First time to England, with young children

I know this isn't what you want to hear, but London is great for young children. We took our daughter when she was 4 and the first photo she ever took was of a Beefeater at the Tower. There's a great Natural History Museum and Kensington Gardens. EDITED: There's a great zoo-my daughter wanted to go there when she was a college freshman! Maybe stay in Richmond or Hampstead(that's where we stayed because my husband was working at a hospital in that area) and take trips into central London. I've been to Cambridge twice and love it, but don't think there's much there for young children.

England has dozens, maybe even hundreds of such locations depending on your particular interests, but I would suggest not overthinking this for a first visit. London. There's good reason it's one of the most popular cities in the world. It's got a lifetime's worth of things that appeal to both kids and adults, including (for the kids) great parks to let off steam, boat ride on the Thames, etc. You want "great sites" but not "typical touristy." OK, but if something is a great site, it tends to attract other tourists, and I don't think that's sufficient reason alone to avoid it -- examples being the Tower of London, British Museum, Westminster Abbey. Do you really want to go to England and avoid all of these? What I would describe as "typical touristy" but NOT a "great site" are those places that are not significant in their own right and therefore appeal to tourists, such as the Tower, but those that have been established recently ONLY for tourists, such as the Harry Potter tour or the "London eye" ferris wheel. These I agree are worth avoiding, although there are many who love Harry Potter and wouldn't miss that tour. You don't mention how long your trip is, which could make a difference, since if it's longer than a week you likely could do two locations such as both London and a smaller place such as Cambridge or Bath.

You mention the south coast. Will you have a car? You can get around by bus and train but a car will make things easier. Also, sadly, most of the south coast beaches closest to London are shingle rather than sand.

A British seaside town can be fun (I especially like Llandudno in north Wales) but even with children I would not make that a priority. The weather is iffy, the water cold, and the beaches unappealing as a rule. You have much better ones in Michigan. There’s a reason British people go to Spain, Turkey, Florida or other places like that for their beach holidays if they can.

There are fabulous beaches in Britain but we don’t have reliable summer weather and that’s why people prefer to go abroad. It’s just a totally different type of holiday. We do both types but if I’m in this country my beach outfit is typically a warm fleece - yes even in August.

My sixteen year old daughter and I visited Mudchute Farm (near Canary Wharf) last week. There were LOTS of small children. They have sheep and goats that you can feed. We had a good time.

Some other options if London just isn't what you want:

Bath - lots of what you are looking for (though with some touristy elements around, of course), but lots of access to more

pick a place in New Forest National Park---lots to do and see (including Peppa Pig World at Paultons Park)

or pick a smaller place in Somerset. be sure and take the kiddos to Longleat.

Slate, with respect, we have excellent beaches. I grew up round the corner from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Cliffs_Bay
- and that is hardly unique for Wales, a corner of the UK where visitors barely travel.

People go to Spain for various reasons, cheap alcohol, different culture, and others beside, but a country that is never more than 70 miles from the coast quite obviously has good beaches.

Puzzled why you’d travel to England as a family and not be interested in experiencing London.

Lots of interesting places for adults and young children to explore.

As already mentioned; Mudchute Farm
I’d still go on the London Eye or at least visit the Sky Garden.
Cruise on the Thames
Visit Hamley’s Toy Store
Visit the Crystal Park Dinosaurs
Picnic in a park
Roam Richmond Park to see the fallow deer
Play in the Princess Diana Memorial playground
London Zoo
Walk along the Parkland trail
Eat at Bill’s
Look for the Green Parrots in Hyde Park
Investigate if minature remote controlled boats are still operated in the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens
Download the Tower Bridge lift schedule
If you’d like a “smaller “ city/town try Cambridge where you could enjoy a canal boat ride.

I meant no offense to our British friends about their beaches. Some of them are very pretty. But the water is too cold, as the air temperature also usually is. Surf is lousy. It's the same advice I'm giving about the UK, that the forum traditionally also says to those who want to go to the beach in Italy. Sure, they have them, but they are NOT the country's strong point in terms of visitor appeal, so on the short and relatively infrequent trips we can make to Europe, going to the beach is not the best use of one's time. Prioritize other things where the UK really does stand out. In the US we have thousands of miles of wonderful beaches, but we don't have Roman sites, medieval castles and cathedrals, such charming villages, and so on.

I suppose whether going to the beach is the best use of your time depends on what you are looking for from your trip.
I agree for a first trip to the UK time spent solely on the beach probably isn't the best use of time but a day trip or a couple of days it could be time well spent.

So much is made on this forum about meeting ‘real’ people or ‘living like a local’ and a trip to the beach would be a perfect way to do it. Nothing is more British than the beach whether it is gloriously warm or blowing a gale. Rock pool, fossils, amusement arcades, donkeys, sandcastles fun fairs, chips, a 99 and rock. As has been said nowhere is more than 70miles from the coast so the seaside is a universal British experience.

I you decide to base yourself in London, which I recommend, a trip to the beach on the train would be a great day for all of you.

Totally agree. The sea and coastline are integral to British history and culture. Almost every domestic summer holiday will be to a seaside location, whether that’s Wales, Devon, Cornwall, Suffolk etc etc. There’s something for everyone from tacky to remote.

In the US we have thousands of miles of wonderful beaches, but we don't have Roman sites, medieval castles and cathedrals, such charming villages, and so on.

We also have great beaches and great surf. Unsurprising really as the UK coastline is over
19, 000 miles long.

Some beaches are more favoured for surfing than others. Those facing south-west towards thew Atlantic are best - such as :>https://fistralbeach.co.uk

Gwithian Beach is also great for surfing and year round swimming. I was there yesterday with my wife as she swims all year. (I can’t swim so I read).

Thank you all so much for your comments, every single one of them! I can't wait to visit England, but have decided that the trip with this larger group will have to wait until the children are older. Happy traveling!

Just to defend our beaches, we have fantastic beaches all around our coastline. From long sandy ones to coves, shingle and sand. Some are great for surfing, depending on their location. There is even a long, very long sandy beach less than 15 miles from Liverpool.
I've spent many days on our beaches, often requiring shelter from the sun's rays, even in early September. I don't like the cold but find our sea comfortable to swim in between July and September.
The reason we go further south for our holidays is because the chance of nice weather is greater. n the UK, it is possible to save up for a week long holiday and have it rain every day, then a heat wave on your return to work.

Thank you all so much for your comments, every single one of them! I can't wait to visit England, but have decided that the trip with this larger group will have to wait until the children are older. Happy traveling!

I wouldn't let the ages of the children dissuade you from visiting England. My suggestion would be to consider Dorset as a base. There are a number of fantastic beaches all along the coast along with some of the best fossil hunting sites in the country (you can practically trip over fossils as there are so many). The New Forest is on your doorstep and I'm sure the kids would love the open topped double decker bus that tours the forest. Paultons Park has been mentioned which is quite possibly the best theme park in the UK for young children.

My recommendation would be to rent a holiday cottage, hire a car and explore the area from there. Here's a guide to whet your appetite: www.dorsetguide.com

A stimulating discussion, like a dip in the sea at Weston-Super-Mare. I think the OP has what they need for a good first trip to the UK. I have learned that British people are as tenacious in defending their beaches against any foreign attack as they were in 1940. So I will say no more about that, or bring up any other controversial topic, except to say that I don’t care for English school food … 🙂

People have been honest and up front that there are beautiful beaches in the UK, and nobody has to travel far to access them, the weather is hit and miss.

That is unquestionably true, and zeroing on on weston super mare is telling of how churlish you are being.

You could instead go one mile away to Worlebury Woods, Sand Bay (beautiful) and Sand Point (National Trust site), all of which are well worth a visit. And finish off with a quick visit to Cheddar Gorge and England's smallest city, Wells, both further stunning examples of the UKs natural and man made beauty.

Anyone want to have a go at teeth?

It’s churlish to mention, in jest, a relatively unattractive English town? Not sure what happened to the English stiff upper lip, seeing how irate you get at any suggestion that English beaches aren’t wonderful. I visited Wells in 1972, probably long before Olivia was born.

Lots of English beaches are wonderful. Some are not. The same is true of every country.

When I was born is absolutely no business of yours, nor is it relevant. Being old does not make you correct, nor should I show undue deference to you.

Take them to Warwick Castle.

what a nice welcome to our new visitor and poster.

Very sorry, Laurie that you had to put up with the bickering.

We're not usually like that here, we try tp be civil and polite, as requested by our beloved webmaster and his community guidelines.

I hope this doesn't scare you off from participating and asking other questions.

I think of my mother who brought us, me and my younger brother to visit family in England when we were 5 and 2. What a handful we must have been, especially on the ship (people didn't fly much in those days). Fair play Mum!