I will be traveling as a solo adult with my two kids, ages 9 and 12 from California to London. We have 9 days (excluding travel), and since my kids have never been across the Atlantic (though they have traveled internationally), they are really interested to see more than one country. We tend to be quite active, hitting many sites in a day, and reasonably adventurous - they tend to get a bit bored with museums and parks day after day. I figure we will hit some highlights in London (Harry Potter studio, British Museum, etc), then it would be great to try to get up to Scotland for a bit. There's a possibility I could change our return trip to leave from Edinburgh to save some travel time.
If we went, we would need to decide by plan or train. I think we cannot do a sleeper, as with 3 people, I don't see how we can fit. And I'm sure my kids wouldn't sleep a wink, anyway. I know we could spend weeks in Scotland, but hopefully if they like it, we could come back before too long. I would appreciate any recommendations for itinerary for such a brief visit. The Jacobite train seems really exciting to them, especially if we could do the 1-hour wildness cruise during. But please also let me know if I'm just setting us up for failure - I want them to have a great experience, be exposed to some good culture, and for me to stay sane.