needing a car and UK holidays

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Been researching a few places to go to for a short break and my impression is that most place nowadays need a car. We live in London, dont own a car and DC both get too car sick to travel by car. Yes, we've gone to a few places in Kent but otherwise so much of advice on internet is 'a quick drive to....just park there...' Never quite realised just how limiting not driving would be when planning a holiday with kids in the UK.

There are some very scenic rail journeys around, so you could do a two or three centre holiday. Worth Valley Railway (Railway Children) connects to the main railway network at Keighley, and you can get a train to Saltaire and to Bingley for the 5 Rise lock. I think there's a railway in N Wales that connects to the main railway running up the coast. Landmark Trust have a station that can only be reached by rail.

What about the East Sussex coast Get the train from
Victoria
Loads of tiny train stops from Brighton to Hastings . You can camp at Norman's bay or stay in any of towns
Brighton for the lanes
Hastings for the arcades / rides / fish n chip shops
Battle for the battle of Hastings battleground
Lewes - away from seaside is a lovely historic town

All have their own train station
( I realise I sound like the East Sussex tourist board there lol )

Train to Ilfracombe and across to Lundy Island - no cars allowed there. No sandy beach, but good rockpool hunting and lots to look at on the island - I would have enjoyed it as a child but not all children would.

I agree it's not easy - there are lots of places you can get to but then you can't get to the attractions

My recommendations are mostly centered around cities:

Margate - nice short hop on the train from London, good beach etc

Birmingham - yes I know but hear me out.. great science museum and other things to do, public transport is pretty good

For a longer trip - Liverpool - Chester - Rhyl as a combination gives a nice variety of things

You need to turn the train into part of the adventure. Catch the sleeper to Edinburgh or Penzance. Ead to the IoW. Pick an area with good local rail and bus networks. Hire bikes at Brockenhurst in thd New Forest.

Dose your children up with Kwells, travel bands and encourage them to look out of the window, not at screens, books or gadgets. Most children grow out of travel sickness, especially if they aren't thinking about it.

Up to Manchester and then train into North Wales would also work.

We have been to Dawlish Warren by train - pick the right holiday park and you are walking distance from the beach, train station and Dawlish town. There's also a sainsburys within walking distance. If you brought bikes there is the Exe Estuary bike trail to do too.

There are loads of places you can go without a car. My SIL doesn't drive because her eyesight isn't good enough and she goes all over the world and all over the UK.

City breaks are obviously a good option but there are often other places you can get to by train or bus or by coach tour. I would recommend any of:

Cardiff
York
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Liverpool/Chester/Manchester/Southport/Formby (all easy by train and you can also get the train along the North Wales coast)
Belfast and eg Carrickfergus by train
Exeter and you can go to places like Exmouth, Torquay and Teignmouth by train
Falmouth
Channel Islands - as a pp said Jersey has an excellent bus service and so does Guernsey and they are both easy to cycle round too
Portsmouth, Chichester and the Isle of Wight (there is a limited train service so you can see part of the island)

Hopefully your dc will grow out of the car sickness.

I’d persevere with the travel sickness remedies to be honest. I used to get it as did one of my sons but now Sturgeron has cured all that. Have also done travel bands, acupuncture pressure points, looking at the horizon, sucky sweets - and always carried sick bags! Your GP may be able to help too.

Scottish islands. Train from London to Glasgow, train from Glasgow to Oban, ferry to island (loads to choose from). Most of the islands are great fun to get around on foot.

Train to Dorset.
You have Bournemouth beach, swanage, lulworth cove. All reachable by bus.
I had car sickness and my parents just used to make me carry a bag with me.

There's a train set ice through the Dark Peak (northern Peak District) that joins Sheffield and Manchester, and additional buses put on in the summer for tourists.

The Lake District has an extensive bus service run by "Mountain Goat", and nearby main line stations at Oxenholme, Lancaster (we used to then get a local train across Morecambe Bay to Grange over Sands), Carlisle.

Or York! Great holiday destination in itself, plus trains to Whitby, Scarborough, Leeds - and only about 2.6 hrs from LKX.

We don't drive and have been all over the UK. The train network is actually really good and you'll be able to do anything from rural hillwalking, to beaches to city breaks. You can even intentionally plan to go on scenic train journeys as part of the holiday, there's some really lovely routes. The main thing to get the hang of is packing light and everyone carrying their own rucksack.

I'd also recommend the chewable stugeron and the packs of sick bags you can buy on Amazon so you're prepared just in case. We all get travel sick as a family, the kids even do on trains sometimes, and I find stugeron works really well at preventing the kids from being sick. That will just let you get a bus or taxi from the train station to those little places that might be too far a walk for kids.

I go to Tenby by train. Stop in Cardiff as its around 5 hours from London to Tenby. Tenby is lovely 😍

My parents are in Dawlish right now, and was where we always went from me being a baby.

No car, go by train as we always did (3 children).

I went to the Isle of Wight and my DC and I got the bid to different attractions.
Butlins would work too.

Something like Woburn Centre Parcs? I haven’t been to it but I think the point of it is that you can get there on the thameslink and a short connection. And then you needn’t leave once there.

I realise CP is pricey and not everyone’s cup of tea though

Or just take the direct train from London Euston.

Could even get the sleeper to Fort William. Change there straight onto the Jacobite steam train. I stayed in Arisaig which was great for the small islands

These are all great ideas! Thank you. We do use the tablets when needs be but realistically it means that we have to get somewhere as a base and only use trains/bikes thereafter. Whereas in the UK my impression is that cars are actually most useful for day trips etc. I really hope they grow out of it.

You are reading advice from car-dependent people.

Compared to other countries British public transport is mid-tier, but there's still over 2,500 railway stations in Great Britain and more bus routes. The majority of cities, towns, and seaside resorts are no problem. Remote countryside is more of a challenge, but Snowdonia for one has some rail links and a good bus network.

You can reach parts of Cornwall by train! You might have to change trains but it’s perfectly do-able.

Maybe you just need to embrace the vomit. I got terribly car sick when I was a child in the 1960s. Air travel wasn’t so much of a thing then but I was lucky enough to vomit all over the the UK and continental Europe.

Fond memories.

Train up to Penrith in the Lakes. Bus to Keswick. Then you can use the Derwentwater launch to sail around and stop off at various points on the Lake. Carry a pic nic, rugs and towels between you and swimming/paddling wear if it’s warm. There are parks with play areas, swimming pool with a water slide, climbing walk etc, little museums.