Want to show DH 'the UK'......

[Runninglate]

DH is American and although he has lived in London for 4 years and travelled abroad alot with work, he's never really seen much of the UK.

This year, I have tasked myself with planning 2 or 3 one week 'snapshot' holidays e.g. Scotland, Lakes, Dorset or something!! I want to show him countryside, mountains, fun cities, lakes and everything else that we have to offer here. So far he has seen one small part of Wales!

Any ideas??? We would perhaps stay in one place for a max of 2 nights and then drive on to the next. It needs to be baby friendly as she is currently 3 months old and activity wise bearing that in mind - red wine, eating and walking??? Trips I think in the summer and Autumn!!!

Oxford, Cambridge, Snowdonia, Cornwall, the Lake District, Edinburgh

that was just for starters

Yorkshire Dales (Herriot Country etc), York, Scarborough etc

Brilliant....I now have some questions due to my appalling geography!!

1. York (are the yorkshire dales next to york?? )?? Where do you recommend staying and which other places are close that would be good to visit?

1. If we went to the Lake District, would you recommend staying in the LD for the whole time, or is it a good place to spring on to somewhere else and if so where?

I remember going deep sea fishing in scarborough as a kid and catching nothing but a star fish.

Cornwall - I don't know much about it - I went camping in Tintagel with a horrible boyfriend and had a horrible time and it rained and blew our tent away too. Perhaps I need to go back and have a lovely time

East Anglia is lovely. There are pretty little villages everywhere with pastel coloured thatched cottages, flint fronted cottages, and places that look like chocolate box covers. Lavenham, Dedham, Woodbridge, Hadleigh, Boxford (there are loads of places). Go to Walberswick for crab fishing, get the foot ferry (it's a rowing boat) across to Southwold and buy some fresh seafood and laze about in the sunshine. Whilst you're there, visit Thorpe Ness and take a rowing boat on the lake (I'm sure the baby would like the water!). It's like being thrown back in time to Swallows and Amazons. And the Norfolk Broads are fab too, go on a barge. It's so damn quaint, your yankee doodle dandy dh can't fail to be impressed!!!!

Yes, the Yorkshire Dales are near York - pretty hills, lots of lovely villages, pubs, outdoorsy stuff, breweries, cheese-making places... I think if you Google it, you should find something. Grassington is a lovely place to stay. Other nearby places would be Whitby (old Abbey, Dracula related stuff, fish & chips, Scarborough which you mentioned - a proper English seaside town.)

York has museums (the Viking place used to be fab), the river, ghost walks etc as well as shops.

I suppose you could do a trip on the Settle-Carlisle railway to see some of the countryside. Never done it myself though.

I have to dash out now so am not thinking clearly - will pop back later if I think of anything more helpful.

Other places my American friends tend to visit are Stonehenge, Bath, Brighton, Dover, & Windsor.

Cornwall
Devon
Dorset

oh and at some point a canal boat...

BarafundleBayIsBeautiful - suprised you didn't say Barafundle Bay ;)

Not been there for a few years but it has to be the best beach in the UK.

oxford - central-ish so can take it in as part of your trip e.g. up to lakes

lovley here and can stay in a guest house and just wander round and visit a few colleges.

I ADORE Oxford [grin}.
My sister lives on a canal boat!

I knew it was worth asking Mnetters!!!

!!

Catch a train from York to Edinburgh, just so you can see Durham cathedral from the train! Bill Bryson raves about this view and I second, and third him.

oh now that's a cool idea. Do you know off the top of your head how long the train journey is and whether it's manageable with a 3+ month old? I'm not used to trains with LOs!

3 hrs from york to edinburgh i think.

Yes it's just under three hours. Edinburgh is a wonderful city plenty of places to walk and some fantastic restaurants. Expat and the others can fill you in on their favourite haunts. There's a zoo, but it's very hilly and might be hard going with a buggy. As for the rest of Scotland. Sutherland is a stunning area of Scotland with beautiful villages and stunning scenery. Dornoch is child friendly and has an amazing sandy beach.

Dorset is also great - Bournemouth. New Forest.

Go along with everyone's comment on the Yorkshire Dales - I'm a Yorkshire lass and all my Mum's family still live there. York is a fantastic city as is Harrogate. Market towns include Pickering and Helmsley.

North York Moors are nearer York than the Yorkshire Dales. You could see Goatland and Grosmont, Danby, Hutton-le-Hole, Staithes and Whitby. North York Moors are (ahem, at baaad tv reference) commonly referred to as 'Heartbeat Country'.

Don't know if the Malyan Spout Hotel still exists in Goatland. This had lovely food and was excellent for immediate dog walks - just straight out of the hotel and onto the moor.

Swinton Park Hotel at Masham is georgeous (am biased as was married there - but good with children although not sure of baby listening status).

There are lovely cottages to rent in Staithes which is very atmospheric - excellent in fog! And close enough to Whitby and Moors.

try here

salisbury included in dorset?

Another Dorset vote, but the Gower is lovely as well.

durham cathedral and castle. best cathedral in country.

How about the Western Highlands of Scotland? On a fine day (or even on a grey day) it's it's stunningly beautiful. this is the Bealach Na Ba , my favourite road in Britain, on the Applecross Peninsular.

How about the Derbyshire Dales/Peak District area. There is the Heights of Abraham in Matlock Bath - cable cars! Blue John Mines in Castleton. Ladybower Reservoir. Grand houses - Chatsworth, Haddon Hall. And on top of all this plenty of lovely scenery.

There are some great ideas here!

80smum - love it!!! what 'route' / places would you recommend to stitch together a trip, if we started at inverness airport. i've been to the outer hebrides and edinburgh that's the most i've seen of scotland!

I love the sound of York and all the surrounding places too and then on to edinburgh....possibly then on to inverness - would that work or too far?? I can see a big funky trip forming!

I'm going to look up southwold - I grew up in cambridge in the very flat fens!

I haven't been to the peak district either, so that would be good.

DH's fav US city is San Francisco and he hates Dallas.............!