UK city break with 7-8yr old

[LegoHouse274]

Any suggestions for a good UK city break with a child of that age? We are north west so want something there or midlands or north east, accessible via train. Any suggestions on budget family friendly accomodation well received too please.

Edinburgh or York

Agree with previous poster. Edinburgh or York with brilliant with kids your dc age

Nottingham - In the city there is the castle, City of Caves, Wollaton Park and House and outside there is Sherwood Forest and Floraland Farm Park. Plus it is fairly reasonable to stay.

York: Railway museum, hole in wand or castle museum.

Newcastle, great museum of the North, discovery museum and can easily get to the coast on the metro.

Edinburgh: Castle, museum of Scotland.

Agree Newcastle is also a good city with Kids. In addition to the suggestion made there is a really good Railway Tunnel Tour (more interesting and entertaining than you might think), Newcastle Castle and the Beamish Museum is just 8 miles away.

Agree with York as superb.

We've also been to Liverpool with the kids.

Glasgow wasn't bad for a couple of days (although we were actually based out on the coast).

Presumably you’ve already done Liverpool?

I agree Edinburgh is a must see - it’s glorious in every way.

However, from say Manchester, Edinburgh is three hours by train - but so is Oxford. Also glorious, particularly if you do plenty of homework first so can find all the green spaces as well as museums and galleries.

Slight wildcard - but if you or your child lean to drama and history, Stratford upon Avon could be a brilliant short trip at exactly that age. See a play, do the Shakespeare tour, take the sightseeing bus to Anne Hathaway’s cottage and expansive garden, sail along the river. If you’re driving it’s easy to combine with Warwick in one direction and Compton Verney in the other.

York or Bath, have done both with my younger child and thoroughly enjoyed them.

York.

I live in Bath and it is both ££££ to get to on Cross Country and not cheap to stay. Is it just 2 of you? Is this in what I call the Summer holidays?

It might be trickier with 3, but don’t rule out University Vacation lettings and YHA. If 2 of you go to Durham you could stay in a castle for a night! YHA in York is great, with ensuite rooms available, but a bit of a walk into town along the river (daughter coped fine when she was 7ish, but she was used to walking).

I’m assuming it isn’t too horrid to get across to Newcastle from your home base. I reckon an 8 year old would enjoy a day (or 2) at Beamish Open Air Museum (Chester le Street closest station, then a bus, but also buses from Newcastle).

We drove to Bath now that I think about it, wouldn’t have got the train!

York

There is something in York for everybody. We only live an hour away, and I took the dc on a mini break there a few years ago.

Railway museum - well worth the extra cost to go to the Wonderlab bit
The Hole in Wand mini golf
Walk the city walks (free)
Visit Paddington in the minister gardens (free)
Cat trail (free)
All you can eat world buffet at Panda Mami (half price under 140 cm)
The York Chocolate Story is well worth the entry fee - lots of freebies, don't pay for the chocolate making class at the end, you go a bit anyway.
Boat trip - you can get little boats to drive yourself.
Art Gallery
Clifford's Tower - looks exactly like a child would draw a castle on a hill!
Castle Museum
Amazing bread and bready croissant, pizza slices etc from Cosgriff bakery across from the castle museum/cliffords tower on Wed-Sat
Spark on Picadfiky/Foss Gate is a shipping container village of different food stalls, food hall style where you order from any of them and sit in the middle.

We stayed at the Novotel because it has a swimming pool!

Wow thanks for so many suggestions!

Does anyone have recommendations for budget hotels in any of the suggested places? Somewhere central ISH but not super noisy? Just randomly looked at the York central travel lodges for example but can see one is by a pub and the other a club so that's put me off those. I had a look at some YHAs recently and the private rooms seemed to be completely booked up everywhere for literally years?! Yes it would be just me and the DC.

Dates (ish) might help. As a rule a Sunday night hotel stay is generally cheaper (but it depends on where you are)

York is very walkable, the city is really small but packed with things to do.

The first time with DD we stayed at a s/c cottage just outside the city walls,. We found it the best way as we personally hate sleeping in one room.

I live in Edinburgh and took my son to York when he was 6 - just the two of us and it was lovely. We went for the Viking festival so very Viking themed and he loved it. We stayed at the hotel at the railway station as it has a small pool and a breakfast buffet.

Check and see what Leeds has that your DC would like. Again compact centre.

York has issues with Hen & Stag weekends so I would avoid the weekends.

You can do a day to Leeds from York or vice versa. They are about 20 mins apart on the train.