Nice places easy accessible by train

[Bakingberry]

Can anyone recommend anywhere in the UK that's easy accessible by train for a nice long weekend away? Looking for something that has nice parks, nature or wildlife, but close to decent coffee shops and restaurants. We won't have a car with us so everything would have to be easy accessible by food or public transport.

I would suggest Great Malvern and walking on the hills. I haven't been there for a while so am not up to date on coffee shops and restaurants.

Carlisle. You have the added bonus of a really scenic trip if you take the Settle to Carlisle route.

We've done nice mini breaks to York, Bath and Buxton.

Which part of the country would you be travelling from?.

I'm based in Scotland. But I was thinking it might be easier to travel to London for a night then get a train to somewhere quieter. I quite fancy something in Cornwall or Devon.

You can get to the very heart of the New Forest by train. I’d recommend Brockenhurst, which is served by direct trains from London Waterloo, Basingstoke, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth, as well as by connecting services from Reading, Oxford and Birmingham.
There’s a wide choice of places to eat including Thai, a pizzeria, a fish bar, Bangladeshi, French, modern British and traditional pubs. There’s also a wine bar. For coffee shops, I’d suggest Rosie Lea’s bakery and the Butterfly cafe tea room. There’s also cycle hire.
www.thenewforest.co.uk/explore/towns-and-villages/brockenhurst

Cornwall is lovely and I have gone by train to St Ives and loved it- but it’s a blooming long train ride- 7 hours plus I think from London, as opposed to 4.5 Glasgow to London! Watching this thread with interest for inspiration too.
You may like Rye in Sussex? V pretty, shorter journey from London.

Thanks for the replies

Try the Hope Valley line. It starts at Sheffield. Pretty villages and great walking.

Windermere.

Love your user name TheMallard. Are you a steam train enthusiast?

Bristol would tick all you boxes, station close to centre of town, lots of restaurants etc, plenty to see and do, walks along the canal/docks, masses of green space etc.

Lyme Regis is beautiful. You can get the train to Axminster and a short bus ride to Lyme Regis.

Devon and Cornwall aren't very accessible by train. It depends on how long you want to be on a train for though.

DH and his family love them LoniceraJaponica so I've not had much choice

Stealth boast coming up @TheMallard - I was once a steward on a train pulled by the Mallard. It was the 50th anniversary of it breaking the steam record. We did a round trip from York via the Settle Carlise line and it was filmed by the BBC.

The crowds at the staions we stopped at were huge, and I especially remember the station master at Newcastle looking so smart in his uniform with a red rose in his lapel.

I still feel a frisson of excitement whenever I see The Mallard at the National Railway Museum.

That sounds amazing LocineraJaponica. We were at the NRM yesterday. I prefer the Dutchess of Hamilton. It's beautiful.

It is indeed. I love the NRM. It is one of my favourite museums.

I’ve had a lovely weekend in Kendal in the Lake District by train before. You do need to use taxis a bit to get everywhere but we stayed at the Castle Green hotel near Oxenholme station and then got a taxi into Windermere to look round etc. Really lovely.

Lovely places on southern coast but too far for a weekend from Scotland.
Harrogate?
Windermere?
Cartmel
North York’s moors - Whitby and then buses maybe.

Folkestone, Sandwich or Ramsgate lovely walks along coast.

I was going to say North Berwick!

Hastings.
Brighton.
Agree with New Forest.

OP, when you say "long weekend", do you mean Friday - Monday? Otherwise I'd restrict the journey time there and back else you'll be spending most of it travelling.

Buxton is lovely great little town and countryside on your doorstep - we drive however so not sure of walks without one, for nature Edale or Hope are lovely with stations but less eating options (great pubs though). Elsewhere Devon and Cornwall have lovely countryside and good wine train service.

York, Liverpool, loads to see and do very compact walkable city centre, all the Beatle stuff etc, Nightlife is excellent as is the food, Southport is a victorian seaside resort a short train ride away, Llandudno large Victorian seaside resort with plenty to do