Our family (mom, dad, and kids, 7, 12 and 14) are planning our first-time trip to the UK in mid-July.
We are flying into London and spending a week, then taking the train to Edinburgh for our last four days and flying home to the states from there.
We want to take some day trips from London, but not over-do it. We think we may pass on some of the huge tourist things like Bath and Stonehenge, but one idea that really appeals to us is fossil hunting on the Jurassic Coast. My 7 year old son and 14 year old daughter are big into fossils.
But, it just seems way too far from London for a day trip, and even if we were to cut our London trip shorter and stay a night or two in the area, it seems there's no good way to get up to Edinburgh that wouldn't take forever.
I guess I have a couple of questions: One, is the fossil hunting really good? Is it worth the detour during a first-time trip? And second, does it even make sense at all to try to wedge this side trip into our overall vacation, as it's currently structured?
And, as a side note: Is this area less crowded with tourists than some others? (I know, I know, we are tourists too! But, if we're not going to be in London, we'd prefer not to be wall-to-wall with other people, so we are very open to more off-the-beaten-path options.)