Which county to you live in? Is it nice and do you recommend it?

[GeraniumJohnsonsBlue]

As it's likely lots of us won't be travelling abroad much for a while it's got me thinking about areas of the UK I know very little about. Some counties I have never even driving through and I couldn't tell you anything about them - I literally have no opinion of what they are like at all, or famous for. for example Northamptonshire. I've passed through bits of it on the motorway or A1 I think but I have no clue about what it's like. Bedfordshire is another one. I have a perception (not great) of Luton and that's it.

I'd love to do a road trip this summer if I can (motorhome) all around Britain and stop at least a few days here and there in all the nicest parts of every county. Tell me about yours. Where are the lovely bits everyone gravitates to? Or the secretly lovely bits few people know about?

circusintown West Yorkshire pennines.

I'm in Derbyshire.
^^
The miserable half.
It's fine, I guess.

Pembrokeshire

We obviously have the Pembrokeshire coast national park and loads of beautiful beaches. A lot of people here don't appreciate the natural beauty and say there's 'nothing to do' when there's plenty.

I only live 5 minutes away from a beautiful beach so I'm very lucky. The only downside is we're so far away from it all that travelling to places like airports is a pain.

Another vote for Sussex. I live in the heart of the South Downs National Park and we have rolling hills, quaint towns, lovely historic architecture, castles, cathedrals and the coast.

I'm in Derbyshire.
**
The miserable half.

What does that mean?! Is there a happy/nice half and a miserable/crap half? I've nver been anywhere in Derbyshire I don't think. I know it had peaks. Or is it dales?

It has Bakewell Tart and something else food related, can't remember what. That's all I know about Derbyshire. I might have stopped at some services there once or twice.

I'm in Warwickshire and adore it here.

I grew up in Leicestershire (Swannington, little village in the middle of coal mining territory) but moved to Warwickshire years ago.

I love the history of Warwick, the parks, the castles (we live near to Kenilworth Castle and I will never buy a house without a view of a castle). Shakespeare and Stratford, the RSC, Warwick Castle, Leamington Spa, Anne Hathaway's cottage (not Devil Wears Prada Hathaway), Jephson Gardens for performances of David Walliams books in the summer, we have such lovely areas nearby. The DC have lived here all their lives and love it, too. We're very lucky to have so much beauty around us.

@TheMarzipanDildo DH and I visited Chester for a weekend not long ago and I loved it - there was a parade through the centre of the city with hundreds of people, and the best little bar I've ever been to that's set in a cellar with hundreds of wine bottles lining the shelves. I'd love to go back and see more of it, and really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

@Bluesheep8 I'm jealous! That's the area we want to move to but probably can't afford. We live in South Yorkshire, still some stunning areas but not as much open countryside as we want.

I live in the beautiful county of Shropshire - which has already been mentioned. Moved here 26 years ago and love it. I grew up on the North Wales coast with the Victorian town of Llandudno on my doorstep as well as the historic Conwy and Anglesey only a short drive away.
We have relatives (2 lots) living on the North Norfolk coast so have had many holidays over there whe DCs were small and never tire of visiting. We also have friends in Northumberland and visit the beautiful unspoilt coastline once a year.
Last year we went to the Outer Hebrides in a motorhome. The beaches and scenery - and the peacefulness of it all - were just stunning.

What does that mean?! Is there a happy/nice half and a miserable/crap half?

Just a Pride and Prejudice reference. I'm sure there are areas more and less miserable, but I'm not sure which ones are which! North is more peaky and bleak, south is more daley and pretty, I believe. I've been here for years, yet haven't really explored a lot of my adopted county!

@ExplodingCarrots north or south Pembs? I grew up there and would be back in a heartbeat if DH and I could get 100% WFH jobs.

I love Kenilworth! Just cant cope being so inland!

I live in Hertfordshire and to be quite honest, I’d give it a miss.

West Lancashire - Blackpool and the Trough of Bowland are well known, Blackpool is pretty grotty but a walk along the coast and a chippy tea around Fleetwood and St Anne's is nice. Trough of Bowland is pretty, although I've always preferred the lakeland fells and the Peak District (DPs grew up in Derbyshire so I've visited a lot and feel very at home in the White Peak). Formby Point is lovely, much more natural than Blackpool and good for walks.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...steady on! there's a bit of anti-Birmingham feeling creeping onto this thread!!

Like every city, there are nice parts of Brum (no really, there are). Bournville is very nice for example! And where I am in a Birmingham suburb, I can walk for well over an hour through meadows, parks & woodland.

And to be fair, another plus is that I can get to many of the gorgeous places already mentioned on this thread in less than an hour - Shropshire, Malverns, Stratford, Worcester, Kenilworth, the Cotswolds, Chilterns and more National Trust places than you could shake a stick at.

So ner...

Worcestershire, it’s lovely but too far from the coast for my liking

North Down, lots of access to beaches and walks. 20 minutes to Belfast. Not overpopulated, friendly and pretty attractive overall. Good schools (lots of grammar) and pretty good rail service. Probably lacks enough culture if you are into theatre etc but great places to eat

@explodingcarrots - I love Pembrokeshire, have been to Tenby twice and it's just the most beautiful place! I wish it wasn't so far away and would love to live there one day, a total dream though!

I live in grimy, crime-y inner London - Hackney, to be precise - which will never be a tourism hotspot. However, we do have many lovely houses, oodles of cafes and restaurants, and great open spaces including miles of waterways and marshland. We can walk to the Olympic Park from home, almost entirely on green spaces.

East Devon in the Blackdown Hills. It doesn't get much better in my opinion. Amazing scenery, 45 mins from Dartmoor, 1 hour to north Devon, beautiful beaches everywhere and small towns and villages with an abundance of restaurants and cafes. Just complete perfection 👌
Can't wait to get back out there once all of this is over!

Mid Dorset - absolutely gorgeous. Rolling hills, lovely villages and market towns, some fabulous beaches and the amazing Jurassic coastline. Not too far from Poole/Bournemouth for a bit of nightlife.

Dorset ...on the coast ...it's lovely

Gloucestershire for the Cotswolds. Stow-On-the-Wold and Bourton-on-the-Water are particularly lovely. I’ve lived her for more than 40 years and it’s only the coast that could (probably) lure me away

I live in the Lakes. Don't need to say any more! I'm a scouser and I've just worked my way further and further north, with a stint in Lancs along the way. My view is always beautiful, except in thick fog. Not that keen on driving in snow but you get used to it. I can't tell you how nice it's been with this sunshine; it's proper geography here.

I live in the north west of Ireland it’s just beautiful here - especially in the sun we are having lately !

North Yorkshire, very North of North Yorkshire. Only a just over a mile from Co. Durham. Best place there is