Our family is heading to England April 2020. We have 4 kids ages 16, 12, 8, 5. We will have 10 full days to adventure. We thought we'd spend the first few days in London, but we'd like to explore at least one other area. We're looking for somewhere to hike, and do more outdoorsy activities. We need suggestions for where to go, and the best way to get there with our large group. My husband and I have been to England without kids and were able to do A LOT. We drove, but again, there were just 2 of us. I'm not sure we will be able to keep that same pace with 4 kiddos, or that there is a car we'd feel comfortable driving that fits us all. Will using a train still give us flexibility to get around? In our car we could zip around from town to town. I live out west and aside from the local bus, public transportation is nonexistent, so I'm not used to using trains to travel long distances. We will use the underground for all our transport in London. I would appreciate all travel advice. Thank you so much for your help!
Posted by
Washington DC
28249 posts
The train is likely to be a lot faster than a car over long distances, assuming you're headed for a major destination and don't need to make several transfers or spend a lot of time on a slow train. For instance, it's about 200 miles from London to York, and the train can get you there in 1 hr. 51 min. On the other hand, rail tickets to some destinations can be very expensive if you don't buy them early, while Advance fares are still available.
April weather being what it is, I'd try to figure out a way to keep my options open for the outdoor activities rather than going somewhere without available indoor activities, hoping the weather will cooperate for hiking.
Posted by
Land of La
9265 posts
How far and how long of a hike do you wish to take?
What are you considering outdoorsy activities?
When you say out West are you talking CA, OR, WA?
Do your 10 days include arrival and departure days?
If yes then reality is that you only have 8 full days in London.
Don’t forget London has beautiful parks ( Regents, Victoria, Battersea) as well as the Hampstead Heath.
If you’ve not explored Richmond park then you should. You’re family can easily enjoy Mother Nature there. https://secretldn.com/richmond-park-guide/
You can should consider taking the London Overground to Chingford and spending a day of exploration in the Epping Forest.
If you must leave London proper then review this website for options.
http://www.wegoplaces.me/walks-near-london/
Posted by
2599 posts
If you are going to use the trains, I suggest that you get a Friends & Family Railcard for £30:> https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/praad3fe0a04000201004ccc1f4e0bfd.aspx
Posted by
8330 posts
Consider taking your family to Warwick Castle. We visited it and saw more kids there than anywhere in the UK.
The Cotswolds is good for hiking. Also, we loved Tenby in South Wales.
Posted by
By the Rims
150 posts
Think about London as a base and take day trips as the weather allows. Figure out what the older kids would enjoy, they will remember this trip and the 5 year old probably won’t. A day trip to Windsor, see the castle and walk the Long Walk, explore the park grounds.
Posted by
OP
21 posts
So thankful for all the replies! We will be in England for 12 days, 10 days of adventuring. Claudia, we live in California. Our outdoorsy activities include hiking, horseback riding, bike riding. I saw there was horseback riding in Hyde park, that could be fun. My favorite part of our previous trip to England was walking through the Cotswolds. We started walking at about 10 am and didn't get back until about 8pm, so we like a good walk. My oldest will thoroughly enjoy all the museums, my younger three will need breaks in which to run around. I love the idea of the parks around London. I'll definitely look into them.