Places for weekend visits in the UK?

[chicaguapa]

This year we have decided to explore the UK a bit more with DC (14 & 11) and visit as many places as we can for weekends and over school holidays.

We're in Southampton and have already added Bristol to our list as we've never been. What other places would you add to our list and why?

Thanks.

Bath - lots of history to wander around and afternoon tea at the pump house. Stonehenge has to be done. looking for fossils on the Jurassic coast - book a guide and get your own little hammer. Cardiff - go on the rapids and also see the castle. cheddar gorge - fascinating day out.

Winchester, Bristol, Canterbury,

Sorry, I can see you have Bristol in your list. Whatabout Brighton?

Leicester for the Space Centre

Rye in East Sussex if you want somewhere v pretty (got to be one of the prettiest places in the UK) with lots of nice coffe shops and good dining and hotels (Mermaid Inn, The George) and boutiques. Walking around the town is nice, but less to do than Bristol obviously. If you get bored it's about 40 mins drive or an hour on the train to Brighton or an hour and a bit by train to London.

York- railway museum, the Minster, the fab Viking museum. Lots of interesting independent shops plus Bettys tea rooms. Only a couple of hours on the train from London.

Southend on sea for the longest pleasure pier in the world and a bit of old school seaside nafness.

Peak District is reasonably accessible from the south coast and just stunningly beautiful. Castleton is a great base.

We loved Bristol, can't wait to go back. Ditto Cheddar Gorge.

New forest is charming. Brockenhurst.

Thanks for all the replies. Southend looks interesting and Leicester too. Isn't the Denby factory near there? I think Cardiff is also on our list for the Dr Who fans in our family.

I used to live near Brighton and currently live near Winchester and the New Forest. Plus have family in York so we know that well too. We go to the Jurassic coast every year. Love it!

This is probably why we are finding it so hard to choose cities to visit!

Will look at Cheddar Gorge now.

Harrogate in Yorkshire is fairly small but I'm told is lovely.

Southwold in Suffolk is also small and really popular with a certain 'London set' in summer.... Fuck knows why though! I went there (admittedly in winter) and it was dull, but each to their own.

southend is not interesting. Please.

Wells in Somerset, Salisbury and Glastonbury.
Tintagel/Senen Cove/ Porthcurno in Cornwall, Clovelly in Devon. Chester & Liverpool.
Whitby!
Loads of great places.

Wye valley?

Iron bridge in Shropshire- lots of great museums and hands on stuff- enginuity is great.

The Lake District is simply stunning, as are the Yorkshire Dales, Harrogate and Skipton are pretty Dales towns.

The north east around Bamburgh Castle and Lindisfarne is on our list, not been yet but am reliably told it's breathtaking. The north coast of Cornwall is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. We return to see family year after year and never tire of the beaches, cliffs, seascapes and views.

Fly to Scotland! I'm taking ds to the Inner Hebrides for a few days and the travel (fights, train, ferry...but that's part of the fun) is coming to £150 in total, return, for the two of us.

That's flights, obviously. I know Glasgow has a reputation, but still...

Northumberland is a long stretch from here (v local to you) but well worth it. Both coastal and inland (Kielder).

One idea might be to get national trust and/or English Heritage membership and see how many you can tick off.

Oxford, Cambridge, Chester, Bath, Exeter (did an underground tour there which was pretty good).

Ironbridge is a good weekend break with DC that age if they're up for that kind of industrial history stuff. RAF Cosford also pretty nearby.

Bath is lovely.

Whitby fun if they're of a gothic tendency.

Wells and Cheddar are a great weekend if the weather is good.

Edinburgh is fantastic if you can get affordable flights.

Denby factory is in Derbyshire, could do Peak District. Ironbridge area is lovely with great museums. Chester.

Newcastle
Edinburgh
Alnwick
Durham

Can you tell I'm up north

Ironbridge is brilliant.

Northumberland is fantastic. We did a half term break there last year. Loads to see, especially castles like Bamburgh, Alnwick and Dunstanburgh plus holy island and lindisfarne. We had a week and weren't bored. Beaches are amazing wide open sweeping expanses with barely anyone on them even in half term week. Newcastle is also a good city break. 100% recommend.

Cambridge. Never been and that's where I would go.
Or
Dorset/Devon for beaches and food experience

West Wales. Its underrated in my opinion. Tenby is stunning with pastel coloured houses and three beaches and an old town wall. So pretty and near several castles. And it overlooks Caldey Island monastery where you can visit the monks who make chocolate and perfume.

And on the way to Tenby stop at Laugharne and visit Dylan Thomas's boathouse and Brown's Hotel where he used to drink. A lot.