A week with my 7 year old - where?

[smashmakesmash]

We live abroad and haven't been to the UK for 3 years now (thanks covid!)
I have a week with my 7 year old before rest of family come (week of 17 July so before ALL the uk schools end).
Want to show her the best of the UK - activities, fun stuff, farms, countryside. Not so interested in beaches (have that where we live). Rest of the time we'll be in London so that's covered i can hire a car and go straight from Heathrow.
Don't want crazy amount of driving (also would consider a train/car hire option too).
Right now too of my list is:
South Wales
Snowdonia area
West Midlands (seems A TON to do there and never been on my radar)
Peak District
Devon/Dorset

Any thoughts or suggestions? Husband is not from UK so feel need to fly the flag for DD who can't even remember the last time she came

There might be some useful info here for cultural events happening during your trip www.birmingham2022.com/

@Useyourfork tbf it is billed as legoland discovery centre not a theme park but ikwym. When I checked out the website it seemed like a great place to have on your doorstep with young dc for the play sessions but it’s not the kind of place that could be a ‘focus’ point of a trip from what I can gather. Probably why it’s located with the sealife centre.

@smashmakesmash , I just thought, if you do find yourself in the centre for a few hours there is a police museum too www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186402-d12875755-Reviews-West_Midlands_Police_Museum-Birmingham_West_Midlands_England.html

The peak District is lovely.
Walk at Dovedale
cycle the Tissington trail (they hire bikes) and stop for afternoon tea at the Tissington Tearooms on route
Chatsworth House is fantastic and they used to have a great farmyard with milking parlour and outdoor playground.
Ashbourne is nice to explore - home of Ashbourne GingerBread
Sudbury Childhood Museum is nice
Go on a barge trip along Cromford Canal or visit the Blue John Mines
You could also go to Matlock to the Heights of Abraham or Gulliver's Kingdom
Or go to Alton Towers
Or visit the Monkey Forest.
In terms of hotels - Alton towers have very expensive themed rooms.
The National Football Centre Hotel is a bit conferency, but well located with a great pool.
There are lots of lovely holiday cottages around.

Ohh, now I can't decide again between Peak District or North Wales!! Definitely got Midlands pinned down.

Definitely the Peaks I think! And so easy to get to from the Midlands

I think all of your ideas sound lovely. I would probably choose N Wales over the Peak District though.

On those dates the Scottish schools will be on holiday. So wherever you go, there will probably be an influx of Scots, making the most of cheaper and quieter holidays before the English schools break up.

This sounds perfect. Skip the Black Country Living Museum and do Blists Hill Victorian Town at Ironbridge instead (it's the best of all the Ironbridge Museums for a child).

I think North Wales would be better than the Peaks as it's so distinctively different from the Midlands (language, culture, topography) and will give your Dd the thought that the UK is more than just England. Llanberis would be a good base (lake, mountains, steam train), or Criceith (castle, beach, Llyn Peninsula, Portmeirion) or Conway (castle, beach, Llandudno) or Betws Y Coed (waterfalls, forests, central location, plus caverns and zip lines at Blaenau).

If you're in Snowdonia, I recommend the (free) slate museum at Llanberis. It's not massive but there's a fair bit there (and if you're trying to do lots you could combine with going up Snowdon/ on the Llanberis Lake Railway/ to the little castle in Llanberis). My favourite thing is the miners' cottages - there's three of them, each set up as they would be at a different time (and a fourth one with some interpretation stuff which I always found a bit of a let down!)

I wouldn't bother with Cadbury world it's just a tourist attraction but doesn't give any feel for England or Wales which you want your child to experience.

I'd do Warwick castle. 1 night nearby. It's amazing in the summer so much going on.
Blist hill museum 1day then stay in Shrewsbury it's like a mini York with the Tudor buildings . And lovely park and gardens on the river. Nice boat trip. 2 nights
Then drive to Snowdonia. 3 nights.
Then drive to Birmingham stay 1 night in the city.

I agree. Give them time to breath and enjoy it.

I’ve done a couple of holidays in the Peak District with my kids. Last time we stayed in Buxton and it was beautiful, lots of nice country walks, a trip to the grounds at chatsworth house was well worth the visit too!

Point taken but this IS relaxed for me, I'm normally much worse 😁I'm forcing myself to do only two places (the overnight at Warwick castle we'll do because it looks awesome but it is uber expensive so only for the one night!!)

By 17th July, lots of schools will already have broken up for summer:
All of Scotland & Northern Ireland
Most private schools in England & Wales
European schools

So whilst not 'height of summer holidays', don't expect it to be quiet either.

How about the overnight train to Edinburgh, a few days there, then train to York for a couple of days. Lots of history, good museums, nice to walk around the walls

The train isn't cheap but has your 7 year old ever gone to bed on a train?

Hire a car and travel to the midlands via the Peak District, a couple of days in the Midlands and train from Birmingham to London.
While in the peak district you could get a ride on a steam train and Birmingham has loads of canals if you wanted to do a canal trip.

I would actually consider the other direction. It’s a lot to do in a week, and a fair amount of travel
( have just done a similar 10 days with 2 year old - we are also overseas)

I would go south.
Head into the new forest. It’s only about 2 hours from London. Go to Beaulei house and car museum, stay a night locally at a small B and B to see the ponies and hire bikes for a few hours through the forest area.
Down to the coast, stay a night or two somewhere on the south coast. Even take a boat over to the Isle of Wight for a day
Go Up to port lympe wildlife park in kent , you can actually stay inside overnight as well if you like and it’s a full safari experience
go to Leeds castle in Kent
work your way back towards London

If you don’t need beaches and want it quiet I wouldn’t go to Llandudno - go further west to the mountains - Beddgelert, Betws y Coed and Llanberis are good suggestions. In July you may even stay dry
I suggest Zipworld - the forest site for the coaster and tree trampolines and Llechwedd for the quarry, the slate museum, ice cream in Beddgelert, watersports on Llyn Padarn, or take one of the mountain railways (the one up Snowdon only goes half way this year). I don’t know if it’ll be open but my dds loved the Quarry Hospital museum near the slate museum as well - it’s a bit of a hidden gem.

If you are up in north Wales Chester zoo isn't far and it's the best zoo I've been to!

Yes, I know. But still a bit better than the following week!

I disagree that the Cotswolds are stunning. The villages are pretty but the scenery is quite meh.

Personally, I'd go down to Somerset. Stop by Stonehenge on the way, lots of green places and interesting bits then a few days in Bath and maybe then a couple of days in Bath, perhaps a few days in Bristol? Lots of rolling English countryside, interesting historical sights etc etc.