Where in England to go?!

[Calmomiletea]

I would be so glad of opinions on this!

I already started a thread asking about Frome, but I'm wondering should I have a total rethink!
I'm in NI and every year we (my husband, my two DC, aged 2 and 4, and I) tend to go to England on our holidays in July. We will have two weeks this year and we will be doing a non-reciprocal house exchange with someone, via the home exchange website. We tend to prefer going south rather than northern England, in the hope of catching some sunshine.

One of my favourite things to do is to look around nicely curated, independent shops and antique shops. Thankfully my husband also likes antique shops, and charity shops.
I'm wondering where to go/where to base ourselves!

I had read that Frome was good for independent shops but I'm wondering how it would compare to the likes of Totnes and Lewes. I particularly liked Lewes, and Ashburton where we were last summer. I wasn't so keen on the shops in Rye- while the town itself is beautiful- the shops were too touristy for my liking. Ashburton didn't have lots of shops, but it did have plenty really well curated ones and lots of antique shops. Ludlow was good, as was Totnes. I liked old town Hastings and I remember Bakewell being a lovely little town too. I liked the town of Tavistock, shops were just OK. I absolutely love the Lake District, but I didn't rate the shops in the towns - again, just too touristy for me.

I have Ledbury in my sights, but I'm not sure if there's much there?! Or could it work as a nice base?

Is there anywhere glaringly obvious that I've missed?! I'd go back to Lewes, but my husband wants to see somewhere different!

I've commented on your Frome thread but if you're still wobbling can I suggest the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset? Swanage for beaches, old fashioned seaside charm, Corfe Castle for exploring, the loveliest old fashioned steam train to take you from one to the other. Studland and Arne to hunt for lizards, the chain ferry to Sandbanks (if it's operating, been a bit flaky lately), Poole/Bournemouth for rainy day soft play, aquarium etc. Moors Valley country park has a brilliant playground and picnic area (pay for parking but no entry fee). Westbourne/Wimborne/Wareham good for pottering. River trips, firework cruises, red squirrel hunt on Brownsea Island, Monkey World, Farmer Palmer's play farm...the list goes on...😁

Alternatively (still Dorset), Bridport/West Bay/Lyme/ Abbotsbury. Bridport is Totnes-like, combined with nearby Beaminster and Symondsbury Estate, excellent browsing action!

You can't go wrong with the Isle of Wight!

Tavistock is brilliant for shopping. It’s got the Pannier market collection of shops, plus lots more independent shops around West St.

I forgot to say.. another wee place for amazing shops, and it is small, is Alfriston near Lewes. It was gorgeous!

This would be a new area for me. I've never been to Dorset! I will definitely be making a note of these!

Thank you so much, I will check these places out!

Lyme Regis?

There's a Children's Festival in Frome every July.

https://www.purpleelephant.org.uk/childrens-festival/

Oops, meant to post this in the Frome thread.

Have you considered North Norfolk? Plenty of nice independent shops in Sheringham, Holt, Wells and even in Southwold and Aldeburgh if you are happy to border hop. Very geared to children in the area - boat hire on broads, seal trips from Blakeney, steam trains, Dinosaur Park, Bewilderwood etc. Might be more of a journey than you'd planned though.

(Also on the Frome thread!) I lived in Frome and now live in South Devon, so near Totnes. The advantage of Frome is the proximity of other similar towns, Bradford on Avon, Bruton, Salisbury, so if that's the vibe that you like, it's a great spot. We call Totnes the Frome of Devon, but the difference is that it's not surrounded by other similar towns. Don't get me wrong, it's great down here (we live in Torquay which we love), but if you're looking to mooch round antique shops, South Devon isn't a patch on Somerset.

I wish I had a month!! Thank you for these suggestions!

This is so good to know. Would Frome be similar in size to Totnes or would it maybe be a bit smaller?

Dorset also has one of the largest car boot sales I’ve seen, in Ashley Heath on a Sunday. There were a good few antique dealers when we were there. Great fun although definitely a rummage!

Frome is about 3x the size of Totnes. The amount of shops are not terribly different between the two, but Totnes really is quite small. It's a really attractive town centre, although I'd say that there are more crystals than antiques there now!

Arundel (shops, the castle, swan borne lake, hire a boat to go up and down the river). You can easily visit Chichester (canal tour, planetarium, Marina) or the beaches at West Wittering/Selsey. A fun day out to the rides at Harbour Park in Littlehampton.
It's also about an hours drive to Lewes if you wanted a day trip somewhere familiar?

I was also going to recommend this. I really like Bridport and West Bay. And not too touristy. Also you can drive towards Devon and Sidmouth is a lovely place to visit. You've also got Abbotsbury Swannery and there are various craft and antique places around there.

I live near Alfriston and Lewes.

I've not been to Ledbury but have heard its nice and worth a visit - nearby Ross on wye is lovely.

Ironbridge?
Cotswolds?

East Devon - lots to do for kids - and visit Honiton for antique shops.

I'd like to do north Norfolk at some point. It sounds lovely. I'll make a note of this! Thank you!

I'm a bit jealous of where you live 😂

We did Shropshire a couple of years ago. It's a lovely county with very friendly ppl. The antique centre in Whitchurch was amazing. Though I struggled to find the independent shop fix I was looking! 😆

Thank you! I will make a note of this.. wish we had a month!!

Been to Arundel. It is fantastic, just the right sort of place for me lol. The castle is fab too. I'm hunting for somewhere different this time though. In 5years I might have exhausted England 😆