2023 Summer Family Trip Itinerary

What about:

8/26 - bus / train to Bath
8/27 - day trip service to Stonehenge
8/28 - day trip service to Cotswolds
8/29 - bus / train to Oxford; pick up car (where?)
8/30 - Continue on to York

Although definitely wait to hear from people with more experience.

Are you intentionally missing the Fringe in Edinburg? It's just so much fun for everyone. Of course, hotels are much more expensive.
The Churchill War Rooms are very close to Parliament, and I think both would be interesting to your children. You could grab lunch in between at one of the nearby pubs.
Have a great family trip!

I would suggest the Holyrood distillery- in the heart of Edinburgh, for the whisky tour.

https://holyrooddistillery.co.uk/book-a-tour/

I wouldn’t recommend going to Edinburgh during the festival unless you specifically want to go to the festival. It’s expensive and rammed. If you want to do the other normal tourist things it will be much better at another time.

I think your plan sounds pretty good. You could ditch the car at York and train to Edinburgh but then it will be much trickier to see Hadrian’s Wall.

If you're diverting to Hadrian's Wall on the way to Edinburgh then rather than backtracking to the A1 it would be worth while taking the scenic route on the A68 over Carter Bar and past Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders (well worth a stop)- the road will take you straight into Edinburgh. It's the more direct route anyway.

Get the train tyo Oxford and pick up the car there. It saves driving out of London (always busy and not very nice!)

Make sure you book somewhere in York that has car parking attached (not everywhere has). Alternatively book somewhere on the outskirts with parking and use park and ride into York. York is very compact and everything is easily walkable. There's lots to do and see and plenty for the kids to enjoy too., Walk around the walls. Visit the Minster (the size is jaw dropping). Think about doing the ghost tour at the Treasurer's house and hear the story of the workmen who saw a Roman Army marching through the cellars. There is Jorvik (a trip back to the Viking settlement) or the Railway Museum. What about the Chocolate Story or the York Dungeon? Alternatively drive to Pickering one day and catch the steam train to Whitby with its ruined abbey and Dracula connections...

The kids will probably enjoy Warwick Castle more than Stratford upon Avon.

Good advice about thaking the A68 route. It is a wonderful drive up through rural Northumberland.

Drop off the car when you arrive in Edinburgh. Again parking is an issue and expensive. Public transport is excellent and you won't need the car.

isn31c has already suggested Holyrood distillery in Edinburgh which produces both whisky and gin. It does tours. It can easily be combined with other activities in Edinburgh. Any other Distillery is going to involve a trip out of the city and take up half a day which you can't really afford.

Thank so much for the feedback! I am very happy to find we'll be missing Fringe and love the suggestion to take the train to Oxford and pick up the car there. I will try to figure out the hotel and car parking in York. The Holyrood distillery sounds perfect, especially since I won't need to be the designated driver!

The Fringe in Edinburgh is the largest performing arts / media festival in the world, and for those of us who love live performances, it's heaven. The funny street theater, the warm buzz in the city, the clever shows in small venues, and the variety of very talented people make the event top notch. Robin Williams performed there (in 1971,) in addition many other "unknowns" in their youth (Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, John Cleese, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Jude Law.) Almost 4,000 different shows appeal to a wide range of ages and interests. IMHO, it's a bucket list experience.
I have been there twice and plan on going again- soon!

Alternatively Pat, the thought of Edinburgh during the Fringe would be hell for others!!!

I'm one of those who wouldn't touch Edinburgh with a barge pole during Fringe Time- just too many people and too much price-hiking.
I'm lucky that I can go there anytime I want to, as it's only 3 hours away for me.
I do appreciate that for many it's a must do.

We'll have to save Fringe as a reason to come back. It would probably be better either without the kids or when they're older! Thanks for all the suggestions!

I suggest a Mad Max tour from Bath that includes some HP sights and the Cotswolds. The one we took was half day(which I don't think they offer anymore), went to Avebury and not Stonehenge. Your kids might like Avebury better because you can actually walk among the stones. I think kids would find an entire day in the Cotswolds boring. Personally, I would make all trips by train except the Hadrian's wall portion between York and Edinburgh.

Your children are older than mine is, but we just got back from a trip to England and Scotland where we visited London, Oxford, York, and Edinburgh. Below is what we did with our kiddo (5.5 years old at the time of the trip) that were notable:

London:
- Tower of London: be sure to do the (free) Beefeater tour. Typically pretty crowded, but the guides do a good job of engaging the children. We arrived right at opening and went straight to the Crown Jewels. It wasn't crowded at all, so we got to take multiple "rides" on the moving walkway and our son thought that was really cool.
- My hubs and I have done the Churchill War Rooms (pre-child) and although it was really interesting/informative, it is a LOT. Our kiddo would not have been engaged there at all. Yours are older, so maybe they will be. But I'd be prepared with backup activities if you plan to spend more than a few hours there :)
- Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington: large playground, great for all ages, worth going out of your way for. You can also enjoy Kensington/Hyde Park.

York:
- there's a Rick Steves walking tour in the guidebook that takes you through the ruins of the former Abbey there. Our son thought that was great and he liked running through the park.
- Jorvik Viking Center: we did this and thought it was ok. The ride portion was fairly interesting, but the displays (we felt) are poorly laid out and too cramped. We're not mad we did it, but we certainly won't do it again.
- Yorkshire Museum: I thought this was really interesting and had some good kid-friendly exhibits.

If you do stop in Oxford:
- the Ashmolean Museum family adventure. Our son LOVED this. It took us to some exhibits we wouldn't have visited otherwise. Really fun for the whole family. (https://www.ashmolean.org/families)

Edinburgh:
- Edinburgh Castle
- Day trip to Glasgow: we were shocked how much we liked Glasgow.
- Scotch Whisky Experience: not a distillery, but it was a good combination of stuff for the adults (whisky tasting, informative, good overview of Scotch whisky) and stuff to keep kiddos entertained (starts with a ride, has short movies and special effects). I did the silver and my husband did the gold tasting and we did not feel that the gold was worth the extra money, but we're also not big Scotch drinkers.
- Day trip to St. Andrews: if you will be in Edinburgh on a Sunday, I would say this is a DO NOT MISS. Even if you're not a golf person. On Sunday, you can walk the Old Course of St. Andrews and it is such a cool, unforgettable experience. We also really liked the town of St. Andrews. (Of course, we were there in late November, so summer crowds might make it less appealing?)

I hope this helps somewhat, have a great trip!

I, too, am doubtful about the Churchill War Rooms with children. To get the most out of the (otherwise expensive) CWR, you need a lot of time in the Churchill Museum section, and the war rooms themselves--while historic--are not visually engaging. There's tons to do in London; I would postpone this until a later trip unless your children happen to be WWII/Churchill junkies.

The British Museum is a monster that would take multiple full days to see (voice of experience). There is definitely stuff there to interest your children, but it will be mobbed and there's a risk you'll have to wait in line for 30 minutes or more. Spend some time on the museum's website before you go to figure out which sections are your top priority. The Egyptian exhibition on the ground floor is extremely popular (i.e., overcrowded). The British Museum has several food options, but I think all of them close earlier than the museum, so that's something to think about. There's a casual grab-and-go spot on the ground floor in the open court; you can't miss that. A fancier, more expensive sit-down restaurant that takes reservations is upstairs; it offers lunch and afternoon tea (with sandwiches and sweets). There's also a pizzeria you won't stumble across (I just happened to catch sight of a small sign), so if you're interested in that, ask at the information desk and maybe get them to mark it on a map. I can't vouch for the pizzeria, but the other two are OK for what they are.

The CWR and the British Museum is a one-day combination I wouldn't recommend even to a party of adults.

The National Museum of Scotland is a modern museum designed to appeal to all ages, and it does a good job of that. I saw many family groups there with children obviously enjoying themselves.

Looks wonderful!

Just me - but I might choose to ditch the car when you arrive in York and pay the price of missing Hadrian’s Wall. You don’t need a car in York and you’ll be paying for two days of it just sitting there.

I second the Yorkshire Museum! I probably missed it but definitely the train museum, too. And when I was there last July, in the park at the old abbey grounds, there was a bird of prey exhibit - rescue - and kids (and adults) could hold the birds. No charge - just a donation for pictures.

And I would think Warwick Castle far more interesting than Stratford-upon-Avon for kids.

Thanks for all the feedback! You all have given me a lot to think about as I finalize our plans. I may be back with more specific questions that come up. Cheers!