooms, where is Churchill's bed (rather small) and his phone for phoning the President of the United States. Beyond that again, if you remembered to bring some bread, you can feed the Queen's ducks on the lake in St James Park (the Queen doesn't mind), and have a snack in the pavilion cafe. Good lawns for running on, too:you might take a ball........................
Outside the rush hour, tops of busses are much better travel than tube trains if you're six: you can getb the detailed bus map from enquiry offices at Victoria, St James Park, and Piccadilly tube stations, and from others.........................
Museums that six year olds like include the Museum, of London and the Science Museum. Walks they like include the river from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge, south bank.....................
York is a good idea. If you can afford it, you might try the Bootham Bar Hotel, built just by the walls. I also like the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch.........................
In Scotland there are castles, and I recommend Stirling. It's a pleasant town, too. There are few preserved railways (it's too cold in winter), but in summer steam trains run on Scotrail from Fort William to Mallaig and back: you might fit in a view of the Isle of Skye. Edinburgh has a charming Museum of Childhood on the High Street, and a castle, but a bit tamer than Stirling. If you can find from the tourist office on Market Street times of band concerts and of childrens' shows on Princess Street Gardens these might well please your two. The gardens are good for climbing up steep paths under the castle.....................
Please write again if I can help further. I hope you are fit: these two will run you off your feet..................
Welcome to Britain. Lots of us like children....................
Ben Haines, London
Six years old is a good age to be. Pete and Lisa give good advice: I'll add bits.................
In Windsor, they should see the Dolls House, but also visit Legoland, and perhaps walk over the river and a half mile into Eton to see the college museum, with a school room as it used to be. In summer this goes well with a 50 minuite trip up and down the river by boat, from the bridge. In short: give it a whole day...............................
Nearly all pubs that have separate restaurants welcome children. Typical pubs are the two in the old market place at Greenwich. They might go there by boat (but come back by train) and see how they would command the Cutty Sark. Also, run around Greenwich Park. Or, there are good fish and chips in Greenwich. If you take a bus, or climb, up to Blackheath, and take a paper kite with you you'll see that it is a top place for flying kites: the hilltop gets a lot of wind. Also, Blackheath is where Wat Tyler camped before his band of peasants descended upon the City of London in 1381 and gave them a bad time.........................
The Tower is a good idea, as early as possible, begore it gets too full. "Guides in Beefeater Costume" says Liza. How dare she ? These are no guides, but genuine Yoemen of the Guard, entrusted to look after the Queen should she ever visit the Tower (I think she never does). Over Tower Bridge is a museum to display the huge engines to open and close the bridge, and beyond that and a block to the left is a good pub for lunch. Then upstream a hundred yards is a battleship that you can visit......................
I find the changing of the guard a bit dull, and hard to see if you're six. The horses themselves are well worth a visit, and then you can go through the Arch, across Horse Guards, and to see the Cabinet War Rooms, where is Churchill's bed (rather small) and his phone for phoning the President of the United States. Beyond that again, if you remembered to bring some bread, you can feed the Queen's ducks on the lake in St James Park (the Queen doesn't mind), and have a snack in the pavilion cafe. Good lawns for running on, too:you might take a ball........................
Outside the rush hour, tops of busses are much better travel than tube trains if you're six: you can getb the detailed bus map from enquiry offices at Victoria, St James Park, and Piccadilly tube stations, and from others.........................
Museums that six year olds like include the Museum, of London and the Science Museum. Walks they like include the river from Westminster Bridge to London Bridge, south bank.....................
York is a good idea. If you can afford it, you might try the Bootham Bar Hotel, built just by the walls. I also like the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch.........................
In Scotland there are castles, and I recommend Stirling. It's a pleasant town, too. There are few preserved railways (it's too cold in winter), but in summer steam trains run on Scotrail from Fort William to Mallaig and back: you might fit in a view of the Isle of Skye. Edinburgh has a charming Museum of Childhood on the High Street, and a castle, but a bit tamer than Stirling. If you can find from the tourist office on Market Street times of band concerts and of childrens' shows on Princess Street Gardens these might well please your two. The gardens are good for climbing up steep paths under the castle.....................
Please write again if I can help further. I hope you are fit: these two will run you off your feet..................
Welcome to Britain. Lots of us like children....................
Ben Haines, London
Apr 6th, 1998, 12:08 PM
#5
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Warwick Castle (near Stratford) is wonderful although I would not take the children into the dungeon (scared me and I'm in my late 30's). Also Stratford has a teddy bear museum so that's two good things. If they like chocolate then the best place of all is Cadbury World (Bournville near Birmingham). It has a museum as well as the factory and they hand out chocolate bars and make your very own piece of chocolate while you walk through. Expect to drop lots of money in the very impressive gift shop. In London there is the zoo and Madame Tussauds(has a ride in a little London cab and planetarium is there too). A double decker bus ride around London would be fun as well. In Scotland I would not recommend the Isle of Skye for children, it is lovely but nothing for children really to do. Inverness however has the Loch Ness Monster and they do bus tours so that might be fun. The other suggestions like Edinburgh and Windsor are good. If you have a car why not visit Woburn Abbey (near London) it has a safari park which is one of the best anywhere.
