WHERE SHOULD WE GO?

[StayCalmMary]

Young couple with a 4-year-old toddler!!!! Looking for a coll getaway from Dublin to the U.K..... Any advice?

When and how long?

Hiring a car or using public transport

4 days/3 nights

We could do both but preferably public transport, keep costs down !

You could fly to Southampton and then get the ferry to the Isle of Wight, bus/train it plus good beaches

Fly to Southampton, get train from right outside the airport to Wareham, then bus down to Swanage. Great for small children plus hourly bus to Studland, Corfe Castle, good beaches and things to do if wet

Final option from me, fly to Southampton, train to Brockenhurst, base yourselves there and then can hire bikes to cycle round the New Forest, train to Lymington, or to Portsmouth

There's loads to do in Edinburgh with young children: the Zoo, Storytelling Centre, the Museum of Childhood, Camera Obscura science centre, Dynamic Earth, the Castle and the Royal Yacht Britannia.
4 is also the youngest age at which children can go Tubing at the snow sports centre on Friday afternoons.

It's worth knowing that the magical playground known as The Yard for disabled children is open to the general public on Sunday. So whether your child has a disability or not, they can enjoy the ride-ons, sandpit, mud kitchen, art room, adventure playground and soft play centre. www.theyardscotland.org.uk/paytoplay-what-it-is
This article features some of the best hotels for families in Edinburgh. The cheaper ones are further down. www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/scotland/edinburgh/articles/best-family-hotels-edinburgh/