Family trip this summer to England and Scotland

tcufrog

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
Hi.

I'm planning a family trip for a month to England and Scotland. Along for the ride are DS7, DS11 and DH. While I've been to England several times, none of the others have been there. My dh has traveled to many other countries and moved to the US for college but he's only transited through London airports. We're very excited about this trip and trying to plan one that will appeal everyone, which is proving to be challenging since we all have such different interests.

We're going to be there from late June-late July. I was hoping to make the trip earlier but we had to plan around a family wedding. We'll fly into Heathrow, have a 3 hour layover there and then fly to Edinburgh. We'll spend 3 nights there and then go to Ceres for the Highland games. I know it's not the biggest or fanciest but the timing is perfect and I think it will be fun for us to do. My dh would spend the entire trip at archaeological sites and the British Museum if he had his way but DS7 would mutiny if we did that. We're still trying to decide what to do next. There's too many fun things to do and it's overwhelming.

We plan to spend a week in Scotland, the third week in SW England and the final week in London before we fly home. We're still trying to work out the second week. We have some friends in the Lake District who want us to visit and some friends who will be flying home to Oxfordshire who wish to see us too. We're trying to see if we can work those stops in without skipping something we really want to do.

I could use some help with a few things.

1. What part of town do y'all recommend we stay in in London? We want to do the typical touristy things since most of the family has never been there and we want to be close to a subway stop on a major line. We're going to rent a flat so that we can hopefully do laundry and eat breakfast at home to save money. I know the good ones book quickly so I need to book that ASAP.

2. We may have to rent a car to visit some of the more remote places we wish to go to. Do y'all have any advice for that? Are there any companies you prefer?

3. My dh is Indian with darker skin and he's made a few joking comments that make me wonder if he's worried about discrimination. I know that England is very diverse and has a large Indian population. I do also know that there have been some issues post Brexit. How concerned should he be realistically and are there any common sense things he should do while there?

4. We've never taken such a long trip together and I'm hoping we all return without killing each other. Do you have any advice for keeping the family peace?
 
Hi There

Im sure there will be some posters along soon that can help you with London and Edinburgh, do you have any plans at all to pop down to beautiful Wales for a couple of days? If you do let me know as I live in the capital Cardiff and can help you with anything from the City and surrounding area's. Hope you have a wonderful trip.:goodvibes:goodvibes
 
Car hire Pick up at Edinburgh airport Try Holiday Autos.com or rentalcars .com

You get a Pre Paid voucher ( Must show it at desk ) Make sure fuel is FULL to FULL & Unlimited MILAGE

I am sure you can pay in $ check the settings

We stayed at Edinburgh Castle Hotel with Breakfast & paid for Dinner .... Bus to Edinburgh City is a 2 min walk

A Hop on Hop off Bus is the Best way to see the Castle ....( free to walk till Pay part entrance ) . & the rest of City

Then go and Explore with your hired car.

...................

In London Make sure you take the Full Tour of Tower Bridge ( the one that opens up ) as

you can see how the Bridge opening works. And also walk up high in the towers .

.............
 


Woodview...
I actually blew my kids’ mind by telling them yesterday that the bridge people think of when they talk about London Bridge is really the Tower Bridge and that there have been many London Bridges, one of which is in Arizona of all places. I love the idea of the tour although my dh and DS7 may stay on the ground since they’re afraid of heights.

Thanks for the car hire suggestions. Do the companies allow you to pick up in Scotlandand drop off in England?

Finchy3...
Thanks for the recommendation. My dh has suggested a Thames boat ride so now I can cross that off my list.
 
hi @tcufrog I just have a few minutes but I will come back with a longer reply.

Just as far as your DH being Indian. In London he will just blend in, London is extremely multi cultural and diverse.

In Endinburgh the same, while not as diverse and multi cultural as London, there are plenty of nationalities.

Its just when you move out of the major cities that areas are not as multi cultural and diverse. In London for example, he would just be one of many, in more rural areas he might stand out more. One of my friends is from Chilli and her husband is from Nigeria. When they lived in London, they never had any issues, but when the moved to Norfolk they faced alot of racial abuse. Another friend is Sikh and her husband is from Ghana. They live in Lincolnshire. Again when they lived in London, they never had any issues but she has said since Brexit they have seen an increase in racial abuse directed at them.
 


Correction to My previous Post.

The Hotel we stayed in was The Holiday Inn 132 Corstorphine Rd Edinburgh EH 126UA


It has a indoor swim pool so bring Swim Gear

A Bus stop to catch bus to city center is a 2 min walk

As you go towards Hop on Hop off bus Look out for the TRAVEL INFORMATION Office

Where you can ask for good Free Road Maps of Scotland .

There is a great attraction for the family , a few miles West from the City Center , which is A " Lifting Passenger Boat " Hoist on a Canal .

Another Attraction is Balmoral Castle .... look it up

DO NOT FORGET your TRAVEL PLUGS / Adapters for charging things .. A 3 pin flat Type ( NOT EUROPEAN PLUGS which are 2 pin round )
 
If you want to visit castles go to Stirling Castle much better and far more interesting than Edinburgh Castle. Stirling is also a lovely historical little city. Easy to walk round and plenty to see. Lots of good places to eat and drink.

The Helix park in Falkirk is nice to visit - you can see 'The Kelpies' sculptures there and you can also visit the Falkirk Wheel.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top