Road trip, suggestions for a six day stay

[Jennywren1975]

We have a two week road trip planned for early July.
So far, we have a few days in Blackpool booked to go to the Pleasure Beach and a few days staying near Alton Towers.
This takes care of DS theme parks request.

We have 6 or so days free and I'm looking for some suggestions of where else we can go? Ideally, we'd like somewhere we could use as a base to do day trips from.
We had thought of somewhere in Devon or Dorset, but open to suggestions of other places.

We like places with a nice seafront, cafes, scenery, castles, countryside and somewhere relaxing to wander round.

Last year we stayed in Llandudno, Cardiff, Chester and Bath. So something along those lines would suit us.
We'll be travelling back up to Scotland, so anything along the way is doable.

I was going to suggest Chester!!
It's a heck of a long drive to Dorset and Devon for only 6 days if you've got to back to Scotland.
What about the Peak District? Although it's not coastal you've got plenty of countryside and Chatsworth House rather than castle.
Or you could head to the north east - Tynemouth / Whitley Bay and into Northumberland. That definitely covers coasts and castles.

We have done similar several times.
An almost circular route from Blackpool, remember the cost of fuel
Liverpool, Chester, Llangollen, Llandegla Fishery, Bala, Barmouth, Harlech castle area , up to the Llyn Peninsular, Criccieth, Llanbedrog, Abersoch, Porth Dinellen etc Look at each place and decide how long you want to stay, all very different, plenty to see and do for all budgets.
Some great places on the way, Aber Falls, Horeshoe pass and falls, Conwy.
Some ideas here
www.donthibernate.co.uk

The Northumberland coast would tick all your boxes. You could stay somewhere like Craster or Seahouses and use it as a base to visit Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Dunstanburgh, Lindisfarne etc…

I’d say Northumberland too.

Devon and Dorset are both lovely and worth a visit but you'll use up 2 days travelling. I'd go to Northumberland.

Look up things to do/places to see in the NE.. Alnwick Castle would be top of my list, I'd also like to go to the Farne Islands, Seahouses, maybe Bamburgh, Beamish Museum , Metro centre, ...

I'm liking all these suggestions.

We had thought of Northumberland.

I maybe didn't explain myself too well @emmathedilemma.
We have eight days left at the end of the trip. I've allowed two days for travelling back up to Scotland and have booked a night in Carlisle the night before we travel up to Cairnryan for the ferry home.

I still wouldn’t go all the way to Devon or Dorset!

I'd head deeper into North Wales.
Maybe Anglesey, maybe Snowdonia, or anywhere on the North West coast.

Castles galore. Beautiful coastline. Gorgeous walks - be that round mountain lakes or higher into the mountains. Mountain biking if that is your thing or zip wires or trampolines in caves if you want to spend money on that sort of thing or just so much natural beauty if you don't.

If you really fancy going then go. Make a plan of where you'd like to see and make plan B for if the weather is wet

Dorset tends to have small towns and they'll have visitor attractions. I can't think of any I'd drive all that way to see but the places I went were lovely.

If you add somewhere in Wiltshire or Somerset (e.g. Stonehenge, Cheddar Gorge/Glastonbury, Wells,Bath) you could pack in a lot

@emmathedilemma

I still wouldn’t go all the way to Devon or Dorset!

🤣 last year we did 1500 miles. Or should I say DH drove 1500 miles. I have a running joke with my friend, as I say a journey over 50 miles needs an overnight stay!

Northumberland or the North York Moors Coast: Whitby, Robin Hood Bay, Staithes etc. Really think the North has such amazing scenery, it’s a long journey for Devon or Dorset, I would stay further north.

Now I know one of your starting points I feel whilst Dorset and Devon etc is lovely I feel North or mid Wales would be just as good, slightly cheaper and less congested
It all depends on what you want but the area around Borth Aberystwyth etc is nice with beaches as good as Dorset and Devon
www.donthibernate.co.uk/route-10-lad-dad-trip-to-mid-wales-and-internal-fire-museum/

These are all mid wales
www.janetbaxterphotography.co.uk/-/galleries/ceredigion/ceredigion-coast#gallery_2e325925-06f5-4140-a13e-7216c124cd79

Try to see the market towns on Market day they are usually transformed

Did same trip last year. We went to Manchester and then to Malham, then to York, Chatsworth and then Alton towers

Bristol
Cardiff
Liverpool
York