Towns for an arty mooch?

[Slothey]

If you were 5 women in your 40s, planning a long weekend in January, where would you go?

We want to wander around interesting shops, drink coffee and possibly see some art.

Southern England, and decent train links a bonus.

Whitstable and Frome have been successful in the past.

Oxford

Ha, I should have specified that we’ll all be coming from either Oxford or London! But thank you 😀

Bath

Bristol

Wells is lovely, but no train station
Bradford on Avon. Lots of independent shops, wine bars,original artwork etc

Bristol

Though I would like to go and look at the pargeting in Saffron Walden [rock and roll]

Bath or Salisbury.

Another vote for Bristol

If you like antique shops, there's the village of Hartley Wintney, very pretty and nice to spend a day mooching and having lunch!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartley_Wintney

I haven't been myself yet, but apparently Llandeilo in Wales is nice for this sort of thing.

ETA sorry, just saw you said England. Ignore me!

Dorchester or Ludlow.

It’s a pretty little village, but I think you’d struggle to spend a long weekend in Hartley Wintney to be honest.

I don’t know what Canterbury is like for art, but I very much enjoyed the long weekend I had there and it’s an easy day trip to Margate for the Turner Contemporary if that’s your sort of thing.

Or Lyndhurst and Lymington in the New Forest. Great places for a potter: both have great tea shops!

Rye

Winchester or Ross-on-Wye

You're right, tired and didn't read the OP properly! 🤦‍♀️ thought it was a day trip!

Chichester

Bourton on the Water.

Stow on the Wold.

Hay on Wye.

Canterbury, Winchester, Salisbury or Bath are all good for weekends away, I've done all of these over the past year or so with friends. Canterbury has Beaney House art gallery and some nice independent shops.

Lewes - you could go to Charleston Farmhouse, too.

I was going to say Frome but see you’ve been there! My next vote is for Winchester.

St Ives! Bit of a schlep but you have Tate and Leach Pottery and Hepworth's gorgeous garden, as well as all the small local galleries, beach and coastal walks and good cafes to warm up in. Worth a trip.
Cambridge
Brighton
Bristol
Bath
Rye is lovely if you like antique shops. And there's Lamb House home to famous authors Henry James and FE Benson.

Bristol. It's got the Arnolfini art gallery, the city museum, street art and Banksy.

You could go to the Festival theatre in Chichester and the Novium museum.

Good train links to Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton for shopping and the maritime stuff. Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth is good too. There’s the South Downs if you fancy a walk and the Weald and Downland Museum (Repair Shop) at Goodwood.