If you were going for a UK long weekend away…

[BeingATwatItsABingThing]

Where would you go?

I promised DH a child-free weekend away for his 30th birthday and I don’t know where to go. Any suggestions?

It’ll be the first May bank holiday weekend if that makes a difference.

Okay so my taste is rather eclectic but

Dungeness is totally random and weird and very cool and interesting.

The pig hotels are really nice - the one in Kent is great and if you can arrange a meal int he fordwich arms then a total blinder

Dartmoor is really fun in a bleak and brooding way

And Glasgow is a really intersting city.

South coast -Ramsgate, sandwich, Deal or Broadstairs but may be too far for you

Isle of Man

Cardiff is a great place for a weekend break. Some fantastic restaurants, lots of interesting architecture, museums, lovely parks, cultural stuff. And not too far from you.

What part of the country are you in and how far do you want to travel?

Over the years, have had some great long weekends at:

• Ludlow - great food and nice walks nearby, quite an Olde Worlde feel, check what days the markets are on, they have loads of different types
• Portsmouth - lived nearby for a bit and always enjoyed a trip into town
• Birmingham -- no, honestly, the Staffordshire hoard alone made it worth the trip
• Newcastle - home city so a bit biased - you could always stay at the coast if you don't want to be in the "Toon", it can get a bit noisy Friday and Saturday...
• Edinburgh - one of my favourite cities ever, probably the best ghost walk I have ever done
• Belfast - lived there for a couple of years and regularly hosted family and friends and it's a great place to visit
• Bath - very attractive though not without its problems, and some of the locals really, really hate tourists (though they might have grown less vocal about that after the pandemic - it's spoilt more than one visit for me though we did make a point after that of heading to the less known bits with the interesting museums like the Museum of Bath at Work
• Bristol - Bath's "Working other half" - a really interesting city with lots to do
• York - great ghost walks (not sure if they're still all year but they were when I visited), the Minster, the Shambles, Jorvik...
• Chester - relatively similar "feel" to York, but different enough and very attractive
• Exeter - though if you're in the South West you might already have done that one...

Or hop over the border into Wales? Cardiff, the Brecon beacons, Hay on Wye, Swansea....?

@PinkGinBigGrin

I'd go to Dublin (but maybe you wouldn't want to fly?) as dh and I absolutely love it there and always have a great time.

Or if you don't fancy the Cotswolds or London I'd go to the Lake District.

DH is Irish and his family have said there is a long overdue trip to see family so we would probably group Dublin in with that.

The Lake District, the most beautiful place in the UK!

We’ve been to Liverpool before but with children so not as adventurous. Could definitely go again as we enjoyed it the first time.

I need to make a list of these so we can keep these suggestions in mind for future trips.

I have loved
York
Liverpool
Newcastle
Whitby
Canterbury

Oo! Cardiff! I haven’t been there in years and it’s not too far from us.

My DSis went to uni in York and I always loved it when I went to visit her. Didn’t even really see much of it but already could tell it was lovely.

I’d do Liverpool, York, Cambridge or a beach front place on Anglesey.

Since being in the UK (6 years), We have taken trips to London, Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff (including a day at Barry Island), Llyn Peninsular, Brecon, Snowdonia, Cambridge, York, north Norfolk, several places in Devon.

We have loved all of them, but particularly memorable in terms of city breaks were Cambridge, York and Liverpool.

Lincoln and Edinburgh are also really nice.

Bath, Swanage, London

Edinburgh or York

Or Whistable

I love Liverpool - family originate from there so I have visited many times. Great for museums, restaurants etc. BUT I visited for the day on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago and walking through the streets at 11.00am it had a definite feel of the 'morning after the night before' about it! I'd hate to have been there on the Saturday night - it must have been carnage!

We went to Gloucester for a weekend once, a nice Georgian hotel in parkland a few miles out. Good restaurant.
Museums and Cathedral suited us and a walk to see historic ships.
Are they still there?

The lakes. Plenty of walking then lovely evening is lovely pubs.

York for shopping, pretty shop fronts, architecture

Bath same kind of thing

Liverpool restaurants, shopping, bars

Belfast
Manchester
York

Oh and Glasgow

Portsmouth for
Historic Dockyard (Mary Rose, HMS Victory, Action Stations)
Gunwharf Quays (Shopping /Restaurants)
Spinnaker Tower
Old Portsmouth
Ferry to Isle of Wight
(All in the same walkable area)

I was going to say Portsmouth. Easy and interesting if not terribly glamorous.

I liked Lincoln too. Quite good to go up north and the cathedral is brilliant. Big enough for a weekend but not impossibly packed with stuff you stress about needing to do.

Liverpool or Glasgow have the same kind of vibe too, really fun and interesting cities with lots to do.

I lived in Glasgow for a few years and adored it so you've just pushed Liverpool even higher up the list of places I want to visit!