Middle UK, big chance to see stuff, what should we do/avoid

[Ohthepressure]

We're visiting family and friends in May/June for the first time in a few years, we're currently living abroad. We have DS (12) who is currently channelling teenager-dom, and who is also, as of this year, home educated (long story...)

So we want to make the best of our opportunity to "do" the (middle of the) UK in an appropriately educational and yet fun fashion, while squeezing in the rellies and friends we are duty bound to see (and whom we love dearly but who are the reason why I have name changed .)

Plan so far is :

1. 5 days in and around Cardiff - jet lag recovery, Dr Who Experience and Roman Bath by train are on the list so far.
2. 7 days in and around Sheffield. mainly friend visiting, done Jorvik, no sure what else to do apart form Millhouses Park, maybe Chatsworth. It will be school half term so a bit manic.
3. 5 days in Paris, that's a whole 'nother thread...
4. Some time in London, c. 5-7 days, travelling from Hemel/ Aylesbury area. Thinking about Museum of London, British Museum, Film Museum, Greenwich Observatory, Ripleys Believe it or Not, Hamleys/Harrods etc, and the Science Museum. plus local stuff to there, including Bletchley Park, Oxford (not so local but more so than where we currently are...)
5. Some time somewhere else, maybe Warwick/ Stratford / National Space Centre.

I'm not keen on doing the south coast or Lakes without some serious persuasion as we'll be driving everywhere and DS starts whinging after 5 minutes.

Any bright ideas?

When in Cardiff:

• drive an hour north and walk up Penyfan in the Brecon Beacons
• go white water rafting at the white water centre in Cardiff Bay
• visit St Fagans outdoor museum in Cardiff
• drive 40 mins or so to Southerndown, a fantastic beach with coastal walk
• Do Segway or High Ropes at Mountain View Ranch just north of Cardiff near Caerphilly
• visit Big Pit near Blaenavon and go underground in an old coal mine.

40 mins drive from Cardiff is Merthyr Tydfil - super historic. Check out Cyfarthfa Park and museum etc.

For your "time somewhere else" take the train to Edinburgh. Then you'll have done England, Wales and Scotland. (And Edinburgh is stupendously beautiful.)

From either Bath or Oxford you're within an hour or so of Avebury, Stonehenge, Silbury Hill, Glastonbury ...

With a week in Sheffield you could run across the Penines to Manchester and Liverpool. And then go in the opposite direction into Yorkshire.

Only word of caution - your itinerary is going to be hard work with a whinging pre-teen. (Any reason for driving everywhere? There are some magnificent train hour use to be had ...)

... I didn't actually write "train hour use"

Meant magnificent train journeys to be had.

Thanks for the ideas, food for thought there. I'm afraid the car is unavoidable as it's far cheaper to hire one from start to finish than faff about dropping off and picking up, as we'll need one in various places.

Hmmm...

Bletchley Park is great and very easy to get to from Aylesbury of Hemel. However if you do go, make sure you go to the Museum of National Computing at the same time - it's in some of the old huts on Bletchley Park, and it has great exhibitions.

If you go at the weekend or during the holidays they often have events on. At the moment they are running starting to code sessions for kids during the weekends (and how cool to then be able to say that you learnt to code at the home of the computer!), have minecraft and lego technics sessions, and over the easter holidays there's lots of stuff going on in their easter bytes programme with a robot theme, including demos of bomb disposal robots. They run similar sessions in the summer usually too.

And if you are in MK for that then there are lots of things that are more physical that might be good for a 12 year old to get rid of some energy and do something a bit different - indoor ski-ing on snow, zip wire over the water, bike hire of wacky bikes, aerial extreme obstacle courses in the tree tops, laser quest/spy missions, etc etc

Might make a change!

Harry Potter World near Hemel
Space Centre at Leicester

RSC often have workshops in school holidays and weekends, canal trip along the Avon?

if you go to the National Space centre ( Leicester) go with low expectations ,there used to be a museum of sewage next door which was more interesting - this was a few years back so I'm not sure if it's still there . Woburn Abbey / safari park have a Go Ape next door which may entertain your DS , as does Leeds Castle in Kent which is doable from London . Dover Castle is also great and Battle abbey is a nice walk .

Shame he doesnt like the driving, our would love something at the coast like sailing or fishing boat trip at Falmouth or Paleontlogy at Charmouth. Or maybe Whitewater rafting or kayaking.

Ours also loved the RSC and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust houses at Stratford upon avon, St Fagan's museum near Cardiff and Slimbridge nature reserve.

RAF Cosford is amazing and in Middle England!

Hampton court palace also very good.