The UK's top towns. The obvious and the overlooked

[gintonic]

there were reasons we got diverted back via London. We actually planned to spend that return leg to London in the Welsh borders. We were due to hand over our hire car in Lancaster, and then train it through the welsh borders down to Cardiff and Penarth. But we got caught in a series of rail strikes that meant we would have never made it out of Cartmel/Grange over Sands - without delay to getting our flights to Bryher. We kept the hire car and diverted via London, where we got a train.

We will go and see that part of the world - though it wont be this coming summer - here's the plan - Fly to Inverness, drive for 3 weeks fly back from Inverness. I know that Luss looks way out of our way, but we love Loch Lomond.......lots more little towns to be visited.

planned route3 by uh_simon, on Flickr

 

[stevec67]

we are driving up to York on Thursday afternoon, then lunch in Leeds on Friday (we'll go by train), then mooch around York for the remainder of Friday.

On Saturday we have something like this drive planned:

York by uh_simon, on Flickr

haven't made up our minds entirely yet.....

then drive back home on Sunday

Looks good but that's a lot of driving in one day if you want to get out and do stuff en route, especially as there is so much to see around there. If you don't plan to stop much, then crack on.

 

[SteveG]

A couple of suggestions on that route in Scotland - it might be fun to take a different route onto Skye, either the ferry from Mallaig or the little turntable ferry. I also like to take the little Corran ferry from the A82 south of Fort William and use the roads along the Ardnamurchan peninsula to get to Mallaig (and in particular the fantastic beaches near Arisaig). Also once you've made it to Applecross over the Bealach then the coast road north from there is really nice. Similar situation with Lochinver where I'd recommend taking the road out to Achiltibue then from there take the very twisting road to Lochinver.

 

[gintonic]

A couple of suggestions on that route in Scotland - it might be fun to take a different route onto Skye, either the ferry from Mallaig or the little turntable ferry. I also like to take the little Corran ferry from the A82 south of Fort William and use the roads along the Ardnamurchan peninsula to get to Mallaig (and in particular the fantastic beaches near Arisaig). Also once you've made it to Applecross over the Bealach then the coast road north from there is really nice. Similar situation with Lochinver where I'd recommend taking the road out to Achiltibue then from there take the very twisting road to Lochinver.

thanks that is useful to know. We booked all our accommodation back in January and planned the rough route, but the devil is in the detail. We love the driving around Applecross, and Maillaig, but I wasn't aware of the alternatives to get to Skye!

 

[Pete MB&D]

Newark, York, Lincoln, Salisbury (once they have decontaminated it) Cambridge, Scarborough.

Pete

 

[Weekender]

Happy memories of camping in North Berwick in about 2000 with a Finnish girlfriend. I took her around Edinburgh, we had a great time. She liked a drink.

Sounds like heaven.

 

[Brown Bottle]

Had a week based in Alnwick last month. Alnwick itself is nice. As also are many of the coastal places between Alnwick and Bamburgh. Bloody freezing though...

The reason it's freezing is to stop Southerners retiring there. The Northumberland coast is not undiscovered anymore but it's still quiet and the beaches are breathtaking. Despite my ex wife being present I still have great memories of exploring that coast.

Cheers BB

 

[Brown Bottle]

It's already been mentioned but I lived in Whitby from being 14-21, it's like going back in time, it's 20 miles from anywhere in any direction except North and then i think you hit Norway! If you do go to have a look then the North Yorks Moor Steam Railway is a must, as is Thornton Dale near Pickering.

Personally, if i could move back North, which i probably wont, it would be Saltburn, lovely seaside town but near enough to get public transport to watch the mighty Boro!

As I'm stuck in the South East now I love Whitstable and Hythe

Cheers BB

 

[Mike Reed]

Mike is an accidental Partridge.

Nope ! I'm a pheasant plucker though.

 

[twotone]

Saltburn.

Just go and be impressed and happy.

Bought my dog there, beautiful place, stunning actually. Bit industrial up the top where I got the dog which was in a street next to the steel works.

 

[twotone]

I like Cambridge and Ely and St David's in Wales, also Edinburgh and of course anywhere in Cornwall.

The West Coast Of Scotland and The Isles are beautiful, Barra's beaches are out of this world and the Uists are amazing, Morar too, pure white sands and only about an hour from Glasgow.

 

[matt j]

Often get called to a job in Bridgnorth with work, looks like a nice little place but I've not had chance to mooch around there yet.

 

[alanbeeb]

... Morar too, pure white sands and only about an hour from Glasgow.

By helicopter maybe. Over 3 hours by car. Certainly has its compensations though - take the coast road at Arisaig a few miles before Morar....

 

[twotone]

By helicopter maybe. Over 3 hours by car.

I blame the drink

 

[HarryB]

Newark, York, Lincoln, Salisbury (once they have decontaminated it) Cambridge, Scarborough.

Pete

Newark? Surely not.

 

[Alex S]

Any half decent English town gets eulogised as some miracle of warm beer and cricket whites. Your bog ordinary French town usually has far more to commend it than the jewels in England’s crown.

Also, the nice English towns tend to be claustrophobic, white, full of Range Rovers, nowhere sensible to park them, with shitty overpriced food in the eateries.

Scottish towns are often better but the houses are horrible.

Can you tell I voted remain?

 

[Caliente]

Last summer we spent a couple of days in Kendal - had booked a performance at the Brewery Arts Centre, and my wife was really taken with the place, enough to say that it could potentially be on the retirement list. For me, it does seem to offer a little of everything but I reckon the grey stone could be depressing in the winter months.

 

[stephen bennett]

Gosh ! Another from Norwich? Which part, may I ask? Another dubious accolade is that it's the largest (and interesting) retail conurbation in East Anglia and probably much further.

Not from, but been here most of my life now. Cringleford just now. There are a few more of us on PFM. It’s a growing city.

Stephen

 

[alanbeeb]

Newark, York, Lincoln, Salisbury (once they have decontaminated it) Cambridge, Scarborough.

Pete

Newark? Surely not.

Newark is just the horrible place I have to walk across to get home from Lincoln. Ok it has a castle, but....

 

[twotone]

Last summer we spent a couple of days in Kendal - had booked a performance at the Brewery Arts Centre, and my wife was really taken with the place, enough to say that it could potentially be on the retirement list. For me, it does seem to offer a little of everything but I reckon the grey stone could be depressing in the winter months.

I really like Keswick, bit touristy but it's excellent, we were there last week for one night, stayed in a dog friendly hotel just outside of Keswick in a small hamlet, really nice place and reasonable with great breakfasts and a good pub within walking distance of the hotel.

http://www.lakedistrictinns.co.uk

http://www.lakedistrictinns.co.uk/kings-head