If you want to overnight in a university city, you can probably get very economical accommodations in the college dormitories if school isn't in session. I've stayed at Queen's Cambridge several times, and the daily rate was in the single digits of £ (mind you, this was 20 years ago).

Bath immediatly popped into my mind. It's beautiful (loads of flowers everywhere), has great sites, and all sorts of shops/eateries, and a park.

And I thought that Newcastle-upon-Tyne was the sort of place that Eric Burden and the Animals fled from- Got to get out of this place.

For Medieval bang-for-the-buck, it's hard to beat York: the Minster and many other churches, the walls, the Shambles and other downtown streets. Shopping on the high street is good/typical of British cities (in other words, it had all of our favorites). We spent 24 hours (noon to noon) and could have easily filled a second day, not to mention the attractions nearby. The Minster really can take half a day - the undercroft is a must. The stained glass is medieval (I think the largest expanse of original stained glass in England or something).

Edinburgh is also great - I'd give it 2 full days if possible. You have the castle, which is amazing and the Holyrood Palace and the abbey ruins at the other end of the Royal Mile. Edinburgh is a good combination with York, as you pretty much go right through on the train, so janisj's suggestion is a good one.

We did Oxford as a day trip, and it is fantastic for medieval architecture. I would say you could fill in excess of 2 days there. The Ashmolean museum is quite good (maybe 2 hours or so). Several key things are closed on Sundays, btw.

We enjoyed Cardiff as well. Cardiff Castle is a good combination of Norman, Medieval and Gothic Revival. Nearby there are other good castles and abbeys. We only had time for Caerphilly Castle, a short bus ride away from the city.

Have you seen the Amateur Historian series of travel books by Sarah Kettler and Carole Trimble? Titles include:

<i>The Amateur Historian's Guide to Medieval and Tudor London</i>;

<i>The Amateur Historian's Guide to the Heart of England: Volume 3 - Nearly 200 Medieval &amp; Tudor Sites Two Hours or Less from London</i>; and

<i>The Amateur Historians' Guide to Medieval and Tudor England: Day Trips South of London - Dover, Canterbury, Rochester</i>

These books are packed with history and info about old architecture. I've found them very useful. All are available from Amazon, or from http://www.abebooks.com/ (used and new, several dollars less per book).

I have posted some trip reports (with photo links):

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34870457
(Glasgow, Edinburgh, York, Salisbury, London)

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35016109
(London, Oxford, Cardiff - still in progress)

The only totally pedestrian friendly UK city i've seen is Clovelly

That's a village, not a city, but yes, 100% pedestrianised. Even the residents aren't allowed cars.

and only if you really like steep hills

ttt

Barnsley?

the cambridge town is just a short bus ride away from the train station. once you're in town, walking is the best option. be careful of the bicycles tho when the transfer between classes

Sheffield is pretty nice.

Port Sunlight

Last Jan i found Chatham to be a very pedestrian city

York - with a trip out to the WWII museum Eden Camp (www.edencamp.co.uk), and/or the Yorkshire Air Museum (www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk). Both are only a short journey out of York, and not far from each other. York is definitely a walkable (and beautiful) city.