We run a travel blog, Family Travel Times, which is written by Sarah, Jess and Robert.
Jess and Robert are 12 and 8, and as kids themselves, they have decided to tell you what they like to do on holiday in the UK. Don’t worry, it’s not all theme parks and sweet shops (although they definitely do play a big part!).
Over to Jess and Robert:
When we go on holiday we like to do a variety of things – not just sit on a beach or play in a park (although we enjoy doing that too).
We nearly always spend some time visiting somewhere like a museum or castle, and have a good time as mum has always checked in advance that these are places which will suit us and which welcome children.
Robert loves audio guides, because they give you lots of information and sometimes include videos or interactive quizzes. He finds that you learn more from audio guides, as they usually go into much more detail than basic displays and prefers listening to something rather than reading it.
Our Tip:
Check if a place has an audio guide, and especially one aimed specifically at children
The Roman Baths in Bath, Buckingham Palace and Hever Castle in Kent are examples of these
Something else we both look for in a museum is lots of interaction. The Science Museum in London, @Bristol, the science museum in Bristol and the Winchester Science Centre all offer some great hands-on things to try.
Our Tip:
Costumed guides can really make history come alive, so look for Living History Museums
Living history is a great way to be educated and have fun, and Ironbridge in Telford, The Black Country Museum, in the West Midlands, and Beamish, near Durham, are all great.
We absolutely adored Beamish, as there was so much to see and do. The best bit was them making sweets right in front of us!
We would also recommend two living history ships, – the RSS Discovery in Dundee and HMS Belfast in London. We even tried out semaphoring on HMS Belfast (it’s more difficult than you think!).
For some reason, our family seems to visit a lot of castles which are always great to walk around.
We went to Gorey Castle in Jersey when we were younger, and both remember having a fantastic day.
There was lots to learn, but also lots for kids, such as dressing up.
Jess is keen on taking walks and going sight-seeing.
London is an obvious choice for this, but Shropshire is perfect for taking long walks as it is incredibly beautiful, and there is loads of space to run around and play games.
The Scottish highlands are magnificent, and we also loved the open bus tour in Bristol, as we learnt loads and there was a real person with us to give us facts, instead of a pre-recorded tape.
Our Tip:
Make sure you mix visits to the country and city. We stayed in Newcastle which was great for shopping and eating out, but really near beautiful countryside.
All kids love animals, so zoos are the perfect choice to spend time with kids.
The ZSL Zoo in Regents Park has something for everyone, but we also adored the zoo in Bristol, especially the meerkats!
For something a little outside the box, try Woburn Safari Park: you get to go up close to loads of animals, such as tigers, lions and rhinos.
We adore beaches, especially ones with piers. The Grand Pier in Weston Super Mare is awesome! It has a gigantic arcade and loads of rides, like a ghost train and one that spins you upside down above all of the games.
We know that the weather in the UK isn’t brilliant, but beaches are still great on a hot day, and we have visited some lovely ones, including on Mull in Scotland and Connemara in West Ireland.
Some more things that we like to do on holidays are theme parks like Legoland, parks, and Groombridge Place, and seeing shows in the West End.
Robert also likes scary places ike the London Dungeons, London Tombs and the London Bridge Experience and ghost trains across the country!
Six Super Tips For Holidaying In The UK With Children
1) Make sure there are places to run around and parks nearby – our mum often researches this beforehand.
2) Always ask the children for their opinion on where you are going, or explain why you think it will be fun (don’t just say it is a museum!)
3) Make sure the museums you visit are kid-friendly.
4) Don’t do too much without stopping off for a treat such as a drink or ice-cream to break up the day.
5) Get to places early before there are lots of queues.
6) Once your children get older, try to find places to stay which will offer them separate beds (we really don’t like sharing a double beds!).
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