Short trip outside London with children

I'm assuming it's August 2020 you're visiting. What are you interests and any particular reason for choosing the destinations that you have? For children so young, in August, I would recommend somewhere with a beach. Portsmouth has a beach but it's a pebble one and not exactly enticing. There's a fantastic one nearby at West Witterings towards Chichester but in August, due to the school holidays it is absolutely rammed.

Bournemouth has a nice beach and a great promenade (something West Wittering lacks) but again it gets very busy and parking is difficult. If you can find accommodation with parking then that would be ideal.

I really like Lulworth Cove, it's a great sheltered spot with shallow water for young children and there is fantastic fossil hunting opportunities (they're literally falling out of the chalk cliffs or washing up on the beach). Again, it will be busy but everywhere on the South Coast in August is going to be busy.

If the beach isn't of much interest then The New Forest is a good choice. Lots of characterful towns and villages dotted within an ancient forest where wild ponies roam free. It's easy to drive through, park up and follow some short walking routes suited to young children, perhaps have a picnic or a pub lunch or there are guided bus tours. Salisbury and Stonehenge is a short drive from the forest.

If theme parks are of interest then there's one close to The New Forest, Paulton Park https://paultonspark.co.uk/ which is absolutely ideal for kids of your's ages. I love it there but now my kids are teenagers I no longer have a valid excuse to go.

However I understand that for some people, with such young children, they're often viewed as being along just for the ride so if that is the case and you want to indulge in you and your wife's interests then there is a wealth of places to visit that we can recommend.

It's really not a good idea to arrive on an overnight flight (on which you may have gotten zero sleep) and start driving. It's worse in the UK because you'll be driving on the left side of the road and shifting with your left hand if you don't get an automatic. I'd start my trip with a train or a bus to one of the places I wanted to see, then rent a car there on Day 2 or Day 3 when I was ready to head out of town. I'm not familiar with the transportation options from Gatwick, but I think there must be considerable bus service to a number of places on the south coast.

A car will generally be useless for sightseeing inside a city/town--and parking may be very inconvenient or costly--but can be very helpful in some cases for moving from one town to the next as well as for seeing rural sights. It totally depends on what you want to see and do. I suspect your young children would enjoy the opportunity to ride a train at some point during your trip.

I'm not familiar with the transportation options from Gatwick, but I think there must be considerable bus service to a number of places on the south coast.

I forgot to mention the advice about driving straight after a flight, particularly on the busy roads to the South Coast in August.

From Gatwick there is a train that runs from the airport straight to Portsmouth. The areas of interest in Portsmouth can be explored entirely on foot or by cheap taxi or bus, parking is expensive and the residential areas require permits to park on the road. However, a rental car to leave the city and head to your next location is fine (Enterprise will even deliver the car to your accommodation if you request it). There is a Premier Inn next to Portsmouth and Southsea station or A Holiday Inn Express in Gunwharf Quays next to Portsmouth Harbour station. Both hotels are clean, comfortable and reasonable.

First let’s do the math. Arrival and departure days curtail you days from 9 to 7.

So that’s 7 days for London.

For perspective I’ve been traveling to the city for over 40 years and still haven’t seen everything. Returning for another Christmas with a new list of places to explore. Richmond Park, Alexander Fleming Museum, Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, Museum of Water and Steam, Walthamstow Market to name a few.

With little ones in tow I would forget any car rental and if Bath or Stonehenge are MUST SEES, use public transport. Use the search engine on this website as how to get to both places has been discussed ad nauseum.

For something all of the family should like consider a days out at Mudchute Farm. Take the children to The Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens. Take a River Cruise on the Thames. Ride on the second level of a London bus. (busses have stroller areas,) park yours and head upstairs. The London Transport Museum is great for young ones. Check lift times for Tower Bridge. If no one has a fear of heights book the Tower Bridge Experience. Visit Hamleys toy store. Visit the Petrie Museum of Archeology. Tower of London. Get Michael Bond’s book Paddington at the Tower and read it to them. Book tickets far in advance for the Mad Hatters Tea at the Morgan Hotel. Go boating on the lake at Battersea Park. Have pub grub with them.
Hampton Court Palace. Nice ride out there. Use the tube for transport in London along with the busses.
Watch the buskers in Covent Garden.

Lots and lots of things to do with family in London.

First prioritize your wishes, u do not have much time as noted by others.
Stay in London or stay in Bath and do day trips from bath area.

Based on suggestions, we are now considering taking the train to Brighton from Gatwick and staying for two nights. We plan to spend the remainder of our stay in London exploring the city and possibly a day trip or two. We will likely save Bath and Stonehenge for another stay.

Thank you for the feedback!

Brighton wouldn't be my first choice with children so young, actually Brighton wouldn't feature anywhere near my top 10 of Southern England destinations so I'm interested in why you've opted for there (I haven't seen any recommendations in the replies you've received) and whilst it's a convenient location to Gatwick I can think of better places to spend two nights.

We were trying to find an area on the southern coast that seems relatively convenient from Gatwick. Based on suggestions, we are trying to avoid renting a car for this segment of our trip. We are looking to find an area that is "easily" accessible without a car. I believe someone mentioned Portsmouth, would that be a better fit for a family? The purpose of visiting the coast is simply to see the coast. Days spent on the beach is not the ultimate goal. What would you suggest based on the short time we plan spending on the southern coast?

From Gatwick Airport travel by train to Victoria Station and then board a train to Whitsable. All in 3 hours or so.

For ease of travel with young children after a long flight and somewhere to get over jet lag, Brighton fits the bill. You can take the heritage Volks train along the seafront to the marina, visit the Royal Pavilion if you want history, eat fish and chips, there are several children’s play areas along the seafront and meander around The Lanes, a series of old alleyways with independent retailers and cafes - how retailing was 200 years ago. Visit the Old Police Cells Museum for free.

Brighton beach is pebbles, not sand.

I like Whitstable, but it’s far more hassle to get to from Gatwick and there isn’t as much to occupy the children.

I believe someone mentioned Portsmouth, would that be a better fit for a family? The purpose of visiting the coast is simply to see the coast. Days spent on the beach is not the ultimate goal. What would you suggest based on the short time we plan spending on the southern coast?

That was me. I live in Portsmouth so my outlook can either be biased or jaded depending on the advice I'm giving!

Portsmouth can be reached by direct train from Gatwick airport. If your only purpose in visiting the coast is simply to see it then Portsmouth would be fine. The main draw for tourists is the Historic Dockyard which is a fantastic historic attraction and there are activities for young children, primarily Action Stations and the rigging climbing, I suspect the children may find touring old ships a bit boring but you know your children, perhaps the 4 year old would love running along the decks of HMS Victory.

A guided boat tour of the harbour is also recommended and will allow you the opportunity to see many of the naval ships that are docked.

You can walk the length of the seafront on the esplanade and you'll find Clarence Pier, a funfair and amusement arcade which has passed its sell by date but I'm sure will still excite your children (think Atlantic City's Steel Pier rather than Busch Gardens). Further along you'll pass the hovercraft station where, with a bit of luck, you'll be able to watch the hovercraft arriving or departing on the beach.

Further along you have the BlueReef Aquarium, a small but enjoyable aquarium, good for young children. Whilst a short walk from there will take you to Castle Fields and Southsea Castle, built for King Henry VIII and from where he watched the battle during which The Mary Rose sank. It's a great little castle for kids to run around and explore and offers great views of The Solent.

From there you can carry on the walk along the seafront to South Parade Pier and Canoe Lake opposite. The pier has a small amusement arcade and during the summer hosts a small traditional funfair. The lake is small, built in the late 1800's and durnig the summer you can rent pedal boats and go zorbing (floating in a giant plastic ball). There's also a splash park for young children and an adventure playground. Next to this are the rose gardens and miniature village, a bit twee but young children love it. Behind the lake is Cumberland House, a small natural history museum with a butterfly house which, in summer, will be full with butterflies that you wander amongst.

From here there are tennis courts and a miniature golf course (not really for children, just a very small golf course). The remainder of the esplanade takes you to Eastney where the beach is left to its more natural state with wild plants and a very discrete nudist beach. To carry on further merely takes you to the residential parts of Eastney, Milton etc. There is a ferry from Eastney that takes you the short distance to Hayling Island. Here the beaches are primarily sand and when the tide is low there are huge sandflats that are great for kids to run around on, interspersed with pools that the tide left behind. It's a very popular area for dogwalkers and horseriders (although horses have to be off the beach by 10 am) and in the summer can be quite busy.

Gunwharf Quays is a relatively new retail and entertainment development next to Portsmouth Harbour Station. It consists of outlet stores, restaurants, a cinema, luxury housing and the Spinnaker Tower, a large tower that was intended to mark the millenium (it was originally going to be called The Milleniunm Tower however in true British fashion it was finished too late and over budget and is now called The Spinnaker Tower). It has a viewing platform with a glass floor near the top that provides fantastic views of the area for those not afraid of heights. There are also a variety of boat tours available.