Ideas for mid week break Oct halfterm with 2 16r old girls!

[triplets]

Hi, my two boys may be away on a camp, so it means my dd could at long last take a friend on holiday with us. We live in Kent, only want to drive max of 4 hours. Would need somewhere accessible for them to go off and wonder, somewhere with abit of life. For us it would be nice to have a garden like Wisely to visit, any ideas to keep us all happy please? Would prefer self catering for space. Thanks.

Oxford?

Never ever been or thought of it, have you been?

Milton Keynes. I know it's not the first place that springs to mind but it has lots going for it for a short break including:
Several nice national trust etc places near by with nice gardens eg Stow, Woburn (which also has a good safari park and there's now a Centre Parc there too)
Fantastic theatre so gets loads of the top touring productions
Indoor ski slope
Indoor sky diving
Bletchley Park, the National Museum of Computing (which runs fantastic events through the holidays usually if your dd like hands on tech-y stuff), Milton Keynes museum are all fascinating places that do their thing really well
MK Art Gallery
Decent cinemas
Great shopping centre
Lots of beautiful parks with all sorts of things to do in them from boats to zip wires into water to hiring bikes (all sorts of bikes not just the regular ones), aerial extreme adventure through the treetops plus there are often guided walks or events run, more so in holiday times
Salcey Forest is just down the road which has a lively treetop platform to wander around at height (as opposed to the adventure extreme version mentioned previously), plus it's nice at ground level too
a handful of Arts centres that run workshops in things like drawing, photography, ceramics, sewing and everything in between.
Roman remains (it's not quite as new a settlement as some people think)
Concrete cows!!
A casino
Football if you're into it - Mk dons currently riding high after beating Manchester united 4-0 last week (and I'm not a footie fan but apparently the stadium is very comfortable for the fans with padded seats and good parking etc)
Things like 10 pin bowling, laser shooting /paint balling spy missions and zombie experiences, off road segue 'driving'
Silverstone is just down the road, they have regular events on, not just the grand prix
Nice restaurants and eating places at a variety of price levels
Pretty countryside and nice little villages surrounding the town if you want to explore and do pub lunches
Decent hotels centrally and on the outskirts depending on what you like

There's more I'm sure but that gives a good idea of the variety of things to do! Mk often gets bad press from those who haven't been or are determined its no good because it doesnt have an old cathedral or ancient colleges or a big traditional town centre but they're missing the point - it does have plenty to offer people in lots of different ways making it a great place to live in or to visit.

Thanks, MK is def worth considering, masses of interest, thank you :)

I haven't stayed there Triplets but I've been to Oxford on day trips. Lots to look out, shopping and Botanic Gardens plus other nice places round and about for trips.
Milton Keynes sounds good though!
If you wanted to fly or train you could think about Edinburgh?

Paris. That's where I'm taking my teenage DSs at half term. Eurostar are doing deals at the moment. Booked a self-catering apartment (v central and cheaper than hotels.) We'll visit Eiffel tower, Montmartre, Louvre, do some shopping, wander along the river. Perfect short break.

If you did fancy Wisley - there are some lovely other places to visit in Surrey nearby: Claremont lake at Esher and Paines Hill garden and follies at Cobham or Polesden Lacey stately home. There are vineyards too, and loads of places to walk. Guildford is good for shopping with quirky pebbled side streets and lanes as well as big shopping centres, massive sports complex (leisure pool, bowling, ice skating etc.) Lots of chocolate box villages like Shere for coffee shops and pub lunches.

If you're in Kent and happy to drive on the continent, Brugge is nice as is Brussels, or Maastricht (sp?), stop off for a night in Ypres and explore the world war I stuff, very timely given its 100th anniversary. Lille is lovely or even Reims and the champagne region - it's a 3 hour drive from Calais and nice to explore.

Must admit though I'm one of those minority of people who was never particularly impressed with Paris - I've enjoyed other bits of France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg and Germany much more!

London.

You and dh could go to Kew Gardens and the girls could have a day at the zoo, or in Camden, or mooching along the river, or something.

You could all see a show. My teen dds really enjoyed Spitalfields Market and mooching around the Brick Lane area.

Ahhh see you said SC. Can't help there, but a couple of rooms in a Travelodge will be cheap if you book early enough.

If I lived in Kent is be in Belgium n a heartbeat!!!

Chinamoon. How did you find your Paris apartment?