johng

Wanna plan our springtime trip? We are two adults and two boy 8 and 10. On a budget, but willing to splurge when it's required. We've got two weeks, and we want to get around a bit, but not driver ourselves crazy. The boys want to see castles. The grownups want to absorb some history and literature. We definitely want to spend some time in the countryside, and we would love to take a side trip to Ireland and/or Brittany. What would you do?

julia_t

First of all I think you need to do a little more research. There are hundreds of castles in the UK alone, from the Tower of London to ruins in stunning location on the Welsh borders. Large castles still inhabited like Warwick, which I would definitely recommend you see at some point in your visit as it is really terrific for children.

The UK looks tiny on a world map but once you get over here, with the small roads, it really can't be seen in a week or two. Are you planning on hiring a car? That is a very important factor, and how long do you want to stay in London, if at all? Do you want to see places like Stonehenge and Bath?

If you narrowed it down to England and Wales you could see and do a lot, trying to fit in Ireland AND Brittany would be impossible. You say 2 weeks, well if that includes travelling - you only get 12 days. Travelling to/from Ireland would take most of another day, unless you maybe flew in to London out of Dublin/Shannon.

There is so much to see and do in England and Wales, I don't think I'd consider going elsewhere. But you do need to have a look at some books and think about more specific places you want to visit because you certainly won't be able to see it all.

KidsToLondon

My overall suggestion: focus. Since Europe is relatively compact, it is tempting to plot out a two week trip that covers a lot of geopgraphy. But those "if it's Tuesday, it must be Paris" trips are tiring AND you really don't have enough time to explore anyplace in depth.

Castles in France tend to be chateaux...ornate and fancy, but perhaps not your sons' idea of a moat-and-battlement castle. For this, the countryside of the UK probably has more castles per square kilometer than the other countries.

By the way, for a boy of 8 (or 10) the coolest single castle I can imagine is Warwick Castle, about 1 1/2 hours from London by train. Warwick has its commercial flaws (it is operated by the Tussauds Group, famous for their wax museums). But there is usually something fun going on at Warwick: jousting, falconry, weapons on display, or whatever. There's a lot of history and literary connections in the heart of England too.

Hope this gives you something to look into and helps spark a plan.

Dave White
www.KidsToLondon.com

janisj

As the others say - 2 weeks isn't long enough to see much in the UK while trying to squeeze in Ireland and Brittany.

There are soooooo many castles in the UK - plus enough to keep you and your wife happy too. But if you add Ireland and France - by the time you all got home everything will be a blur.

2 weeks isn't even much time to see a lot in the UK.

A few of the castles (and some palaces) that are really great for Kids:
- Warwick,
- Hampton Court Palace (amazing medieval kitchens that kids love and the maze for starters),
- any of several in Wales - heck you could do 2 weeks just in Wales and not see all the castles,
- Edinburgh,
- Stirling,
- Linlithgow Palace -- really extensive ruins that kids can climb all over.

But there are hundreds all over and in areas with amazing gardens, stately homes, villages, sea coasts and so on.

So as already said - focus, focus, focus.

If you want to narrow it down to one or two areas of the UK plus a bit in London, we can give you all sorts of suggestions.

johng

thanks for your responses. we're just getting started, so yes, we'll do lots of research, and I assure that overdoing it is not our style - quite the opposite.

cylueth

Have you been to any of these countries before? It's not clear if any of you have already been to London and/or Paris and can then skip the major attractions you have already seen. If not, you will want to see some of these, which will cut down on the "countryside" part of the trip.

If you want to be in the countryside, you will want to rent a car. Driving is easier in France than UK or Ireland because of that other side of the road thing. Also the roads are better (at least in Brittany.)

I took my 14 yr old nephew on a driving trip of Brittany, and can give you more details on things I think would interest your boys if you decide to go there.

However, I also stayed at a wonderful B&B on a working sheep farm on the coast of Wales that I would highly recommend for boys. There are castles all over Wales, more than anywhere in Europe, I believe.

I'm sure your boys would love Ireland too, but I think you will be better off picking just one country. Since the grownups like history and literature, you should pick the area whose history and literature most interests you. All of these areas have places that will be fun for your boys, so come back and ask for those places after the adults pick where they want to go.

johng

cylueth, I spent several months in France a couple of decades ago, but somehow never made it to england and ireland, so while I would love to return to France eventually, it is not as high a priority. I'm sure that we would spend at least 4 - 5 days in London, then we would want to see some countryside. I guess where is the big question. My paternal grandfather, who I never met, came over from Ireland, so the temptation to go there is strong, but it doesn't have to be on this trip.