Best Weekend Break Locale in the UK?
 

Hello-

Looking to plan a last minute getaway to take advantage of next weekend's bank Holiday. We're based in London and are looking to explore the beautiful UK. Someplace drive able, within 3 hours would be good.

Open to all types of locations...we like to wander around, drink some pints and take photographs of scenery and our kids in front of said scenery. :)

A good investment if you're living in London is the Time Out Book of Weekend Breaks. It has lots of great ideas - i've tried about half of them and have yet to be anything other than happy.

Thanks CW--I'll head to Waterstone's this afternoon to pick up a copy.

Do you have any favorites you would care to recommend?

I'd head to Suffolk, somewhere like Lavenham or Southwold.
There's beautiful scenery and it's not as touristy as some areas.
You will need a car, though.

Do you have any favorites you would care to recommend? >>>

Not really as the ones I've tried will either be completely sold out or were the romantic break type.

North Norfolk is good - Sheringham, Cromer and Holt are lovely.

You might still be able to get a room in Cromer.

I'd also recommend Norfolk or Suffolk. They are really interesting w/ lots to see but not as overrun on Bank Holiday as some of the other usual suspects.

Besides the Time Out guide which is really useful - I'd also take a look at "Day Trips from London by Train". It will give lots of ideas for short breaks for the rest of the year.

The Cotswolds might be doable and delightful at this time of year. Bourton-on-the-Water or Chipping Campden would make pretty bases.

We always enjoy Cambridge and Ely is quite close by as well. In Cambridge the tourist office runs guided walks which are interesting and you can watch - or try your hand - at punting on the river. There is a nice tearoom we tried in Ely called Peacocks. It won the tearoom of the year last year and is right by the river so you can enjoy a walk and look at the canalboats.
Kay

Bourton-on-the-Water + Bank Holiday + anywhere near decent weather = absolute chock-a-block. I love the Cotswolds, but best to avoid the well know towns over any bank holiday.

I've been to the Cotswolds over Easter bank holiday and the weather was lovely. It wasn't even choc-a-block at Broadway.

The trouble with the Suffolk and Norfolk coasts is that it can get full of "hoity-toity people from Islington in their 4-wheel drives".

&quot;<i>It wasn't even choc-a-block at Broadway</i>&quot; Bourton gets much more crowded than Broadway. Just about <b>every</b> coach tour stops there.

Train to York (less than 2 hours) and then a rental car to explore the Yorkshire Dales or Moors? A few 'obvious' hotspots to avoid, but easy to get away from the crowds and do all the things you want to do in your post. Very easy to avoid the hordes.
The scenery is glorious up here, the beer excellent (Black Sheep especially - you can even go and tour the Brewery and enjoy a lovely meal in the Brasserie), the local food great and the locals friendly.
I live up here in North Yorks and what you descibe is exactly what I am going to do over the Bank Holiday!

&lt;&lt;Bourton-on-the-Water + Bank Holiday + anywhere near decent weather = absolute chock-a-block. I love the Cotswolds, but best to avoid the well know towns over any bank holiday.&gt;&gt;

I would agree absolutely. But there is SO much more to the Cotswolds than the well-known towns.

Come to the western part where you will find spectacular views, gloriously attractive villages clinging to the steep valley sides above fast flowing streams. The bluebells are out in the woods and the hedgerows are laced with that bright acid green that you only get at this time of year. Great Farmers Markets. Fabulous local beers as well. Castles, old manor houses, lovely Norman churches, haunted ruined mansions - we have it all here yet few people know about this area.

Stroud, Tetbury, Wotton-under-Edge and Dursley are the largest 'small' towns. Even smaller towns are Nailsworth and Minchinhampton. As for the picturesque villages, there are too many to mention, but we are still pretty much undiscovered by tourists/visitors in this part of the Cotswolds.

And with a clear run I can be parked in a underground carpark almost opposite Harrods in less than 2 hours, LOL!

But the roads round here are little more than single track lanes, edged by dry stone walls and hedges. Some are so narrow your wing mirrors have only an inch or so clearance! This is the rugged part of the Cotswolds, and to my mind the most beautiful.

If you'd like to know anything more then I'll be happy to provide what info I can.

Have a great BH weekend.

Oh - I totally agree julia_t.

My comment was solely in response to the suggestion to visit Bourton and Chipping Campden - on a Bank Holiday.

There are no hoity-toity Islingtonians.

If they're hoity-toity and they live in Islington, they're noove arrivistes. Therefore (and I speak as a unhoity-toity noove arriviste who's spent most of his life in Islington) they're not true Islingtonians.

The real argument against Norfolk/Suffolk is that they take longer to get to than West Oxfordshire/Gloucestershire. And, as always, juliat summarises perfectly the many reasons why the Cotswolds are the most wonderful place in the place in the world. Even for a weekend. If you can afford our hotels - but the non-Islingtonian noove arrivistes from Canonbury and Barnsbury have driven Suffolk hotel prices up just as much

I absolutely loved Lichfield....Why ?....I am a fan of Dr.Johnson...You can visit his house,which is also partly a bookshop...There is also a nice cathedral here called St.Chad's...Very quaint little place...

hi dexters,

how about the kent/sussex border?

Rye makes a lovely base, and from there you can do winchelsea, hastings, tenterden, biddenden, sissinghurst, and Tunbridge wells on your way back.

even on a bank hol w/end, it shouldn't be too busy.

regards, ann

annhig;

Can you give me some specific ideas of what to see in the Rye area?

We're going to be landing in Dover and staying overnight in Hythe before going on to London. We will have a car for the day.

We're planning to go to Dover Castle in the morning when we get off the ship, but wondering what to do in the afternoon.

We're a family of 4 (two teenagers). Gardens aren't a big attraction for us, but we're all interested in history, good food, and the outdoors.

Thanks!

hi dexters - I'll do my best!

from dover, [the town itself is a tip but the castle is supposed to be very good - despite living in kent for 15 years I never went!]

make for Hythe and the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway the &quot;smallest railway in the world&quot; [allegedly]. or if you fancy a swim, [a bit cold yet I think] to camber sands a little further along the coast.

then along to Rye - a lovely town to wander around - and winchelsea.

or back to dungeness for bird watching.

in the morning, you could do Battle [no prizes for guessing why it's called that - the clue is in the name].

hope this helps,

regards, ann

Won't Rye be heaving on a bank holibob? Rye is a nice place but it's sole reasion for existence is tourism. It's a pretty old town but it does get very busy.

Plus - the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway will be filled to the gills . . .

doesn't that apply to everywhere on a bank hol?

bet there'd be a bit of room on Camber sands!

oops -- That's what I get for hijacking someone else's thread...

Our trip's not until July.

Thanks for the suggestions, though!

Thanks so much for all your helpful responses. It sounds like a trip out to the Cotswolds might fit the bill for this upcoming weekend.

I must admit that I am a little overwhelmed at choosing which exact town to select as our base. Is Stow-on-the-Wold a good location? It appears to be in the western part...

Also, am I correct in my thinking that if we train there, we'll then need to rent a car to properly explore the area?

Stow-on-the-Wold is actually on the north east part of the Cotswolds and is at the heart of the area which tends to be overrun by visitors seeking the 'genuine Cotswold experience'.

In addition, held over 4 days this weekend is the Badminton Horse Trials. Now Badminton is in the south west of the Cotswolds, but quite a few hotels, B&amp;Bs and inns throughout the region will be booked up with Badminton afficionados.

Rather than train to Moreton-in-Marsh or Charlbury, the usual gateways to the Cotswolds, you could consider taking the train to Stroud or Stonehouse. Midway between Stroud and Stonehouse station is this car hire place...

http://www.practical.co.uk/locations...oud/rental.asp

...and you could walk from Stonehouse station or take a taxi from Stroud for under &pound;10.

You could drive to Bourton-on-the-Water, Stow, Moreton, the Slaughters, etc within an hour or so, or just explore the western fringes of Gloucestershire.

You'd have Berkeley Castle, Cattle Country Adventure Park for the children, Owlpen Manor, ancient burial tumps near Uley, the cathedral town of Gloucester and Cheltenham Spa, plus many small and beautiful unspoilt villages to explore. There's a great brewery in Uley - check out the Rose and Crown. (Or is that in Nympsfield? anyway the villages are only a couple of miles apart and neither has more than 2 pubs, but Uley is the one with the local brew.) The pub in Selsley has excellent local ales as does the Bear in Bisley, to name just two of many.

I can't help much with accommodation, but a good B&amp;B guide will help or just checking local tourist information centres (google the place name followed by the words tourist information) and you'll find plenty and hopefully there will be some available. Here are a few links to get you started...

http://www.stilwell.co.uk/show_town.asp?Q=bb%7CL4110067

http://www.cotswolds.info/accommodat...lodgings.shtml

http://www.bedandbreakfast-directory...otels37164.htm

http://www.totaltravel.co.uk/travel/...y/bedbreakfast

As julia says - Stow-on-the-Wold is not in the western Cotswolds but about on the eastern edge.

re the horse trials and crowds - almost every B&amp;B/self catering cottage throughout raises its rates for this week - the week before and the week after will be 30%-40% less and sometimes half as much.

And they get it because most rooms fill up - between the bank hol and Badminton - things will be pretty crowded/full. The western bits because of Badminton, the eastern bits (the Stow/Bourton corner) because they always fill up over holidays.

&quot;<i>m I correct in my thinking that if we train there . . . . </i>&quot; You probably know this, but in case - there is no train to Stow.

If you want a leisurely, uncrowded weekend away from London - the Cotswolds are probably not your best bet. If it were me - I'd reserve visiting the Cotswolds for a weekend later in the Spring when things will be much less crowded.

You are so close you do not need a holiday weekend to get to the Cotswolds. Leaving London on a Friday evening and back into town on a Sunday evening later in mid May or mid June would be better IMO . . . .

There are some suggestions on Timesonline - travel section. Among those on the website today are Britain's best historic day out, Britain's 20 best music feastivals, Britain's best 50 days out and, a little further afield but my favorite, The dirty weekend guide to Europe.

I've never found the Cotswolds to be so bad at bank holiday weekends. Maybe that's because I don't take the car out for a drive, along with the other lemmings, but I choose a base and then walk.

On the Cotswolds at holiday weekends:

Londonres is partly right: five minutes' walk into the countryside from any carpark and the fields are deserted every day of the year. Might pass a few people on Mothering Sunday - but that's about it.

But, the trouble at holiday weekends though is:
- carparks in the half-dozen key honeypots get full from 1100-1600.

- the half dozen key honeypots themselves get full at weekends from 1100-1600, and getting lunch in country pubs in about a dozen honeypots can take a while. One or two even expect you to book, which can be a bloody nuisance if you haven't, the next one's a two mile walk and it's past 1330 already. So steer clear of Bourton on the Water till they've all gone home. There's an awful lot of the Cotswolds that isn't Bibury or Bourton on the Water - the two where filling gets most uncomfortable.

- Trains and both the M40 and M4 westbound get full on the Friday nights. In practice this is only a problem if you've failed to book a seat on the train (I never do: just get to Paddington early and run like hell the moment they announce the platform), or if you fail to drive to your cosy pub before the kitchen closes (just add an hour onto the drivetime). It can a bugger, though, on the Monday afternoon, since people seem to concentrate their journey home into a tighter window than the outbound journey. Just accept you're going to get home late.

So I think the honeypots flanner mentions would be...

Bourton-on-the-Water
Stow-on-the-Wold
Moreton-in-Marsh
Upper and Lower Slaughter
Bibury
Burford
Chipping Campden
Chipping Norton
Winchcombe

Apart from Bibury they are all on the north/east part of the Cotswolds, so plan to travel west of Cirencester and avoid the crowds! (Except at Badminton, home of the Duke of Beaufort, of course.)

Where I live I don't expect to see any more cars on the lanes around here than on a normal weekend. As said before, we are pretty much undiscovered Cotswolds down here! I shall be spending my Saturday and Sunday afternoons watching village cricket (weather permitting), otherwise it will have to be Badminton Horse Trials on TV.

lots of good info in this thread - thanks.