Where should we go?

We're planning a long weekend getaway for here in Britain & Steve has left it to me to decide.  Ideally, a mix of sightseeing & walking, maybe a dash of pampering (though nothing too OTT £££-wise).  We've sort of narrowed it down to this short() list:

Bath & vicinity (Cotswolds?)

Oxford

Maybe somewhere beachy/mountain-ey in Wales, but with city/town stuff to do too.

Peak District - maybe around the Buxton area

Or something north - like Durham, Newcastle & Alnwick

I always lean toward things up north, 'cause I like the north (except for how cold it is!).  But it would be nice to go southwards too for a change.

Any suggestions?  Recommendations?  Etc?

My vote is the Peak District!  I was just there last week and it is BEAUTIFUL!  Great hiking, lovely pubs, and breathtaking scenery!  DB and I want to win the lotto so we can buy a cottage in the Peaks.

I absolutely loved Bath the last time I was there.  Very pretty area and a lovely town.

I'm a big fan of the northeast coast - Alnwick and all that. And of course I love Newcastle! Holy Island is good, too.

Bath is gorgeous if you haven't beent there - when are you planning on going?

Of course, I pick Wales. But if you're looking for city stuff to do, you might be out of luck ... unless you go to Cardiff. It's OK, but I wouldn't go to Cardiff on holiday, y'know?

Other than that, Bath is fabulous! I'm off there tomorrow as a matter of fact! I never get bored of Bath. Plus, it's nearish to Avebury, which is one of my favourite places in the whole country.

ooh, i'll be monitoring this thread too- our anniversary is at the end of march and we're doing the long-weekend away thing.   we've thought about whitby or chester so far...

Planning to go mid-April time, so time is relatively short for booking accommodations if it's a busier, more touristy place.

I have been to Bamburgh (sp?) Castle & Holy Island before, balmerhon -- and seen the Angel of the North on the way up.

We like to do country walks, and sightseeing stuff like gardens, museums, castles/churches/historic things -- not too keen on twee/plastic sort of tourist attractions (think, I don't know, Madame Tussauds say, or anything manufactured like Disney).  A wee bit of cool shopping is alright, but DH's tolerance for that is low so we don't usually do much.  Accommodations-wise, we don't like to spend an arm & a leg...but my wishlist might include somewhere we could get a spa treatment (as a rare treat) or even just somewhere that the room has a big luxurious bath.  Unfortunately, what we are willing to pay for tends to fall far short of those kind of amenities.

So if you're recommending certain places - what are must-sees there?  Must experiences?  Places to stay, etc.

Andrea, I ***love*** Whitby & the North Yorkshire coast -- have been to Whitby 2-3 times or so now.

Same question, same time period, same interests...

I've looked into the Lake District and can't find any accomodation.  (Booked up!)  Now thinking about driving to Scotland.  Good idea?

When I was here for uni, I spent the first week of April walking in the Lakes District and was lovely.  I stayed in hostels (which are really nice and were mostly full of retired people at the time), but there are tons of small hotels and b&bs there.  I walked from Windemere to Grasmere to Borrowdale/Longthwaite to Keswick.  I highly recommend the area. 

Quasi-annually at the end of March, I make the trek to the Lost Gardens of Heligan Manor in Cornwall.  It's the Rhododendrons that do it.  

Not each and every year, but Quasi-Annually.  I'll be down there this year for sure because they have opened a heretofore undiscovered section beneath the lakes...

Would love to do Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, down that-a-way sometime!

But for us, coming from Leeds, that'd be a really long trek down/back & probably needs more than a weekend.

We spent two weeks in Durham this summer and absolutely LOVED it.  Went to Newcastle on the train-fantastic city to wander around, went to the Baltic Gallery in Gateshead, Durham Cathedral is beautiful, Durham itself is very studenty and a nice city, Hadrians wall is great for walking-We really had a fabulous time. 

Well, living in Bath I'll always recommend it to people looking for a weekend getaway! There are museums, the historic Roman Baths, great shopping, excellent restaurants, loads of walking tours (some are even free!), great pubs, and of course the new Thermae Baths if you're looking for a bit of pampering. There are day trips to the Cotswolds or Cheddar Gorge. Bath kind of sits in a bowl and there are country walks you can take around the 'rim' of the bowl with views of the city and countryside. There's plenty to do in one weekend!

My friend was here this weekend. He used to say that York was his favorite city in England, but he figures Bath is a close second if not his new favorite.

 

Isle of Wight would be my suggestion...l used to live there..and wish l still did !

I've ruled out Oxford which I think would be mostly city break & doesn't need all the days we have to spend - maybe for a quicker weekend some other time.

I've ruled out Wales mostly because I don't have very much info to hand about it.

Still considering Bath and Peak District about equally, followed by the Newcastle area idea.  Bath -- I like the sound of that day spa, but worried about if it'll be too crowded when we go & not sure if the countryside will be as good as the Peak District.  The Peak District - it seems there might be fewer city things to do, more countryside but I don't think I'll find as nice a spa there.

Good choice about Oxford. It's a nice stop if you're in the Cotswolds, but it's not a weekend getaway.

There's no chance the countryside around Bath can compete with the Peak District! I doubt the day spa itself will be too crowded, but the city will most likely be busy.