London and then Scotland with kids

[devonpow]

We are heading to London in August for a few days and then want to drive to Scotland - two kids (will be 13 and 8 then). None of us have been to Scotland before, but we have a very good friend who lives there and is helping with that part of the itinerary. We are looking for suggestions on where else to go in England, outside of London, particularly on the way to Edinburgh. Any suggestions?

[dutchgirl678]

You could stop in York which is a beautiful old city in Yorkshire. Driving through the Yorkshire Dales is so picturesque. Just north of York is the town of Ripon where beautiful Fountains abbey ruins can be found.

[mrsukyankee]

Definitely York. The other area that is really lovely is the Lake District (my particular fav is Windermere). For a shorter trip from London, I'd suggest Oxford or Cambridge. Are you driving or going via train (I love going via train)?

[RockNVoll]

I'm just going to repeat what others have already said First, I'd opt for the train unless you really love long drives. Second, I was also going to suggest Cambridge and York, both of which you can get to by train.

[gardengal]

We are planning something similar & will be stopping in Cambridge, York & Whitby, Yorkshire on the way to Scotland. Whitby is solely for fossil hunting. We did it in Dorset a few years ago & the kids loved it

[frlcb]

Yes, York is great. But if you are driving you have so many choices! The Cotswolds are super cute. The Lake District is awesome and my kids love it, lots of hiking and beautiful scenery. Northumberland is awesome, especially if you are heading up to Scotland - so many cool castles. You can go to Bamburgh, Alnwick Castle and Gardens (filmed part of Harry Potter here and they have a poison garden which is super cool), Dunstanburgh Castle, Lindisfarne and Holy Island, Farne Islands, there are cute beach towns (Beadnell, Seahouses, North Berwick). We spend almost a month in this area every Summer so if you have any questions let me know! (my kids are 11 and 8)

[jamaicam]

Northumberland is my favourite place. Coastline, amazing castles, Hadrians Wall. I'd be very termpted to take the traing from London to Edinburgh - it's a gorgeous journey and a lot easier than driving.

Also, PM me your London dates - we are going to be in the Uk from mid July to Mid August and will have some time in London during that.

[frlcb]

Jan 2, 2020 13:11:32 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

Northumberland is my favourite place. Coastline, amazing castles, Hadrians Wall. I'd be very termpted to take the traing from London to Edinburgh - it's a gorgeous journey and a lot easier than driving.

Also, PM me your London dates - we are going to be in the Uk from mid July to Mid August and will have some time in London during that.

The train is definitely easier but the best parts of England are usually the ones you need a car for. Definitely need a car for northumberland.

[jamaicam]

Jan 2, 2020 14:52:17 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Jan 2, 2020 13:11:32 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

Northumberland is my favourite place. Coastline, amazing castles, Hadrians Wall. I'd be very termpted to take the traing from London to Edinburgh - it's a gorgeous journey and a lot easier than driving.

Also, PM me your London dates - we are going to be in the Uk from mid July to Mid August and will have some time in London during that.

The train is definitely easier but the best parts of England are usually the ones you need a car for. Definitely need a car for northumberland.

Yes completely agree. Was thinking more of stopping and hiring a car for a few days. Although now I think about it..... I'd get the train from London to York and then spend a few days driving up from there!!! York, Newcastle, Northumberland, and up to Edinburgh. 

[mrsukyankee]

Jan 2, 2020 13:11:32 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

Northumberland is my favourite place. Coastline, amazing castles, Hadrians Wall. I'd be very termpted to take the traing from London to Edinburgh - it's a gorgeous journey and a lot easier than driving.

Also, PM me your London dates - we are going to be in the Uk from mid July to Mid August and will have some time in London during that.

Just noting that I'll be off work during that time...

[pittpurple]

If you're driving I wouldn't necessarily pick York - it's a pain for parking and getting around.
Alnwick Castle and Gardens are lovely - we haven't been inside the castle yet but the gardens are really interesting, my kids loved the water area. The coast line is really pretty for much of the drive - we were just there (we live in Edinburgh) and explored around a bit.

[frlcb]

Jan 6, 2020 6:02:32 GMT -5 pittpurple said:

If you're driving I wouldn't necessarily pick York - it's a pain for parking and getting around.
Alnwick Castle and Gardens are lovely - we haven't been inside the castle yet but the gardens are really interesting, my kids loved the water area. The coast line is really pretty for much of the drive - we were just there (we live in Edinburgh) and explored around a bit.

Really? There are several parking garages right outside the city center and then you can walk in (we go whenever we are in England as my husband lived there)

[mrsukyankee]

Jan 6, 2020 9:58:05 GMT -5 frlcb said:

Jan 6, 2020 6:02:32 GMT -5 pittpurple said:

If you're driving I wouldn't necessarily pick York - it's a pain for parking and getting around.
Alnwick Castle and Gardens are lovely - we haven't been inside the castle yet but the gardens are really interesting, my kids loved the water area. The coast line is really pretty for much of the drive - we were just there (we live in Edinburgh) and explored around a bit.

Really? There are several parking garages right outside the city center and then you can walk in (we go whenever we are in England as my husband lived there)

Same. It's easy to take the bus as well if you don't want to walk. We stayed outside of the city centre and walked in easily.

[pittpurple]

frlcb, mrsukyankee, - my friends just went in last week and said the first garage was full and they had to circle around. As it was a rental car it was hard for them to park in the small spots. Guess it depends on the person!

I also think it would be nicer to go outside a city if you have a car - York is so easy on the train if that's the goal I'd think it would be better to train up from London, break the journey and then train to Edinburgh?

[sillygoosegirl]

You can always get off the train, sightsee, and then pick up the car when you are ready to leave. I've never been to York, but we did that one in Oxford and another time in Venice and it worked really well.

[tres3]

I know someone else already suggested but I'll put another plug for Cambridge. Most Americans go to Oxford, but I love Cambridge.

[devonpow]

Thanks everyone! We just booked flights today - 15 days total. I think the plan is to start in London for a few days, take the train to Bath and pick up a car there, then use the car for the rest of the itinerary ending in Edinburg (do ditching the car and doing 2-3 days in the city) Now we need to figure out details and book hotels. Looks like Edinburgh needs to be booked soon due to how many festivals etc going on there in August

[jamaicam]

Jan 20, 2020 19:07:42 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Thanks everyone! We just booked flights today - 15 days total. I think the plan is to start in London for a few days, take the train to Bath and pick up a car there, then use the car for the rest of the itinerary ending in Edinburg (do ditching the car and doing 2-3 days in the city) Now we need to figure out details and book hotels. Looks like Edinburgh needs to be booked soon due to how many festivals etc going on there in August

Sounds great! I've booked our flights too - a full month from mid-July to mid-August. London, Derbyshire, (dump kids with parents and do a quick 4 nights in Ireland!), Wales, Kent and back to London. 

[devonpow]

Jan 21, 2020 9:00:44 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

Jan 20, 2020 19:07:42 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Thanks everyone! We just booked flights today - 15 days total. I think the plan is to start in London for a few days, take the train to Bath and pick up a car there, then use the car for the rest of the itinerary ending in Edinburg (do ditching the car and doing 2-3 days in the city) Now we need to figure out details and book hotels. Looks like Edinburgh needs to be booked soon due to how many festivals etc going on there in August

Sounds great! I've booked our flights too - a full month from mid-July to mid-August. London, Derbyshire, (dump kids with parents and do a quick 4 nights in Ireland!), Wales, Kent and back to London. 

so fun! We will be there between August 13th-27th...maybe no overlap? I’m really excited for this trip - I’ve been to London a few times but that’s it for Great Britain

[jamaicam]

Jan 21, 2020 9:36:55 GMT -5 devonpow said:

Jan 21, 2020 9:00:44 GMT -5 jamaicam said:

Sounds great! I've booked our flights too - a full month from mid-July to mid-August. London, Derbyshire, (dump kids with parents and do a quick 4 nights in Ireland!), Wales, Kent and back to London. 

so fun! We will be there between August 13th-27th...maybe no overlap? I’m really excited for this trip - I’ve been to London a few times but that’s it for Great Britain

We will actually be back near London from 13th  until we leave on the 17th so there is overlap! 

[gaudi]

We took the overnight train (Caledonian Sleeper) from Edinburgh to London and the kids loved it. It stops in a few different cities, so that might be an option to add in another city before you pick up the car.

[mrsukyankee]

London gtg jamaicam, devonpow?

[jamaicam]

Jan 26, 2020 11:57:42 GMT -5 mrsukyankee said:

London gtg jamaicam , devonpow ?

sounds like a good idea!