Any and all suggestions are welcomed!

My son lives in Brandon, England- near Lakenheath AFB. I will be flying in for a few days and then my son and I will be taking my granddaughter ( almost 3! )on an adventure!

Thinking of 5 nights - two days of travel and intrigued by Dingle, Ireland or one of the East Neuk fishing villages in Scotland.

We like history, going to the park, fishing, trying new restaurants- not fancy but fresh and pubs with live music. ( Not touristy but a local where we can fall in love with the neighborhood.) also, going for walks- not hikes, being near the water, possibly a boat ride, farm animals and local artisans too.

I know this will most likely be a slow, low key time but that’s ok! I’d prefer to stay in one spot but would consider two nights in one place and three in another if needed.

Do yoi have any favorite towns that would fill this bill? Any suggestions for me? We can either fly or take the train and rent a car if needed when we get to our destination.

I’m open to suggestions of favorite towns where we can soak up the atmosphere- not check boxes off of a travel list.

My vote would be for Fife. Sooo much to see and do for families. Any of the fishing villages would be a good base -- Crail (my favorite), Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans, Ellie . . . or take a look at this place -- its actuall a time share resort but they rent their flats and cottages https://www.kilconquharcastle.co.uk Its very well located for exploring all of the East Neuk, lovely grounds, restaurant and pub on site, Children's activities, etc.

Besides the lovely fishing villages you can also visit St Andrews (not just golf -- the aquarium, castle, beaches, etc), the Isle of May (PUFFINS! among other birds -- boat goes out from Anstruher'd harbor), the Scottish Deer Centre https://scottishdeercentre.co.uk , Falkland Palace, Craigtoun Country Park,

You need to factor in the travel time and effort, and to what end with a 3 yr old. I would not put Dingle ( the village) high on a list of destinations to trek to from Brandon. If you were already in western Ireland, maybe, but not for what you have in mind.

The travel time to East Neuk will also be an entire day each way - 8+ hrs in a car, more with necessary stops.

If this were my trip i’d ask the question a different way, something like “where to spend a few days that’s no more than 3-4 hrs from Brandon England?”

i dont know the area well but I am sure there are quite a few destinations along the English coast that fit the bill. Or even inland somewhere.

Oh -- for sure there are lots of nearer places. But they could take the train to Edinburgh and rent a car there. Trains from Brandon to Edinburgh take about 6 hours with changes at Cambridge and Peterborough. What I'd probably do is take the train up and stay one night in Edinburgh -- arriving in mid afternoon would give you time to visit the castle or maybe the zoo or something else. Then get a car the next morning ad drive out to Fife.

When would this trip happen? And if you're "flying in," where would you be flying to, and how would you get to Brandon in the first place? Or would you be met by your son and go from there?

I would also opt for the East Neuk if it and Dingle are the two choices, but as mentioned, there are many other areas that would meet your needs, some quite close to Brandon, e.g. Wells-Next-the-Sea.

The Fife villages are lovely, but they can be pretty full of holiday makers and tourists, again, depending on when this would take place. I suspect a 3-yo is not going to be much impressed by history and scenery, so making it easy on yourself would be a priority in my view.

All the logistics are worked out on this tread from a few months ago -- the visit is in September.

England help- September 2024

Thanks; I should have checked.

I only remembered because of 'Brandon' . . . all the discussion about getting there, the USAF base, family 'dynamics; etc. so it stuck in my mind.

Thanks to all for the input!

So before making further plans, my son is finding out exactly how many days of leave he will be allowed. With that knowledge- we will plan some days for just he and I and then another possible week with my granddaughter joining us.

For the time she is with us we will most likely go to York, Cambridge and places she already enjoys that I’ve never been to!

I’ll post back when I have an idea of timing.