United Kingdom family-friendly travel guide

Always expect rain: it rains a lot in the United Kingdom. November to March are the coldest months, with the possibility of snow, especially further north. April brings spring flowers but often unsettled weather, while May and June – the recommended time to go – can have relatively warm days.

Summer is short, stretching from mid-June to mid September, with temperatures getting up to the late 20s or more on a good day. July and August are busy with tourists and the London trains can be stiflingly hot. So if you hate crowds and raised prices, avoid it. That said, the evenings seem to go on forever.

Good weather can persist into October, when the trees start to turn golden, but it’s back to short, cold days in November.

The summer months between June and August see an average monthly rainfall of 61 millimetres and an average temperature of 21 degrees Celsius.

The winter months of between December and February see an average monthly rainfall of 78 millimetres and an average temperate of seven degrees Celsius.

A valid passport and a return or onward ticket are required by immigration.

Australians do not need a visa to enter the UK.

Many airlines fly to the UK from Australia, including Qantas/British Airways (via Bangkok or Singapore), Malaysian Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur), Cathay Pacific (via Hong Kong), Emirates (via Dubai), Asiana Airlines (via Seoul), Japan Airlines (via Tokyo or Osaka), Thai Airways (via Bangkok), Singapore Airlines (via Singapore). The flight time to London takes 23 hours or more, depending on the route.

Heathrow Airport is the main airport in London and most likely where you will land if flying from Australia. However, flights from Australia and Europe also land at the less convenient Stansted, Luton and Gatwick airports.

Both Cardiff and Edinburgh have their own airports and flights to Northern Ireland can connect through Manchester.

While it might cross your mind to travel direct to the UK from Australia – to get it over with – it can turn out to be a nightmare if you are travelling with young children. It’s far better to arrange a stop-off on the way over and coming back, so you can all adjust to the changing time zones and break up the journey with a good night’s sleep in between flight sectors.

The Heathrow Express is the non-stop train service between Heathrow Airport and Paddington Station in the heart of London. It takes just 15 minutes and trains depart every 15 minutes.

The Gatwick Express takes 30 minutes to reach Victoria Station in London from Gatwick Airport. The Stansted Express takes 45 minutes to Liverpool Street Station in the city centre.

Alternatively, car hire is available at all airports.

Trains can be expensive, though a Family Railcard, costing 30 pounds, will give you a 34 per cent discount on off-peak services. Children under five travel free on trains, and ages between five and 15 pay half fare for most tickets. Virgin Trains offer discounted tickets if you book in advance.

If you are planning to travel extensively in Britain, it is wise to purchase a BritRail Pass. The passes are great value for money and can only be bought before you leave Australia. You can buy a BritRail pass before you depart Australia from any local travel agent, BritRail and also Rail Plus.

Intercity buses travel between most cities and major towns. BritXplorer is a low cost alternative for discovering the UK for Australian passport holders. BritXplorer allows you to travel on an unlimited amount of journeys operated by National Express coaches within a given period of time – depending on which BritXplorer pass you’ve opted for. Travel tickets do not need to be booked – all you have to do is produce the BritXplorer pass to the driver at your time of departure. So as long as the coach is not full, you can hop on board and travel.

For low cost intercity travel, also check out Mega Bus which operate discounted bus services between London and 22 major cities within Britain.

Car hire is expensive in the UK. Fly/drive packages bought in Australia can work out the better option. Hire car companies can provide child seats for a fee if contacted in advance. A camper van gives you great flexibility, but because most areas have laws to ward off ‘travellers’ (gypsies) you’ll have trouble finding a place to pull over and spend the night other than a dedicated, fee-paying camping spot.

In England fish and chips is the most popular family food, while the Ploughman’s Lunch of bread, pickles and cheese makes for good family pub food. Black pudding – fried pig’s blood – reigns in parts of the north, and pasties in the south west. Other specialities include scotch eggs, Yorkshire pudding, bangers and mash, sticky toffee pudding and pigs in blankets.

In Scotland try haggis, and in Northern Ireland, soda bread, which is heavy, white, sweetened by raisins and yummy when fried. Specialities of Wales include ‘lava bread’ or seaweed; Welsh cakes – small flat scones made from flour, butter, currants and spices; and cockles – especially in Swansea.

Plenty of local breweries supply pubs with unusual warm brews, while cider is the drink of choice in Devon and Cornwall. Children are welcome in most pubs, and many provide outdoor areas. Sunday roasts are immensely popular and served at most local pubs.

You can’t go past Hamleys, on Regent Street and near the Oxford Circus tube station in the centre of London, for children’s toys. The streets surrounding here are the most concentrated area of shops you will find in the country and can be quite an experience.

Harrods, in Knightsbridge, can be fun to visit and the the children’s section will have them wide-eyed with awe. Little souvenir shops are scattered throughout London and the rest of the United Kingdom if you fancy taking something home with you.

Apart from that, save your money – Britain is expensive – so take everything you need with you unless you have cash to burn!

Tipping is voluntary for restaurants, bars and taxis in the UK, although hotel porters will expect a small token. A tip of about 10 to 12% is reasonable if you feel you have received good service.

In winter you’ll need a thick jumper and coat. Always carry rainwear throughout the year. Varying summer temperatures mean that one minute you might be in a t-shirt and the next in your jacket – so it’s smart to layer!

In general the English tend to be quite reserved and can come across as quite sharp compared to the average garrulous Australian. Practice good manners and be sure to learn some basic etiquette that seems to only apply in the United Kingdom, for example, if you are not going to walk up the escalator in tube stations you must stand to the right to let others past.

Meanwhile, visitors to Wales are sometimes upset when they walk into a shop where everyone is speaking English, only for the general conversation to mutate into Welsh as soon as they open their mouths. Stick around – in Wales the conversation takes natural and unexpected turns back and forth between the two languages.

240 volts using English square plugs. Buy at an airport in Australia before you leave.

You don’t need any immunisations before you go unless you are stopping off at somewhere that recommends them. Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with the UK, so take your Australian passport if you visit a doctor.

Tap water is safe to drink almost everywhere.

English is spoken everywhere, but sometimes not as a first language. Apart from the various languages brought to Britain by more recent immigrants, two forms of the Celtic language still exist in the UK. The strongest of these is Welsh – not to be confused with the heavy accented English you might here if travelling in Wales.

Welsh is one of four branches of the Celtic languages, two of which are extinct. It’s closely related to Breton (spoken in parts of Brittany in France) and to Cornish (spoken by a couple of hundred people). Around 20% of the Welsh population speak Welsh, many as a first language. Almost all road signs in Wales are in both Welsh and English. Forms of Gaelic, from the other surviving arm of Celtic language, are spoken in Scotland and Ireland, though to a lesser degree than Welsh is in Wales.

Below is some basic Welsh vocabulary, though not its pronunciation!

• Hello – Shwmae
• How are you? – Sut ydych chi?
• Welcome – Croeso
• Good morning – Bore da
• Wales – Cymru
• Thank You – Diolch
• Goodbye – Hwyl

The United Kingdom has so many photograph-worthy places, it’s almost impossible to make a list. Some of the most photographed places are the famous landmarks, such as Big Ben, Stonehenge and Edinburgh Castle.

There are also a number of natural landscapes that are very popular for photos, including Snowdonia in Wales, Giant’s Causeway in Ireland, the Lake District in England, and Loch Ness and Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands.

Some other popular photo locations are the great historic houses of England, including Chatsworth House, Blenheim Palace and Hampton Court Palace.

One surprising place that is a popular photograph spot is Anfield Stadium. With England being such a keen football nation, Liverpool’s stadium is often photographed by its fans.