We are returning to England in July and part of August. We loved Bath and York and also Wells.
We would like to visit some places that have a bit of the feel of Bath and/or York but are maybe a bit smaller. Maybe an odd question I know.
If you have any ideas we would love to hear them.
Posted by
UK
501 posts
It’s a good question!
A few off the top of my head:
In the south/south west: Malmesbury, Marlborough, Shaftesbury, Sherborne for starters.
In the East Midlands: Stamford (used to film the BBC’s Middlemarch in the 1990s).
West Midlands/Welsh Borders: Lichfield, Ludlow.
East Anglia: Bury St Edmunds, Saffron Walden, Ely.
Further north: Beverley, Richmond (the Yorkshire one).
Honestly, the list could go on for days. This is the point that many of us British posters make: every part of the UK is packed full of lovely little towns that tourists don’t seem to know about.
Posted by
UK
501 posts
I thought of Lincoln (uphill Lincoln is stunning) but wondered if it was too big to fit the criteria. There could be a lovely Stamford-Lincoln-Beverley visit.
Posted by
Washington DC
27122 posts
If you tell us what parts of England you'll be visiting, you'll get more-targeted advice.
Posted by
OP
391 posts
We were lucky to be in the UK twice this year in London, Bath, Broadway, Ludlow, Conwy, Chester and York on the first trip, and in Salisbury, Wells, Windsor and Canterbury on the second trip.
In answer to acraven’s question, we are not sure where we will go and are open to ideas feom this forum. We will have enough time to go to a few areas. Possibly Yorkshire for a while and then…
Posted by
Some fantastic place
233 posts
Lincoln, but it is easily as big as Bath if not bigger.
As well as the 'up hill' cultural/historic area there is the modern down hill area of the Brayford Wharf which is modern vibrant waterside cafe society area, along with the High Bridge/Glory Hole which is the only bridge in the UK with a Tudor building on it which has is the site for a fantastic coffee shop.
Posted by
Royaume-Uni nul points, pas plus
2510 posts
Chester, Buxton, Winchester, Durham...
and have a look here https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/apr/17/15-uk-market-towns-to-discover-day-trips-short-breaks
Posted by
Lake District, England
5758 posts
If you liked Bath you would like Buxton. It too is a spa town, it too has Roman history and Georgian architecture. But is an hour from Manchester, has a frequent direct bus from Manchester Airport and is on the edge of the Peak District for walking to your heart's content.
But smaller and an awful lot less busy.
https://www.visitbuxton.co.uk/things-to-do/spa/
By chance only today I was suggesting Buxton to someone else on the forum as a potential interchange point.
Posted by
Land of La
8674 posts
Snowshill, Mucker, Whitby, Kingham, Mousehole and
Lyme Regis.
Posted by
Preston UK
877 posts
This year you have been as far south as Bath, Wells, Salisbury and Canterbury. As far north as Conwy, Chester and York. But with plenty of holes in between.
You could look south and west and visit Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. Or north and see more of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Durham and Northumbria. And add in the Peak District as Isn31c suggests. Or look to East Anglia. Or the rest of Wales.
I think if you can give some thought to the areas you might like to explore we could give some much better targeted ideas about where you might want to use as bases. At the moment there is a danger of everyone just giving you long lists of places.
And, don’t forget, you are allowed to go back to 0laces you have already been to as well!