England town/city breaks good for kids

[YukoandHiro]

Unexpectedly we may be able to go away for a few nights in half term.

Where would you go? Not coastal as we've done a lot of that in the last two years and, obviously, it will be freezing.

Barnard Castle! Awesome for kids, the Bowes Museum and Raby Castle organise some fantastic activities, there's loads to do nearby including High Force and The Forbidden Corner, you're within striking distance of the Lake District, Durham, Newcastle and the North East Coast, Beamish...there's almost too much choice.

I don't think anyones mentioned Oxford and Cambridge yet - both have good museums, punting etc.

Chester
Loads to do, walk the walls and visit the plague doctors, go on a boat, shop, lots of great places to eat. Chester Zoo is fantastic. A trip to the ice cream farm in Tottenham, Delamere Forest, Cheshire Oaks if you are big shoppers!

Tattenhall not Tottenham

Bristol!
Easy to get round on public transport.
Loads to see and do, including SS Great Britain, M Shed gallery, dockside area, aerospace museum, Cabot Circus for shopping, Clifton Suspension Bridge...

@sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea

Norwich. Similar to York, but not as touristy/packed. Depending on when you're thinking of travelling the love light festival is on again this month: www.lovelightnorwich.co.uk/ for something a bit different? City centre's mostly pedestrianised and easy to get around too!

York is not packed at all since Covid

Liverpool or Norwich

Another Bristol fan.
I’m trying Birmingham with DS in May as he wants another hands-on science museum.

Warwick

There is Warwick castle, Kenilworth castle, st Nicolas park with small rides, get the train to birmingham, visit Cadbury world. Great restaurant in both Leamington and Warwick but book if eating out on the weekend

@Yesthatscorrect

We've booked a couple of nights in Leeds and plan to go to The Armories, shop, go to The Everyman and swim in the hotel pool. We had loads of uk city breaks last year instead of going abroad and Glasgow was a definite favourite with the kids for the science museum.

Definitely the Leeds/West Yorkshire area.

As well as the above, you have Roundhay Park with Tropical World, Temple Newsam with the farm, Lotherton Hall with Bird Garden (including penguins), Harewood House, Armley Industrial Museum, Thackray Medical Museum, all a few miles out of the city.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Cannon Hall Farm, Pugneys, Newmillerdam, National Mining Museum, Eureka at Halifax, Saltaire and Salts Mill, canal, and Roberts Park at bit further out.

In Leeds city centre there's Trinity Kitchen street food vans, which are great for lunch.

@Yesthatscorrect

We've booked a couple of nights in Leeds and plan to go to The Armories, shop, go to The Everyman and swim in the hotel pool. We had loads of uk city breaks last year instead of going abroad and Glasgow was a definite favourite with the kids for the science museum.

You can get the water taxi from the station (south entrance) to the Armories.

Sheffield - love it there. Right near the Peak District too.

This will sound like an odd one but Northamptonshire/Milton Keynes

Indoor skydiving
Indoor skiing/snowboarding
Bletchley Park
Computing Museum
Tree Top Walk in Salcey Forest
Silverstone or Santapod raceway
Visit to a stately home
Shopping
Adrenaline Alley skateboarding

Some lovely little villages around there, so country walks, visiting farms (llamas?) or something like GoApe also possible.

Norwich

This will sound like an odd one but Northamptonshire/Milton Keynes

Not odd at all, I genuinely believe that you could have an enjoyable short break in just about any UK city or large town, even the unfashionable ones.

We could all probably think of 10-20 attractions in and around our local area that would be of interest to a visitor bringing their family for a few days.

On here I've seen threads about Bradford, Birmingham, Hull, Staffordshire, Bolton and all manner of other places and in between the snide comments, people always list decent attractions like The Deep, National Media Museum, Ironbridge Gorge, Rivington Terraced Gardens that would fill a day, plus smaller museums, country parks, stately homes, animal attractions, playgrounds that would be good for a change of scene and quality time with the family.

Leicester! Richard III museum and National Space Centre plus lots of nice restaurants and shops. A bit further out you've got Twycross Zoo, Bosworth Battlefield etc. Leicester is a lovely, buzzy little city.

@MinnieMountain

Another Bristol fan. I’m trying Birmingham with DS in May as he wants another hands-on science museum.

Glasgow has a brilliant interactive science museum. DD and I had a wonderful weekend in that city. Highly recommend doing a street art walking tour, a Russian animated puppet theatre called Sharmanka and taking the metro out to Hindhead for a charity shop crawl and the huge Japanese pancakes at Koko House.

Bristol

Loads of places to see: We the Curious, Brunel’s SS Great Britain (you can tour it) M Shed, fabulous docks / harbour / waterside area, lots of good street food stalls down there, walk over the suspension bridge, Bristol Zoo, Banksy Trail….

Bath, Cambridge, Norwich, Portsmouth.

@MinnieMountain where is hindhead?

@FrugalFrancine

Exeter is lovely. Bath is quite nice too. York is lovely, but FREEZING in winter. I'm not keen on Manchester tbh, but I do love Liverpool.

You could also do something rural but not coastal? Like the Peak District maybe or Cotswolds

We are going to be near Exeter half term - any recommendations?

Liverpool & Newcastle are great , York is lovely but I avoid the narrow streets in town when it’s busy.

Lots to see and do in and around Leeds. York is great too and Liverpool.

Thanks everyone - we live in London so not London :)

Bath is a good shout.

DC are 15 months and 4.5 years so young.

[quote Littleelffriend]@MinnieMountain where is hindhead?[/quote]
Eh?