travelling far? go by car...! :}
Michael,
I don't know how old your children are, but you might be better to consider other options like perhaps using a private hire car to do one or both of the legs. It would almost guaranteed be cheaper and more reliable than flying an aircraft that can carry 4 passengers for that journey.
Also, compared to jumping in your car and driving, you wouldn't believe the amount of fannying around that goes towards getting a plane into the air safely.
Plus you can't easily stop and let the kids have a pee etc.
A