Where have you had a surprising good day trip in the uk?

[PhoenixArisen]

I had a really good day out recently in Folkestone.
I wasn't expecting much but it surpassed my lowly expectations by miles and was really enjoyable. Loved the harbour arm and spitting all the quirky art.

Any surprises others have come across?

What was nice about it?

Shrewsbury. There wasn’t much to ‘do’ but a nice atmosphere and it was pretty. The pubs were great. Also liked Nottingham.

Really arty and quirky, great shops and cafes, nice coast, hills and if you have kids it’s very family friendly with great playgrounds.

following for more places

Whitstable is fun too

Peterborough was interesting. I enjoyed the Cathedral. We went in the museum which was a mix of local history - a lot about the Italian community which I didn't know Peterborough had. There was an interesting art exhibition in the museum about the 'new' estate architecture in the tour.
We had pizza at the country's oldest Pizza Express (those Italians again....).

Oh and if we had longer in Peterborough we would have gone on the Steam Train.

Lincoln

Stopped overnight because it was "half way" to Northumberland, and it was lovely. The hilly bit around the cathedral, the cute shops, the boaty bit around the university - I was very pleasantly surprised, as it was definitely not on our radar as a place to visit.

Redcar! Admittedly just had to kill a few hours but went up some tower thing for the view, walked on the beach, got chippy and and ice cream. Really enjoyed it

Bradford on Avon is a really nice pretty little town and we had a lovely walk alongside the river.

Inverness! Boat trip, quirky bookshop and nice walk along the river. We only stayed en route to the highlands but I thought it was worth a visit in itself

I had a lot of time to kill in Hull while waiting for the ferry. Really enjoyed it, and the people were lovely.

It was by the sea so that's always a bonus. Nice walk in The Leas, harbour arm for a wander and ice cream, stroll up the creative quarter for some nice shops and looking out for all the quirky art/sculptures dotted around the place.
Really nice for a sunny day.

Salisbury (it has a world famous cathedral 😊) and Winchester

Battle. The abbey was fab, the beach gorgeous and there was a castle nearby.

Also Cardiff

Shame they are building blocks of apartments all over the beach and the HA carkpark though @PhoenixArisen
I like Whitstable, something for everyone

Truro. I loved the quirky cathedral

I also went to Pickering last July , in the North York moors area. Really delightful village, full of quirky little shops and a museum full of Whitby jet. It has a nice atmosphere and the journey from our hotel in Scarborough was lovely. After seeing the town we stopped by Castle Howard (where Brideshead Revisited was filmed) which is worth a look too.

Leicester. Went for a football match, and was bowled over by how nice the city is. Beautiful cathedral, lots of shops, more restaurants than I've ever seen, a river and some nice architecture plus a very interesting museum which was free. Would never have gone off my own bat but would definitely revisit and recommend.

Just had a lovely day out in Cleethorpes. Rode on the train, had fish and chips and spent a few hours in the arcades. The boating lake is pretty and the lollypop road train fun.

Margate and the Thanet coast. We walk lots and have done Margate to Ramsgate via Broadstairs and I did Margate to Herne bay the other way. Lovely beaches. Didn’t expect much but loved it.
Southend on sea: longest pleasure pier on the world and lovely walk to old Leigh. Do much nicer than I imagined.
Lymington and walk to Hurst castle. Amazing day out. Didn’t expect much but it’s an amazing place.

I also like Norwich. I didn't have high expectations (Don't know why because there are parts of Norfolk I really like) but I enjoyed the market and going round the shops.

Chesterfield is another gem. I love it there and the crooked spire still makes me smile . Plus it has a huge Waterstones and fantastic market and plenty of quirky shops. Real oatcakes like the ones they sell in Staffordshire in one of the bakeries/delis. I hadn't tasted those delightful things since I left my home in Stoke on Trent many years ago.

Thorpeness: the boating lake, the house in the clouds, the deserted beach & sea to paddle in (a few - more hardy than me - were swimming) the cafe with the second hand store at the back of it, the sandy backstreets to wander along.

I really enjoyed Norwich too @PopcorningLikeAHappyGuineaPig
We based ourselves there for a long weekend in Norfolk a couple of years back . I was surprised how much I liked it as no expectations whatsoever .

I also thought that Carlisle seemed a nice place - only visited briefly with an overnight stay on the way to Scotland but thought it may be worth a further visit . Thinking about it - we are planning a trip on the Settle-Carlisle railway when we visit Yorkshire Dales later in the summer so that will be our chance .

I came on to say Whitstable but a few people beat me to it!

Whitby is gorgeous. Abbey, great fish and chips and quirky shops.

Recar though 😳Seriously? Although a lemon top is nice!