Travelling to London in the Fall with group of 8 or 9, including elementary school to high school age kids. My wife and I are speedy travelers and cover more territory than the average forum poster. The kids are great travelers - driven all over the western states, including cities, beaches, mountains, national parks, etc. They have done well with city walks and museums in downtown Los Angeles, Denver, etc.
After several days in London, we plan to visit the South West. We plan to have Thursday through Sunday available. I'm leaning towards hiring a large rental van - likely less expensive for the large group than trains and provides flexibility....and I enjoy the driving. Flight leaves from Gatwick on Monday afternoon.
My wife and I lived in London for several months when our oldest was an only child. We have been to Bath, Glastonbury, Wells, Stonehenge, Avebury, Cotswolds, Stratford-upon-Avon and Blenheim Palace. I have been to Windsor. We want the kids to experience the area and to share past memories and create new ones.
Paulton's Family Theme Park in Romsey is a must-see because the kids are huge Peppa Pig fans. Seems like decent roller-coaster rides for older kids too...and a good break from museums and palaces. We will likely stay close to Paulton's Park on Thursday night so that we can visit the park on Friday. Southampton? Winchester?
After that, I'm looking into base accommodations for Friday-Sunday nights that might provide reasonable access to the area - Bath to the Cotswolds - to give us some flexibility. We prefer apartment or home-type accommodations with kitchen. We would prefer to stay in the same location all three nights so that we aren't constantly packing and unpacking. I've considered Cirencester, Cotswold Water Park, Swindon, Cheltenham, Oxford.
I appreciate any suggestions and feedback on places to stay, travel logistics, itinerary, etc.