Tranquility7 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 We are traveling to England in January for a family wedding. I'm figuring out our itinerary - any advice? Any England travel books to recommend? Our kids are 6 and 3, and we are partial to historical stuff... Thanks to the first 3 vols of SOTW (and my very historically-literate DH), DS already has a fairly good grasp of much of English history. Any recommended must-see sights for our trip? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 The Blades hotel in the Pimlico area of London--large family rooms, great breakfast, close to downtown. My favorite historical tour, EVER--The Tower of London. Pay for an official tour with the Beefeaters--they are both informative and hilarious. Warwick Castle is a great destination for kids that age. It's pretty commercial, but that makes it more accessible for kids. There are wax figures posed in the rooms and demonstrations in the courtyard, among other things. Cott Farm B&B in Dartmouth--absolutely lovely place. Enjoy the local pub also with your kids. Get some clotted cream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 You can spend a week or two in London and not see everything. Tower of London. The Globe Theatre. British Museum. Natural History Museum. Victoria & Albert Museum. Greenwich. The Eye. As a kid we loved Trafalgar Square and feeding the Pigeons. Also as a kid we love riding on the top in the front of double decker buses. Don't forget London is a damp cold especially in January. Don't forget jet lag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Running the race Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 We liked the Rick Steves book. Definitely do The Tower of London and the double-decker buses. It might be too cold to enjoy the bus, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 In preparation for London, the kids might enjoy Katie in London by James Mayhew and then going to all the places in the book. Trafalgar Square, The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, London Eye etc. I read a review where the people took a lion soft toy with them and then took pictures with the kids and the lion at the various stops. Katie's picture show is set in the National Gallery in London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Where in England are you travelling to for the wedding? You could have a look on the National trust website and English heritage Website for a lot of ideas. Though a lot of places will be closed in January. The UK is definitely damp and cold and grey in January and often things are on go slow because of snow or frozen slush holding up roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) Where in England are you travelling to for the wedding? You could have a look on the National trust website and English heritage Website for a lot of ideas. Though a lot of places will be closed in January. The UK is definitely damp and cold and grey in January and often things are on go slow because of snow or frozen slush holding up roads. :iagree: Where? North Wales is great for Castles The Scottish/English border is great with Hadrian's wall ruins, and the lake district nearby (swallows and amazons) Wiltshire is full of cute little villages with thatched roof cottages. The town of Lacock ( filmed in Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter etc...) Longleat is amazing (a historic home you can tour with a drive around Safari Park) We stayed here for 5 days and LOVED it http://www.centerparcs.co.uk/villages/longleat/index.jsp In Watford they have the new Harry Potter exhibit at Leavedson Studios which is supposed to be wonderful. Cornwall has the Poldark mines, cliffs, Lands end, St. Michaels mount and lots of Arthurian legend. Unless you are driving in the area, Stonehenge is really not worth the detour nowadays. You can't roam through it. Portsmouth is a nice city with a lot of naval history including a great d-day museum. People always talk about storming the beach at Normandy, but Portsmouth is where they left from. There are a lot of historic ships there to tour. Bath is well, Bath. Interesting and pretty town. London is great. We like the Strand Palace hotel. It is walking distance to Trafalgar Square and St. James park (and just around the corner from the theater showing the Lion King) They have a GREAT included breakfast and good deals. The eye and the Tower of London are both fun. Hampton Court is also cool. It was Henry the 8th's summer palace and has a cool maze. Edited November 10, 2012 by Northwest_Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Remember to plan around short days: the daylight is short in January. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Any recommended must-see sights for our trip? Yes, Nashville, TN has a replica of the Parthenon. While your here pick me up and then we can go on to England.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Unless you are driving in the area, Stonehenge is really not worth the detour nowadays. You can't roam through it. Stonehenge is best viewed from the nearly permanent traffic jam on the A303 on the way to somewhere else. We went to Bath 2 weeks ago and the Roman Baths are really good, they have really improved the museum since I last went there 10yrs or so ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) The Harry Potter Studio tour in Watford is fabulous for the serious fan. If you haven't seen the movies not nearly as great. The kids and I loved it. Dh loved us seeing it all. We love the zoos and animal parks here. Really different creatures frequently from the US. Depending on what part of the country you are in that might be a fun option. Remember it is damp and rainy year around. Waterproof jackets are needed. If it snows pretty much everything stops. Off the beaten path historical attractions close for January and February frequently so plan your itinerary to avoid disappointment. Also at Christmas it is dark at 3:30. We gain a minute or two each day after. Make sure to make the most of the attractions during daylight hours. In our village the shops even tend to close early. The door may say 5 but I know to be there by 4 if I need something. Edited November 10, 2012 by sawuk spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 The Lake Country, thanks to the Romantic poets, I've always wanted to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 The Lake Country, thanks to the Romantic poets, I've always wanted to go. The Lake District in winter can be very bleak: chilly, wet and dark. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 The Lake District in winter can be very bleak: chilly, wet and dark. Laura As opposed to how it is at the end of May: chilly and wet. ;) My first question, already asked, is where in England? I'll have more to say once I know the answer to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 We liked so much of England! One place that hasn't been mentioned is Canterbury. Loved the cathedral, and there was a cute attraction that was like a puppet show or a Disney attraction, which reinacted some of the Canterbury Tales. Also Coventry Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral were pretty spectacular. The bombed-out section of Coventry was quite bleak and powerful, and the new part was inspiring. One thing I loved in that part was standing at the altar; they have these large concrete column thingies along the walls, and when you stand at the back, you can't really see the stained glass on the walls. It focuses you on the large tapestry of Christ at the altar. Then you go to the altar, standing "with Christ," turn around, and, because of the way those columns are angled, you can look down the sanctuary and see all the incredibly beautiful windows. It's definitely a metaphor! For me, it speaks to suffering and just life focusing us on Christ, then later, when we stand beside him, we can look at our past and see all the beauty in that life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 As opposed to how it is at the end of May: chilly and wet. ;) My first question, already asked, is where in England? I'll have more to say once I know the answer to that. Most of the west of the UK is very wet most of the year but March to June is often the nicest time of year. It's more showers and sun than grey torrential downpour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Most of the west of the UK is very wet most of the year but March to June is often the nicest time of year. It's more showers and sun than grey torrential downpour. I was mostly joking. I should have been more clear. I don't think we experienced typical May weather when we were there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 The gardens are also at their best from March to June. I love all the daffodils in March and April. They are planted all over -- even beside the road. The weather here is unpredictable at best. This year our area had two weeks of sun and seventy plus. It was at the beganning of March and we were visiting the US. :lol: This has been the worst (rainy) year in a really long time. I think someone said 55 years. We are all feeling a bit negative about the weather right now. Really grateful that we home ed. We tend to cancil class for sunny days.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted November 10, 2012 Author Share Posted November 10, 2012 Thanks for all the great advice. Yes, I'm bummed it is going to be January... I'm *praying praying praying* for good weather... My first question, already asked, is where in England? I'll have more to say once I know the answer to that. We will probably start out in London, probably having a week and a half before we need to be in Leicester for the wedding. We hope to take some day trips out of London. We could also stay a night or two elsewhere. However, we are not planning to have a car, so we can only stay in places where we can get around on public transportation (or with tours). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 There is so much to choose from. Each time we go back we are able to hit up a new castle or site. The kids enjoyed Warwick and Leeds Castle. We liked the older ones. I can't recall the name of my favorite...It starts with a C and you have to cross a big bridge to get to it... I'm from Texas so even just walking the villages with all the shops was fun for me as our shopping tends to be very spread out and not nearly as quaint. I will say, January is stinking cold for this Texas girl. The first time I visited I was SHOCKED at how cold it was. My (future) DH had to take me to get a warmer coat because I couldn't even sit indoors comfortably without one! I think as long as you dress warm though you will still have a great time. We are headed back over in May after my SIL has her baby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Thanks for all the great advice. Yes, I'm bummed it is going to be January... I'm *praying praying praying* for good weather... We will probably start out in London, probably having a week and a half before we need to be in Leicester for the wedding. We hope to take some day trips out of London. We could also stay a night or two elsewhere. However, we are not planning to have a car, so we can only stay in places where we can get around on public transportation (or with tours). Hmm. The public transportation part throws out most of my recommendations. We've always spent most of our time outside London and with a car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 (edited) You can get to Brighton on the Train in an hour from London. London to Bath is by train is about an hour and a half. It's probably not a bad time to visit Bath. It's crazy busy with tourists normally but I imagine it should be relatively quiet in January. I just found this site that might be useful. Edited November 10, 2012 by lailasmum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juelle Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 York. A couple of hours north on the train. Roman walls, the Shambles, Yorvik Viking Museum, the Minster. Love, love, love. Yorkshire has a different feel from the south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassy Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 York. A couple of hours north on the train. Roman walls, the Shambles, Yorvik Viking Museum, the Minster. Love, love, love. Yorkshire has a different feel from the south. :iagree: It's much less crowded. I've lived in many parts of the UK, but North Yorkshire has a much more relaxed, friendly feel than anywhere else I've lived. We have lots of wonderful countryside, castles, and abbeys. It also tends to be rather less wet and windy than the west coast beauty spots. They "do a good cold" though, as we were told when we first moved here. I love North Yorkshire :001_wub:. Rutland, England's smallest county, is right next to Leicester, and is very pretty. There are a number of historic houses: Rockingham Castle, Burghley House; Rutland Water, an enormous man made reservoir, provides wonderful recreational facilities, but probably not in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 We love York. They also have a museum built on Roman ruins and an attraction called the Dig where you participate in archaeological digs through history. I thought my kids were too old but they love it. Best of all the train goes into York direct with a really easy walk to several nice hotels. You should get a Historic Palace pass for your stay in London. That will give you the Tower, Kensington, and Hampton Court which are all great. It also does Kew Palace, where "mad" George was exiled to, which we found fascinating. You still need to pay for Kew garden admission and the underground is slightly farther away then the others--but walkable. Kew is great but not sure about in January for the amount of time the outing will take. Windsor can also be reached out of London fairly easily by train. Great castle and lovely town. Easy day trip. Leeds Castle can be done by train out of London also. We went on our honeymoon. It remains my personal favorite anywhere. You do need to arrange transprtation on the other end. Someone at the castle, if you email, might be able to help with that. It takes about 10 minutes from the train station. You could look into a private hire car for that. They are like taxis except must be prebooked. Price and times agreed upfront. The museums in London are fabulous. Our favorite is the Natural History Museum. When my ds was 8 we went to the British Library and British Museum in one afternoon. He was really proud of the fact that he had seen a Guttenburg(??) Bible and the Rosetta Stone all in one hour! I think you can have a great time in January as long as you don't expect too much from our weather. The tourist sites should be slow. In reality probably a good time if you are based in London and dress appropriately. I cannot stress enough the need for warm waterproof jackets. If you stay reasonably warm and dry between destinations you will enjoy yourselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Waterproof coats (warm) and waterproof shoes. We went this summer and had to buy shoes for 2 kids ($$$$$). We really needed 2 waterproof pairs of shoes each, so one could dry while the other was on. As long as you're prepared to keep going through the wet, cold, and dark, you will have great fun. I recommend Fodors and Frommers guidebooks. See what else your library has, I found a couple of "London on a budget" type books that I don't remember the exact titles of. Trains are great and you can get anywhere. I second York, walking on the roman walls and seeing the dates made one of my dc say, "This was here not long after Christ and now I'm standing here. It makes it seem like it wasn't so long ago." It was a moment that made history seem recent. We gave all our dc a bit of money and they loved buying souvenirs and sweets and postcards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 Depending upon when you go you could try to catch a panto. Some of them run to the middle of the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 What's a panto? ETA--Oh, a pantomine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 What's a panto? ETA--Oh, a pantomine? Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaM Posted November 10, 2012 Share Posted November 10, 2012 York. A couple of hours north on the train. Roman walls, the Shambles, Yorvik Viking Museum, the Minster. Love, love, love. Yorkshire has a different feel from the south. :iagree: oh yes, the Viking Museum is really neat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 The Lake District in winter can be very bleak: chilly, wet and dark. Laura As opposed to all of England in the winter? ;) I wondered if it would be the place to go in the winter, but then maybe it would be Romantic? Or do you need a windswept moor for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 As opposed to all of England in the winter? ;) I would aim for visiting buildings on a winter trip to Britain, not scenery. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 (edited) As opposed to all of England in the winter? ;) I wondered if it would be the place to go in the winter, but then maybe it would be Romantic? Or do you need a windswept moor for that? I live on a windswept moor, trust me it's not romantic. More muddy, cold and full of sheep and bogs. It's pretty for the 5 minutes the sun comes out. Edited November 11, 2012 by lailasmum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Innocent Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I would aim for visiting buildings on a winter trip to Britain, not scenery. Laura Quote:Originally Posted by Candid As opposed to all of England in the winter? I wondered if it would be the place to go in the winter, but then maybe it would be Romantic? Or do you need a windswept moor for that? I live on a windswept moor, trust me it's not romantic. More muddy, cold and full of sheep and bogs. It's pretty for the 5 minutes the sun comes out. So true. Windswept moors and UK scenery are great in the winter, IF you are reading about them tucked up in a blanket in front of a roaring fire. The romance wears off pretty quickly in reality, unless you are hardened hikers and like that sort of thing! And with children, terrible. Accessible by train from London, I would say Portsmouth for the naval history (as much as I hate to say it, coming from the rival city Southampton), Winchester for the Cathedral and history and York for the above mentioned reasons. Maybe you could visit somewhere in the Midlands like Birmingham for some industrial history. The Back to Backs Museum is supposed to be good - http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/birmingham-back-to-backs/. I don't know if it would be possible, but if you were in York would you be able to get to Pickering? If so, you could take the steam train across the North York Moors to Whitby, also well worth a visit - http://www.nymr.co.uk/. If you go to Whitby you need to find somewhere to eat fish and chips (as in proper English fish and chips, with mushy peas, brown bread and butter, and a cup of tea!). One of the stations on the North York Moors is Goatland, which has Harry Potter connections. I've just realised I've completely contradicted myself by suggesting the North York Moors, but I guess from a steam train it could be OK, although whether you would be able to see through the rain, mist and murk is another matter! I hope the weather holds out for you! Emma x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I live on a windswept moor, trust me it's not romantic. More muddy, cold and full of sheep and bogs. It's pretty for the 5 minutes the sun comes out. I was thinking big R Romantic. Mont Blanc and all that (although Mont Blanc is in Switzerland). There's a kind of underlying misery, "I fall upon the thorns of life, I bleed" mentality in Romantic poetry. So maybe the Lake Country in winter would work (although it would be nice to see daffodils). BUT you are right, probably a more enjoyable vacation will be inside. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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