To book a solo weekend away without my partner?

So he insists you holiday together and makes you pay for him?
Why?

Actually there can’t be a good answer to the why. Because there’s no good reason he could give that excused that.

Being a couple doesn’t mean doing everything together.

It sounds like he doesn't care about your feelings or happiness, he just wants his own way no matter what. You have enabled that by paying for the hols every time, but now something has changed within you, OP. Maybe it's time to woman up and reconsider this relationship.

Your boyfriend should, by definition, want you to be happy.

Your plans would make you happy. He is reducing your happiness, rather than enhancing it.

He's a twat. Get rid. Just wait until one day you get invited on a girls only holiday....

Why are people telling the OP she won't get a hotel for her budget/she can buy books online/she must have bookshops nearby?
She's done research and made a plan for her own reasons. Why can't people respect that rather than assuming they know better? It's so arrogant.

You don't even live together 😱 the absolute audacity already.
Run don't walk.

That’s like telling a die hard football fan, ‘you don’t need to go and watch the match at the stadium you can just sit at home and watch it for free and get a few beers in’

That sounds like a him problem not a you problem.

You misspelled partner when you meant jailer!!

Enjoy your weekend of books and coffee, switch your phone off and lose yourself. If he complains I'd give hime one warning, that if he ever tries to control your free time again he'll find himself single!

Waterstones Piccadilly Fifth Floor has a great little coffee/cocktail area with a decent view. Nice to sit and enjoy your purchases.

And Waterstones host a few author interviews in-house so worth checking their calendar to see if anything is on.

British Library is definitely worth a visit and you can mooch around St Pancras & Coals Drop Yard etc.

A few niche bookshops scattered around British Museum also.

lovely trip to do by yourself, at your own pace.

Yuck. He sounds like an entitled brat. It’s perfectly reasonable for people to take their own holidays / weekends away, either solo or with other friends.

So in other words he wants you to pay for him whenever you go away anywhere? So you get to take him on holiday all the time?

What a pillock. Any man whose response to you saying you are going on a solo trip is anything but 'bye, love, have a nice time!' needs binning.

How is that a logical argument? If he wants to travel more he either needs to spend less on other things or earn more. I fail to see what bearing your trips have on it!

Throw him back, he's rotten - he doesn't love you or value your happiness.

Oh and don’t forget to visit the Book Barge - it’s cute

Go go go! By the sounds of it you nor he would even enjoy it if he was there: browsing books for hours.

it’s a solo thing

OP, agree with others, of course it is fine to go without him, especially as this is a bit niche (very much my niche. I have been known to go to Waterstone's in Gower St for about 4h and sit with my basket, call my book loving cousins to dissect my purchasing options and start again).

More importantly, the itinerary. Lot's of great suggestions.

• Waterstones, Piccadilly - as the biggest in Europe a no brainer (though i don't love this one)
• Foyles on Charing Cross Road (Charing Cross Rd also still has a few lovely second hand shops)
• Daunt in Marylebone
• I would add Waterstones Gower Street too as it is lovely and then you are in Bloomsbury for the second shops - SKOOB and Judd books amongst others.
• Two places I enjoy for books that are slightly different, The British Library shop, and the National Theatre bookshop (added bonus of the second hand stalls just outside)

Is that Waterstones Piccadilly? It’s great. As is Daunt in Marylebone. Well worth a trip.

Christ - using your partner's Christmas present as a way of cadging money for a holiday and then getting angry when it doesn't work. What a controlling, no-good deadbeat. Not only should you go to London without him, you should do everything without him.

And +1 for Barter Books in Alnwick.

Your partner need to fuck off. Your plan sounds AMAZING.

Please go and have a fabulous trip, a fabulous life, and dump him.

This one was easy

I love nothing more than finding a bookshop wherever I go, failing that a trawl of the bookshelves in charity shops. Barter Books had come so highly recommended I had to go. In fact, I think I'm somewhat overdue for a return trip!

Actually I've just remembered a few more, so @ijustwanttiread here are a couple more recommendations for future book forays -

https://astleybookfarm.com in Bedworth. Might need a car for that one, it is a few miles out of Bedworth, being as it's a farm and all, but does have a lovely cafe and about 100,000 books.

https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk in Ely. Not secondhand books but what a wide selection! Several floors of fabulous books. Nice cafes nearby.

Have you dumped his arse yet?

We are married, live together and go away separately sometimes. We sometimes like to do different things- I hate cars, he hates art.

Ignore the big baby.

Wtf is wrong with him? He sounds jealous and petty and NO GOOD.

If you dump him now he cannot ruin your dream and January will soon come round.

@WhereYouLeftIt
Thanks for mentioning Barter Books, I was going to do the same!
A definite happy place for bibliophiles!

The only thing that would be unreasonable is if you don't dump this arsehole!