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!!!

If you go to the Peak District and he is interested in mining, a trip down the Blue John Mine is worth it. There are quite a few places to stay in and around the peak district/derbyshire dales. Train links to the Matlock area are via Derby which I think links to pretty much the rest of the country.

I would go to the Lakes for at least 4 days, if you go there.
You can take dd on walks if you can carry her in a carrier rucksac thing - there are lots and lots of things to see in addition to fellwalking. Wordsworth's cottage at Grasmere, Walk to see the Golden Eagle above Haweswater, get a steamer along Ullswater, take him over the Honnister and Wrynose passes (IME people from North America love the challenging narrow twisty roads in contrast to thier straight wide ones).
Gingermonkey's East Anglian itinerary is good - if you wanted to cover a smaller area, you could do between Southwold and Orford ness, taking in Walberswick, Aldeburgh and Snape. Excellent seafood on the beach at Aldeburgh, great chip shop in the high st, nice seafront hotels...weird landscape at orford ness, concerts at snape. 3 days would be good.

I agree the rail journey up the NE coast, past Durham, the Angel of the North, Gateshead and Newcastle (stop off at the Baltic??) and up along the Northumberland coast past Berwick to Edinburgh- fantastic.

Newcastle is a good base, and up through Northumberland, Hadrian's wall, fabulous castles at Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh, Holy Island etc.

If you are in London, Oxford and Cambridge make great easliy accessible day trips. Ditto Whitstable or Rye. Or battle. Go to battle in Sussex for the annual Meideval Fayre (sounds awful, but is actually quite tasteful and fun) and see the Battle of hastings battlefield and Abbey.

Arundel Castle is a good day trip, too. And Hever.

If i was taking someone round Britain for the first time, i would start at the top! If you stay at Inverness, then you are in driving distance of Loch Ness, the Great Glen etc. then you could go across to Fort William. Then I would do Edinburgh. Then i would drive down to southern Scotland, i personally would go down the A7, but it's a bit winding in places.It takes you through the Borders, then into Dumfriesshire. That road neatly brings you to Carlisle, the M6 and the Lake District. I get a bit lost after that

If you're driving down from Scotland you could try to the other side from Cumbria. We drove down from near Glen Nevis to Seahouses in Northumberland one year - lovely trip. Northumberland is fantastic - amazing beaches, Bamburgh castle, the history at Lindisfarne, pretty towns like Alnwick etc. It's much quieter than the Lakes, and although the hills aren't as dramatic, I think it's much more unspoilt than the Lakes, which feels a bit overcrowded especially in the summer.

For a mix of cities and countryside, try Hebden Bridge - in between Manchester and Leeds so you've got all the galleries and stuff, but you've also got a lovely little Pennine town and easy access to the South Pennines, (ahem, also referred to as "Bronte country" if you like that kind of thing).

For industrial heritage and museums, you could visit Manchester's Castlefield district. There are museums of science and industry, along with some very child friendly science bits - memorably there is one called "experiment" which is pretty good and not at all "dumbed down".

You can stay in hotels in the area, and this gives you the option of the Manchester nightlife on the doorstep in Deansgate.

Take him somewhere beachy like cornwall or south devon, then progress up the country stopping at places like oxford, birmingham, the cotswolds etc until you get to the lakes and possibly some time in Scotland.
I second the vote for CHatworth House, its the most amazing place and so English but in a really nice way. (the farm shop also does some amazing produce!)

Peak District National Park ! Stay in a guest-house on the edge of Sheffield and do some walks out on Mam Tor, Stanage Edhe, Kinder Scout etc - & go to Bakewell and Buxton fir less tiring days out!

The Isle of Lewis is amazing!

I second Blu.
newcastle is a fab base
1 hour from york by train
1.5 hours to edinburgh with amazing coutryside and beaches in between
1.5 hour drive to the lakes...

also only 3.5 hours from london on train
dead ceap flights from stanstead to newc

I had a job washing up in the Thistle Hotel when I was a student.

Message withdrawn

ther is of course an added attraction in newcastle

Don't forget Bath & Cotswolds

I really recommend Assynt in Sutherland (NW Scotland). It is the most beautiful place. Stay in Ullapool - that way you can visit Achiltibuie - fantastic beach, beautiful views over teh Summer Isles - and then drive on to Assynt. Brilliant walking.

Brilliant - thank you. Please keep the ideas coming - I'm slowly working out my routes! I was told about Clovelly last night - Devon I believe - completely pedestrianised and up until the early 1990s, you had to park at the top of the hill and then put your luggage on donkeys and they would carry it down the hill to the village. How cool is that?? Shame they've now replaced the donkeys with a nasty landrover

Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door in Dorset (near Weymouth) - nice coastal walk

Devizes - the Caen Hill locks - 29 locks on a hill, you can even join in and help with the gates

Dartmouth in Devon and surrounding areas

Cornwall, lands end and Minack Theatre carved into the rock at Porthcurno Bay

Cheddar Gorge in Somerset

btw - I'm googling ALL your suggestions and saving them in my favourites under 'UK trip extraordinaire'......!

Runninglate: Clovelly sounds a little bit like Polperro. There you have to park at one end and either walk or ride down into the centre. Lovely place - I visited for the first time last September and thoroughly enjoyed it. They still use horse and cart rides from the car park, or there is the landrover or electric cart alternative.

I do so remember that view of Durham from the station from when I was a student there and travelled by train a lot - either home or into Newcastle or whatever. Makes me very nostalgic.