Expert: David Stewart White - 3/16/2010

Question
Hello, we are form Buenos Aires, Argentina, and we are planning to go to England in July, we have 2 children (3 and 5), we want to know if you think this itinerary is ok:
3 nights in London, then we will rent a car and go to:
3 nights in Bourton-On-The-Water
3 nights in East Meon (glamping)
2 nights in a castle in North Bovey, (North of Dartmoor National Park)
3 nights in St.Ives.
We want to return the car in Exeter airport, so we can take a flight to Paris and come back home after 3 days in Eurodisney (I couldn't find a  flight to Paris from Newquay).  
Do you think this is ok in order to visit south England? Do you think the selected towns are ok to travel around?
We do not like big cities and crowded places, we love car trips.
Is the Isle of Wight worth a day trip from East Meon?
Lots of questions!!  Thanks a lot in advance,
Best,
Tania.

Answer
Hello Tania,

I think your itinerary will allow you a good amount of time to explore these areas.  Your proposed route does not include any drives much over 2 hours, which is also realistic.  I mapped this out on Google Maps to be sure:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/yl573gm

Here are a couple of observations/suggestions:

–When departing London, do not rent a car in downtown London--driving there is quite difficult.  Given the direction you are heading, renting a car at Heathrow Airport would work well.

–Burton-on-the-Water is a quaint town, but it tends to be overrun with tourists and tour buses during the summer months.  Perhaps you might consider staying somewhere near Burton, but not in it.  

–I'm not familiar with the town of East Meon--there are so many nice towns in this area--so I can't comment further.  Do I understand you are camping here?  If so, I assume you have had camping experience with your children before?

–North Dartmoor is a beautiful, sometimes wild and desolate area.  Staying in a castle sounds interesting, depending upon the details.

–The coastal area around St. Ives has interesting places to visit, and opportunities for your children to perhaps play on the beach.  St. Ives itself can be busy with very tourists during the summer, but not as crowded as Penzance. Don't miss St. Michaels Mount, along the southern coast. We stayed with our children at Ennys, in a cottage (it appears that they now require a weekly stay):

   http://www.ennys.co.uk/


My final comment has to do with the realities of traveling, changing hotels/b&b's, etc. with a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old.  If your children are experienced travelers, then you probably already know what to expect.  

Feel free to look at my website and my travel guidebook.  The book has a section that includes traveling through Oxfordshire (and the Burton area) with children.

http://www.KidsToLondon.com

http://tinyurl.com/KidsToLondon

Have a good trip!

Dave White