maile

Having been lulled to sleep by the waves on the Normandy coast this summer, I am looking forward to planning for next July. Can anyone give me suggestions for an English city or village where I can be on or very close to water (not the Lake District). Would like to rent a small house or apartment for a week or two. Looking for small and charming. With water. Must have water.

Michael

Just spent a pleasant week this summer in Lyme Regis on the other side of the Channel from Normandy.

MissPrism

Southwold, Suffolk.
http://www.exploresouthwold.co.uk/
It's a beautiful little town on a very interesting piece of coast. One or two P.D. James books have been set in the area and she has a house in Southwold.

sueciv

I haven'tbeen there, but the coast in Cornwall has always intrigued me.

Mimar

So you want not just water but waves? A river wouldn't do?

Cornwall comes to my mind also. Lots of coastline there, lots of cute small towns. The other thoughts I have are not in England but Scotland. Plockton is a cute town on the west coast of Scotland near the bridge to Skye. It has palm trees and flowers courtesy of the Gulf Stream. Or the East Neuk villages on Scottish drier east coast. They're just north of Edinburgh and south of St. Andrews.

I's sure others will be chiming in with many other possibilities.

bilboburgler

The coast of Dorset is good, say Lulworth Bay, or you could go to the dull but pleasant Isle of Wight, maybe stay in Yarmouth towards the quay or some of the more holiday orientated side of the south coast of the island.

Robin Hood's bay would add a certain mystery in Yorkshire

annhig

St Mawes, Boscastle, Falmouth, Portscatho, [all Cornwall]

Appledore, Instow, Sidmouth, Salcombe, Dartmouth [all Devon].

hetismij2

Not England but Scotland, on the shore, a lovely cottage which we loved: http://lochfyneshore.co.uk/intro.html

anicecupoftea

Come to Norfolk. Rent a flint cottage near the North Norfolk coast or a village on the Broads (lakes evolved from ancient flooded peat workings). Even better, rent a boat, and live on the water rather than near it. Easily navigable rivers connect the Broads and there are no locks.

janisj

Crail in Fife,

Frances

If you are willing to look further than England I suggest the Harbourmaster Hotel in Aberaeron, on the Cardiganshire coast in Wales

MmePerdu

Lots of variable and with so many choices the question could use some narrowing down. Do you plan to have a car? Do you want to be in the countryside or to be in a town or village?

maile

Many thanks for the ideas. Yes, will have a car. Difficult to pinpoint exactly what would be best as normally I would like to be in the country and we will be staying in London and Oxford for two weeks (enough of city life) BUT we will be with two of our children, both in their 20's and single. Which sort of puts me in a larger type village with nightlife?

MmePerdu

The nightlife issue makes it tougher to get the countryside feeling unless it's outside a larger place and a train station nearby for evening jaunts. Probably not a good idea to have them driving to the clubs. Or would a lively pub do the trick?

Grindeldoo

Dartmouth would fit the bill - not too large, enough pubs to choose from. Smaller, but on a tidal section of the river Exe, as it widens out into an estuary, the pretty little town of Topsham. Quite a few pubs, but an easy 20-minute ride by bus or local train into Exeter for those looking for a livelier evening.

flanneruk

Nightlife appealing to 20 yos?

That really rules out places like Padstow & St Ives. And you'd probably hate Brighton

But aren't they old enough to do what grown ups do? Scrabble, get pissed, write the novel or catch up on West Wing dvds?

maile

"Scrabble, get pissed, write the novel or catch up on West Wing DVDs?". What kind of grown ups are these? Seriously however, the daughter lives in Afghanistan for most of the year (no alcohol, and seven day work weeks ) and the son lives with us in a small conservative farming community. When we all travel together I believe they would enjoy a few drinking hours without their patents around. Actually a lively pub would do the trick for them . Our idea of a good evening focuses on a nice dinner and a new book available on the IPad. I will check out Topsham And I am thinking of adding on a few days to take in the Habourmaster Hotel in Wales .... after all, I have lived with Airedales all my life and they are Welsh, no?

Grindeldoo

I think Topsham could do the trick - apart from beautiful countryside around and some good walking country, the town itself has an open-air swimming pool, which is not that common in the UK. And before the mocking begins - Devon is one of the warmest spots in the country, and being east of Dartmoor, the rainfall is considerably less than in much of Cornwall! Several good places to eat in the town for lunch or dinner, a local ferry across the river to Turf and the pub there.

Airedale terriers originated in Airedale, which is in Yorkshire, in the north of England - not Welsh at all, I'm afraid.

janisj

Airedales aren't Welsh, where did you get that idea?. They originated in Yorkshire . . .oh I see Grindeldoo beat me to it.

Most any town/village will have a few good pubs. When most folks ask for 'nightlife' we usually assume they mean nightclubs and music venues. If you just mean good pubs with maybe some live music, heck you could stay almost ANYWHERE.

maile

I feel as though I have suddenly been sent to another planet. For some 70 years I have thought Airedales came from Wales. Why? I have no idea, just something I grew up "knowing". Thank you for the education but now tell me how do I explain this to Duffy Doodle and Murphy McNutt. They have been told that their ancestors hunted otters in Wales.