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.

Isle of Wight is a good call. On top of what @HateTheView said it also has a very good bus service aimed for tourists so it would be easy

Train from Birmingham to Aberystwyth. You can then travel all along the coast by train - Aberdyfi, Tywyn, Barmouth, Harlech for days out. All small places so everything within walking distance when you get there.

Lots of seaside resorts are quite big and have stations e.g. Weymouth, Tenby, Blackpool, Llandudno etc.

Center Parcs Woburn has a shuttle bus service linking it to the nearest station.

North Wales coast is easily accessible by train.

Train to the Lake District & hire mountain bikes to explore.

Train to Edinburgh - there is a beach there.

Canal boat?

Ive done the new forest without a car and it was ok, the train and boat to the IoW was a great experience. We did have bikes though and camped near Brockenhurst.

Id also recommend Warwick, great castle and the town is walkable from the town station. Then Stratford upon Avon is reachable from Warwick Station. Birmingham is easy to access from Warwick Station for the science museum there. Cadbury world is accruable by train as there is a station at Bournville - you need to change to New Street Station, so a short walk from Moorhill.

Have you ever thought about a canal holiday?

We used not to have a car, and our usual strategy was to base ourselves in a small city/town, and do days out from there - if you're starting from the big place, there's usually public transport to local attractions and nice walks outside the city. It's starting in the countryside which doesn't work. Chester was good, York would work well.

How about somewhere like PGL? Once you're there, they take you yo the various activities. I think they'll pick you up from nearby stations too.

I'm Cornish. It will take you around 5 hours to get from Paddington to London costing £300 - £400 for a family of 4 without a railcard. It is a beautiful trip, which is what I meant about treating the train trip as part of the holiday.

Train to penzance, travel to Isles of scilly. Not big enough to need any form of transport.

However - I'd recommend you get used to having motion sickness medicines if your DC are this debilitated by motor vehicle transport.

If they struggle with 10 minutes on a bus, I'm not sure how they'll manage on the Vomit Comet to the Isles of Scilly! Still, they could fly.

When are you planning to go away?

Lake District totally possible by train, direct to Penrith which is a decent town, or Oxenholme on the edge of the Lakes and then another train to Kendal/Windermere

Hello. I was a child sick child that by my teens hd largely grown out of it.

As a child my mum dosed me on sea legs pills.

As an adult - I do still get queasy but know my triggers, one is actually the back seat which is tough for kids as that is where they have to sit.

Bit limiting if they can’t travel by bus once they get to Penrith or Windermere though!

30 yrs plus without a car. Nearly 18 with DC. It’s fine if you accept that you must pay for taxis for certain trips. We have done Scotland (inc Skye, Arran) Cornwall, Lake District etc. Sometimes it’s an improvement, for example… journey from Cornwall to London during recent high winds reasonably ok with done delays via train; journey by car 8.5 hrs in traffic jams.

PS we don’t do coach travel in general. Buses for shorter trips, but never coaches.

Ok, Lakes has actual buses as well as Mountain Goat ones and plenty of them. Oxenholme is for Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere in South Lakes. For North Lakes you need Penrith as your rail stop. The 555 Lakes bus connects them all and more. Taxis are available too.

If worried about travel sickness, a bus is better than a coach. A Mountain Goat is a touring mini bus.

Yes, definitely quicker and less expensive by train, I agree

Not sure if anyone has suggested this but you get medication for travel sickness for children. During lockdown when we weren't driving anywhere DD started getting travel sick on longer journeys and the meds did help. I get very sick as well and used to take them every time I went on a slightly longer journey unless I was driving myself. They work like a charm (but make you sleepy thought dd's meds didn't have that effect on her).

Easier than that, in fact, if you want St Ives change at St Erth. Out of Paddington there is also Teignmouth, Dawlish and gazillions of other places in Devon and Cornwall.

If a taxi is an option, Penrith to Keswick is no problem. Been doing it for years. If you are going to Windermere there is enough to do (although not hill walking proper) right there

I’m really intrigued by all these mumsnetters who have been to seaside resorts and not realised they have train stations. I’ve not seen Yorkshire mentioned much here. It’s full of walks and places with railway stations. If one does not want to drive - a decision we made more than 10 yrs before we had a child - it’s more than possible to do anything you want. Agreed, it’s more limited if your DC has bus/car sickness, but not difficult.

My top tip, don’t camp or stay in a holiday camp. They are rarely near anything useful
like the beach or a mountain. Lake District tip - Cumbria is a different thing from The Lake District, be careful not to end up miles from anywhere

Train to Glasgow and then the West Coast line to Mallaig is a wonderful journey.

You can get a boat to Inverie for the day, or the train back to Arisaig for a gorgeous sandy beach.

Glasgow to Ardrossan and ferry to Arran, or to Largs and ferry to Millport for the day and hire bikes, or Wemyss Bay and ferry to Rothesay, or Gourock and ferry to Dunoon, or Balloch and you're at Loch Lomand.

Train to Aviemore and then lots of bikeable trails or a trip on the Strathspey railway (steam train) or carry on to Inverness.

Loads of options, even more if you find something that works enough that shorter bus/taxi trips become possible.