Scotland or Wales (or Ireland)?

The fiance and I are planning a 4-5 day mini break the week after Easter to celebrate our anniversary on the 30th of March...we've both seen quite a bit of England and so were thinking we'd like to go to either Scotland or Wales (we'd also consider Northern Ireland, ROI or the Isle of Man if we got good deals on travel.)

But beyond that, we have no idea where to go!  The goals for this minibreak are not sightseeing related- ideally we'd just want to stay at a nice bed and breakfast for a few days somewhere picturesque and relax.  A few sights close by and some pleasant shopping would be ideal, but we're not talking hard core backpacking here.  Wherever we go would need to be accessible by public transport....but we don't really want to be in a big city.

Any suggestions?

edited to add: I know I said we've ruled out England, but I'd like to amend that to say we've ruled out everywhere in England *except* possibly the far southwest (Cornwall/Devon way), which is an area neither of us has been to.

About the IOM..we have a really good public transport system...and have loads of historic and picturesque places to see.

Peel Castle is rumoured to be part of Avalon..we have lots of nice walking paths..

Douglas is the capital has LOADS of B&B's but so does most of the medium size towns around the Island.


2 ways to get here either fly or ferry (which goes from Heyshem or Liverpool) a boat/rail ticket is good value for money.

If you want to know anything at all just ask...

Cornwall!  St. Ives!  I'm a bit biased because I've done the minibreak thing there and LOVED it.  Only thing is the buses are a little spotty this time of year.  However, if you don't mind just mostly hanging around town and doing a little walking around the coastal path, then you can ignore the spotty bus service (you only need it to travel between places IN Cornwall - you can take a good train service actually TO Cornwall).  I can recommend a specific B&B in St. Ives that I've stayed in and loved.

I live in southwest Wales and sort of half live in southwest Cornwall, so PM me if you have any questions, OK? I can highly recommend both spots! 

Edited to add: You don't have to PM me. I don't know why I said that! You can ask questions right here!

How about Wales but somewhere near Cardiff. It has great shopping, but once you get out of it, the surrounding areas are lovely!

I've been to Wales three times (don't make me spell the town names though -- not a chance!) and I loved every time.

I LOVE SCOTLAND!!!  If you are interesting in going up to the Highlands (so relaxing and lovely), let me know.  I have loads of suggestions. 

Aberystwyth (pronunced Abber-ist-with), but known locally as Aber - it's a great university town on the Mid Wales coast, feels very Welsh.  Nice vibe.  Arts centre.  Good beaches.  Amazing mountains.  Scenic train ride from Birmingham and then up the coast to smaller towns with lots of castles on the way.  Give it a whirl!

We are living in South Wales, near Merthyr Tydfil, and while I don't know where many B&B's are yet as we haven't lived here long, I can say that it is very pretty around here. We live right below the Brecon Beacon mountains, so if you are looking for something picturesc, then it is definatley a good spot. I have found the public transport very good around here and you can get to most stuff via either train or bus. Maybe check out someplace in Brecon. Here is a link just to show you some pictures and such of the area.
http://www.geocities.com/colinswalesuk/brecon.html
I hope you find a nice place to go!
Rachael =0)

We are living in South Wales, near Merthyr Tydfil, and while I don't know where many B&B's are yet as we haven't lived here long, I can say that it is very pretty around here. We live right below the Brecon Beacon mountains, so if you are looking for something picturesc, then it is definatley a good spot. I have found the public transport very good around here and you can get to most stuff via either train or bus. Maybe check out someplace in Brecon. Here is a link just to show you some pictures and such of the area.
http://www.geocities.com/colinswalesuk/brecon.html
I hope you find a nice place to go!
Rachael =0)

That looks absolutely lovely!

I recommend the Gower peninsula area in South Wales, absolutely gorgeous beaches and scenery. We've stayed in Mumbles a few times and always enjoyed ourseleves.

Scotland is great too. We live in Inverness but I wouldn't holiday here. If you're outdoorsy types, Aviemore is great for skiing and hiking otherwise, you can't beat Edinburgh for history and culture. Stirling is lovely too and Glasgow is an interesting city to visit, although I wouldn't call most of it pretty.

I second Britwife's suggestions.  I've not lived outside Scotland in the UK myself, but we lived in Edinburgh for 5 years and are now living in the lower Western Highlands.

If you're in this area, you'll need a hire car, but definitely not in Edinburgh.

How could I forget Hay-on-Wye! The best place on the face of the earth! 

How could I forget Hay-on-Wye! The best place on the face of the earth! 

I know!  But I've been to Hay already (although I did stay at a fantastic B&B there), so I'd like to go somewhere new.  I may have some questions about Wales in general though in a bit (need to talk with R first.)

Thanks for the suggestions so far, guys- so much to choose from! Keep em coming!