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4 weeks in UK with 2 kids

Posted by (U.S.) on

Hello! We are a family of 4, kids ages 5& 7 planning to spend 4 weeks this Sept - Oct in the UK & Ireland. We have never been to the UK and the options are overwhelming! We prefer to spend a lot of time outdoors and more off the beaten path. We have 2 weeks planned to spend in England, spend 2 weeks in Scotland (definitely a week in the Highlands), then 2 weeks in Ireland.

We will fly into London and plan to spend about 5 days (should we do more or less?).

The Jurassic Coast as well as Cornwall are high on our list as we really love the coast, but we are open to ideas. I wasn't sure if there was somewhere in the middle we could have as a base and day trip around the two? Other locations that hold interest are the Cotswolds and Lake District. Should we only pick about 2-3 locations in order to see it without driving for most of it? And if so, which locations would be considered central? It seems based on previous posts that the maps underestimate driving time, and I definitely don't want to spend a lot of time in the car with kids.

Should we just plan to take a rental car all the way to Scotland from England, or would a train be easier to get there, and then rent a car once we arrive?

Thanks!

Posted by
28247 posts

The ViaMichelin website is good for suggesting driving routes and estimating driving times. If you zoom way in on a proposed route, any especially scenic roads will be highlighted in green. When I traveled through that area in 2017, I was using public transportation (a combination of train and bus), so I really have no idea whether you could set up camp in a couple of locations and do hub-and-spoke day trips.

Check with AutoEurope or one of the other consolidator car-rental websites (Kemwel and Gemut) to see whether picking up a car in Scotland and dropping it off in southern England would mean a really high drop charge. Be sure to specify dates as accurate as possible, because I think timing might affect a drop fee.

Posted by
1530 posts

I would suggest you look into Wales. Northern wales is full of castles and coastline which I would think would be quite fun for kids that age. If you base out of Conwy and have a car you can hit Anglesy - make sure to go to Southstack, Snowdonia national park and several castles.

Posted by
4627 posts

You may find it more stressful than you think to drive on the opposite side of the road. Be sure to get an automatic transmission car which may be more difficult to get. I would use trains as much a possible and just rent in areas where a car is needed. You really need a car in Ireland, except in Dublin, but the roads are narrow and sometimes traveled by sheep. 5 days is good for London-you don't want a car there or in Edinburgh. You will need to prioritize carefully since you only have 3 weeks for England and Ireland. You really can't see the Jurassic Coast, Cornwall, Lake District, Cotswolds, London and Ireland in that time unless you spend the entire time driving, which you certainly don't want to do with young children. I think the Cotswolds would bore your children-they're pretty, but they bore me!

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