# Would Bath or Stonhenge be boring for a 13 year old?



## 3kids4me (Sep 12, 2011)

I've never been to either, but I'm thinking of doing a tour with my daughter while in London, and one of the choices is Bath and Stonehenge.  She wants to see Bath but I don't think either of us are that keen on Stonehenge.

Here are some other choices:

Brighton & Arundel


Salisbury, & Stonehenge


Stratford-Upon Avon


Hampton Court


Eton & Windsor Castle


I did the Hampton Court one with my other daughter and it was a lot of fun...but might like to try something different...

Thanks for any input!


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## Karen G (Sep 12, 2011)

I just asked my 23-year old son as he was 14 when we went Bath & Stonehenge. He said Bath was boring but not Stonehenge.  Every time he sees Stonehenge pictured anywhere he remembers that we were there.


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## ronparise (Sep 12, 2011)

I thought my daughter would find the National Gallery of Art boring....I guessed wrong...I was bored; she became an art major in College...

Theres no telling what kids will like and remember..Our job is to expose them to as much as possible

The big deal is that you two will be be spending time together...thats what she will remember...


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## DebBrown (Sep 12, 2011)

Out of the options you've listed, I'd pick Hampton Court.  Is it an easy train ride from London and easily can fill a day.  My family really enjoys castles, history, etc.

If you are considering Stratford Upon Avon, you might want to combine that with a trip to Warwick Castle.  We spent a couple of days there at the end of a London trip.  I rented a car near LHR and drove.  We spent a day at Stratford and a day at Warwick Castle when they were having a re-enactment.  It was definitely fun.

Deb


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## DeniseM (Sep 12, 2011)

My daughter and I loved Salisbury and Stonehenge!  Are you thinking about the London Walks tour?  That's the tour we did.  It was one of the highlights of our trip!


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## 3kids4me (Sep 12, 2011)

Thanks for the input.

Actually, I'm going to do a tour with Harry Norman.  He is fabulous (although expensive) and my other daughter and I had a wonderful time at Hampton Court Palace with him.


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## DeniseM (Sep 12, 2011)

There is an original copy of the Magna Carta at Salisbury - an amazing thing to see if you are interested in history at all.  And the cathedral itself is magnificent!


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## Laurie (Sep 12, 2011)

Ordinarily I'd say, how 'bout Stonehenge + Avebury...

but last time I suggested this, it cracked you up!   
http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66756&highlight=stone+circles


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## tlwmkw (Sep 13, 2011)

Of the choices I think Bath and Stonehenge would be the best.  My kids enjoyed them both at younger ages.  If the weather is bad Stonehenge won't be much fun with the rain and wind whipping across Salisbury plain.  Bath is interesting with the tour of the Roman baths and the archeological findings- also tea in the pump room is worth doing.  Hampton Court is also good- esp if they have the re-enactors there (we went once when there were folks playing roles of Henry VIII and some others which was fun and educational).  Windsor is worth a visit but I don't know if I'd go to Eton- it's a working school and not really a tourist site.  Security there can also be tight because some of the kids who go are carefully protected.

tlwmkw


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## Carolinian (Sep 13, 2011)

I have done both the London Ghost Walk and the Jack the Ripper walk, both great.




DeniseM said:


> My daughter and I loved Salisbury and Stonehenge!  Are you thinking about the London Walks tour?  That's the tour we did.  It was one of the highlights of our trip!


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## falmouth3 (Sep 13, 2011)

When I was 12, I was considering archeology as a career so I would have loved visiting Bath, and probably Stonehenge too.  I've been to both as an adult and I liked both.

Sue


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## Pompey Family (Sep 13, 2011)

I'm not sure why you would want to visit Brighton.  It has a beach but it's all pebble.  The town is quite bohemian and very gay friendly however there's not much to see in terms of sights if that's what you're after.  Arundel Castle is nice and is relatively close to Brighton however it's also close to Chichester which has more to offer than Brighton in terms of history and sights.  It's then a 30 minute drive from Chichester to Portsmouth and all the naval heritage on offer there.  From Portsmouth you can be in Salisbury in an hour and Bath in two.

If beaches are what you're looking for then Weymouth / Bournemouth on the South Coast are far better than Brighton.

Winchester, which is the historic capital of England and where King Alfred ruled, is a 30 minute drive from Portsmouth and a little bit longer from Chichester and is certainly worth a visit.

There is a whole load of fantastic little villages full of thatched cottages, ancient pubs and village greens dotted throughout Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey that you could easily spend a very enjoyable and relaxing couple of days driving around.  You can then visit what you want as nothing is ever more than an hour away and it gives you a break from the hustle and chaos that is London.  No need for a guide, look up on the internet before you go and decide where you want to visit and invest in sat nav.  That way you can take things at your own pace and not be tied down to an itinary.


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## KarenP (Sep 14, 2011)

I second the Salisbury Cathedral idea!   My kids were 12 and 15 and they loved it!


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## 3kids4me (Sep 14, 2011)

Laurie...how funny!  I didn't even remember that.  This is another daughter...although of course she also has never independently professed a love of ancient stone circles.

Beautiful pictures Denise....this will be a tough decision for sure!


Sharon


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## taffy19 (Sep 14, 2011)

If you can hear the organ play, you will be in Seventh Heaven.  It is absolutely beautiful and you will never forget it.

Our family, in England, visited all these sites with us when the kids were about that age and they had been before and were not bored at all.  They enjoy going to Bath and Stone Henge even today but it is no longer all in the open like it used to be.


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## bigrick (Sep 14, 2011)

I'm adding Salisbury to my to-do list after seeing DeniseM's pictures.  I didn't know Magna Carta copies existed still. Thanks!


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## 225chs (Sep 14, 2011)

My kids loved both Stonehenge and Bath at that age. And a stop at Sally Lunn's for the buns didn't do any harm either


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## x3 skier (Sep 15, 2011)

bigrick said:


> I'm adding Salisbury to my to-do list after seeing DeniseM's pictures.  I didn't know Magna Carta copies existed still. Thanks!



The National Archives in DC has a copy (on permanent loan from a private individual IIRC)that is undergoing preservation at this time and should be back on exhibition next spring. I saw it a few years ago on an visit.

Cheers


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## Laurie (Sep 15, 2011)

iconnections said:


> Our family, in England, visited all these sites with us when the kids were about that age and they had been before and were not bored at all.  They enjoy going to Bath and Stone Henge even today but it is no longer all in the open like it used to be.


You can reserve in advance to be allowed access into the center of Stonehenge, before or after hours, from English Heritage organization, it's what we did:
www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/stone-circle-access/
It's not a guided tour, if that's what you're looking for.


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## Pompey Family (Sep 15, 2011)

The best site to visit for ideas for what to see in England (if you like castles etc) is http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout


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## Jimster (Sep 20, 2011)

*Stonehenge*

I would suggest the MadMax tour out of Bath.  This is the one that Rick Steves recommends and I am convinced it was worth it.  Take the train to Bath and then go on the tour - a full or half day.  You get to see much more than those two sites and i think you child will enjoy it.  Warwick castle is also interesting but in a different direction from the others.


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