Where in England would you go for 6 weeks !

[Mumtoaswiftie]

interested to see where others would choose.
we have had an awful year and it’s not set to improve anytime soon.
we live in London and I honestly do love it but I need a break from it all.
so my plan is to pack the kids and dog up and rent a air bnb house for the 6 weeks summer holiday and stay there.
where would you choose ?

Borders. You could go to a lot of different places. Lakes, Northumberland, Scotland, Seaside, and take your time getting to and from there.

Northumberland coast. Seahouses area.

If I were you I'd do 2 weeks in each place. Get somewhere with washing facilities so you don't need to pack loads of stuff. There are some fantastic recommendations in the thread. Why not choose a beach/ coastal place, a city (Liverpool or Manchester) and a more inland (lakes/peak district) and do 2 weeks in each. It will give you some variety.

Isle of Wight

loads to do, easy to get around, nice beaches, the main town Newport has all the main high street shops and a cinema
easy enough to hop back to Portsmouth for a few days out.
We’ve been for a week the last three years and there are still things we haven’t done

its actually my plan when my children are off my hands to rent somewhere for 2 months on my own

I have a holiday cottage in the Lake District that I let out commercially*

We are pretty much fully booked for summer holidays already so if you are thinking Lakes and want to stay in the same place the whole time you need to be booking yesterday!

*before anyone starts I'm born and bred there, the cottage is attached to my main business and converted from an unused building specifically for a holiday let- the planning dept won't let it be used for normal residential EVER.

North Norfolk, but you would be lucky to find a nice rental now for the 6 week school summer holiday. People book a year in advance once they've found accommodation they like.

I’m from Northumberland. I wouldn’t go there for the whole of the summer holidays, unless you get lucky you could have quite a bit of cold and grey.

Does the channel Islands count? You can get the ferry very easily. I'd base in Jersey and do some 1/2 day trips across to Sark etc

This is a really good idea. North Wales, Lake District, Chester, even a trip to Scotland for a few days

North Norfolk, but as others have said you are unlikely to find anywhere not booked already for at least some of the six weeks, unless it’s dire!

is hiring a camper van an option?

The westcountry..some time in beautiful somerset, then off the beaten tourist track in Devon and Cornwall. Everyone telling you to avoid it is just following the tourist traps.
DH is from yorkshire and lived in northumberland for quite a while..he's v amused to read people recommending it over the west country (where we now live).

I have been looking and most places I’ve looked at have quite a few nice places available for the weeks I wanted :)

North Norfolk is great generally but if the mist rolls in you've had it. I've been in Cromer when it was dull and freezing whilst down the road in Norwich it was 30⁰c.

There’s still lots of cottages available in North Norfolk on Sowerbys Holiday Cottages. I do agree that things do seem to sell out so it’s best to book sooner rather than later.

The traffic does get really bad through Cley, Stiffkey and Blakeney though. Stick to the section between Thornham and Wells. You’re also then on the Coasthopper bus route which gives you lots more freedom and less reliance on the car. If you went to Burnham Market then check the place you rent has parking as it’s a nightmare otherwise.

I have a house up there (second home for now but soon to be our permanent house) and in the summer we live in shorts and sandals. I have never experienced the fog someone above mentions and we’ve been there 10 years!!!

If you were based there you could also do the Peaks. A trip to Scotland from Liverpool would be pushing it a bit, but if you took in the Lakes on the way, doable.

Liverpool is quite close to Manchester. Liverpool to Alton Towers is about 70 miles.

Cheshire or North Shropshire would be great if you have a car, Good access to Wales, Peak District. Chester, Liverpool etc.

Scottish Highlands but I was looking yesterday and there isn’t much accommodation left for this summer. It could rain a lot but still wonderful.

Northumberland so beautiful.

Northumberland.......absolutely stunning

Isle of Wight. Beautiful island.

It is. Chocolate box pretty. Good weather should be pretty much guaranteed there.
I'd suggest Cornwall or Wales but if it rains, there isn't much to do.

North Norfolk coast, the Hebrides/isle of Sky, Derbyshire/peak district, Scilly isles. It depends upon cost, obviously.

Also depends on the ages of the children and what they like doing.

Isle of Wight is also a good shout. Loads to do but really easy to get around the entire island and the bus service is also reasonable. It can get busy in the summer holidays though.

Can you recommend anywhere specifically in Northumberland? We are always looking for stops on our way up to Scotland?

@Flossflower , whereabouts are you going to and from, and what sort of place would you like to stay at/visit?