smbarton32

I am planning a 15-day vacation for my family of four (2 adults and children ages 11 and 13). This will be the first time our children have travelled outside of the US. With 13 potential travel days to work with, I was thinking of this: London (5 nights), ___? (3-4nights), Edinburgh and surrounding area (4-5 nights).

I have countless questions, but first I'm looking for suggestions for the middle part of our journey. There are so many wonderful places to visit and I am realistic that we won't be able to visit even a fraction of them. I am looking at York or the Lake District as two potential options. After spending time in London, it would be nice to find a place with plenty of outdoor recreation (hiking, etc.), history, and of course family-friendly activities.

We will be traveling late June through early July. Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

smbarton32

One addition -- Wales is another area on our potential list.

ESW

There is also Northumberland. Most people race through on the way to Scotland, which is a shame as they don't know what they are missing. There is Hadrian's Wall which has some of the best walking in the country and the superb Roman remains at Housesteads (don't miss the latrines) and Chesters Fort (good bath house). There is Alnwick Castle with its Harry Potter connections and award winning gardens. Visit Lindisfarne, Holy Island and take a boat trip to the Farne Islands for their links to St Cuthbert and the story of Grace Darling. There is the lovely walk along the coast to the dramatic ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle as well as the ruined Warkworth Castle and the Hermitage, a tiny chapel carved out of the river banks. For something completely different there is Chillinghm Castle and its herd of Wild White Cattle.

And finally don't miss Durham on the way up with it's magnificent Cathedral and castle. There are lovely walks along the river banks too.

I've only just scratched the surface as there is so much to do and see in this part of the country

smbarton32

Excellent. I'm looking at the Northumberland tourist website right now.

Gardyloo

My recommendation would be to take the train from London to York, spend a day (or two) in York itself, then get a car and drive to Edinburgh via Durham and Northumberland, staying on the east side of the island. First, the weather is (might be) marginally nicer, but second, there are SO many interesting and scenic things to see, without zigzagging around.

Durham is an amazingly scenic and interesting historic town, with its stunning cathedral and castle - IMO even more impressive than York owing to its setting.

The Northumberland coast is marvelous - historic castles, including Alnwick ("Annick" - which stood in for parts of Hogwarts, possibly of interest to your kids) and Bamburgh, which looms over its village on its coastal bluff.

There are nature reserves, the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne (worth a day or two on its own) and then the glorious Bewwickshire and East Lothian coasts - little fishing villages, the beautiful Lammermuir Hills inland...

I think some research on your part into this option would be really beneficial. It's a great part of Britain, often overlooked by foreign visitors.

Gardyloo

I see ESW and I were on the same page at the same time.

ESW

North Wales also has a lot going for it with the magnificent ruined castles of Caernarfon, Conwy, Beaumaris and Harlech. Penrhyn Castle is a mock Norman Castle built by a wealthy C19th Industrialist with no expense spared. Luxury just doesn't begin to describe it.

There are the slate caverns at Llechwedd and the narrow gauge steam railways. The Ffestiniog Railway used to carry slates from the quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog to the wharves at Porthmadog. It is a superb run down the Vale of Festiniog. If you are lucky you may be pulled by one of the iconic double Fairlie locos. The shear naked power of one of these pulling a long train up the valley is exhilarating. There is good walking along the lineside as well as access to the hills around Tanygrisiau. The Welsh Highland Railway railway has been recently rebuilt on a line that closed in the 1930s. It is a superb run from Porthmadog along the flanks of Snowdon to Caernarfon.

Drive to the top of the LLyn Peninsula to Aberdaron and do a boat trip to Bardsey Island. There is some excellent walking round the tip of the peninsula from Aberdaron to Porth Oer, Whistling Sands beach, one of the nicest beaches in the area. And yes the sands do whistle.

Alternatly walk across the beach from Morfa Nefyn to Ty Coch Inn at Porthdinllaen and round the headland for some lovely coastal scenery and a chance to see seals.

Portmereion is descibed as the Italianate village and built by a decidedly quirky architect. It is a fascinating place to explore and a photogrpahers delight.

smbarton32

Thanks so much. I am looking at all these locations on the map. Appeasing my son, I did say we could go to the Dr. Who Experience (he is giddy at the idea of stepping inside the Tardis). It looks like that is in Cardiff. Do you all think that is a manageable day trip from London or would you suggest making a night out of it?

smbarton32

This is why I may be leaning towards Wales as we have definite plans to be in that area anyways, although I'm now greatly intrigued by the Northumberland Coast.

Rubicund

You have 13 days on the ground and 5 days in London will only scratch the surface, so no, you shouldn't reduce the stay there. In fact 7 days would be even better, but I guess that you do want to see a bit more than "just" London.

Allowing for travelling and check in, check out time, you've got maybe 7 days left. Apart from the Dr Who exhibition and a half decent castle, Cardiff doesn't have that much to recommend it and I do think a four hour round trip for a day's visit is too long when you're limited on time. Staying overnight might be a waste too, but if you promised!

Do a couple of nights in York on the way to Edinburgh and take 5 days in Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside.

bilboburgler

Go to York and let the kids run around the city walls which have no safety barrier on at least one side and see how much fun they can have

smbarton32

York city walls look fantastic. Will definitely put on the list - although my stomach flips just looking at the photos. Thanks for all the great suggestions. I wish I had three months to do all this.

janisj

Gardyloo's plan is very good. I'd do 5 or 6 full days in London and if your son really must see the Dr Who experience he and one parent can take a day trip there while the other parent and other child can do something special in London. You don't want to cut London short -- especially since that is your first stop and you'll be jetlagged.

Then train to York and stay two days. Then collect a car and visit Beamish open air museum, Hadrian's Wall, Alnwick Castle (they can have a quidditch lesson in the same place the the movie scenes were filmed) and other fabulous spots between York and Edinburgh.

Then finish up in Scotland.

annhig

smbarton - you've had some great advice here - hard to choose, isn't it? I'm not even going to mention my part of the country [cornwall] as i think you've got far too much to think about already!

Have you booked your flights yet?

it may be possible to fly into london and out of Edinburgh/Glasgow or vice versa on a multi-city ticket [which shouldn't cost more than a round trip ticket into and out of London].

if you end up with flying into and out of London, it might be better to fly to Edinburgh/Glasgow straight away and then work your way back to London, so that you are in the right place for flying home and don't have to waste a night near the airport before you leave. Also, using your arrival day for onwards travel can be a good way of using

Gardyloo

Let me just offer one other idea to consider. Don't know where in the US you're coming from, which might make your air arrangements more or less complicated, but give some consideration to putting London <i>last</i>. Especially traveling with kids, the combination of jetlag and the incredible congestion, hustle and bustle of London right off the bat can be exhausting for parents. What if you flew into Edinburgh instead, took the tram from the airport into the city, then spent a couple of days on foot exploring Scotland's gorgeous capital before heading out into the countryside? Edinburgh has it all - the castle, palace, wonderful Holyrood Park (have the kids climb to Arthur's Seat to burn off some energy) - a great zoo, medieval lanes and in-city villages (such as the Dean Village or lovely Cramond).. even a beach at Portobello.

Then head out of town, either to the south (Northumberland, my preference) or - if you wanted - you could aim for the Lakes or North Wales but by a more indirect route - via a day trip from Edinburgh to Glen Coe in the Highlands, then south along Loch Lomond through Glasgow and south on the M74/M6 toward Carlisle and the Lake District.

Then finish with London when you've become accustomed to looking to the right when crossing a street.

janisj

And if you do reverse the order finishing up in London . . drop the car at Heathrow and take the tube or a car service into London.

Another option (aren't we confusing you now ) You could fly into MAN, easy train to York, after 2 days car-less in York, pick up your rental and tour through Northumberland and a couple of part(s) of Scotland, drop the car at EDI, tram into the city for a 2 day stay, and then train down to London.

Ackislander

I like the idea of London Last. London is not the place to sort out traffic, transportation, food, and currency. Life will be easier if you have some experience already.

I am also interested that you are going to see a lot of very wild and beautiful scenery but nothing of "England's green and pleasant land": No Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire, Oxfordshire or Warwickshire, etc.

No East Anglia. No Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Shrophire.

janisj

>>No Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Berkshire, Oxfordshire or Warwickshire, etc.

No East Anglia. No Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Shrophire.<<

They have 2 weeks (and only 12.5 days if the whole trip is 15 days) . . . those places can wait til the next trip(s)

Once they've been, there <i>will</i> be other trips

Dickie_Gr

We are also outdoor people and always do cities first, then escape to peace and quiet.

I totally agree with the idea of York then Northumbria. The coast and castles above Newcastle are stunning.

susan001

Good suggestions here. For me, personally, York was a let-down (way too crowded), but the kids will probably love it, and a ramble around the medieval wall will be fun for them. I also loved Northumberland (much more than the Lake District, which was too crowded with tourists and busses for my taste). The kids would love a visit to Alnwick Castle. I was there last July. You can see my photo of it here: http://www.pbase.com/scbowen/image/156817628