Long Weekend Away In The Uk,any Suggestions?

[dave50]

My wife and I are planning a long weekend break Friday to Monday, sometime in September. We were thinking of Oxford or Bath or perhaps somewhere else, we are open to suggestions. We would like it to be somewhere quite vibrant, plenty of nice pubs and restaurants but also a historic centre to explore. Does anyone have any other suggestions or nice B & B's that they would recommend, preferably within walking distance of a centre of town/city? We live in Yorkshire so obviously we have seen most of the places in our area. Thank you.

[237SJ]

Chester or Winchester perhaps?

[Quizmonster]

Oxford is wonderful as regards virtually everything you say you want. However, in September, the students will be on holiday...ie much of the 'vibrant' quality you hope to find will be missing in terms of lively pubs and so on. On the other hand, an absence of students may well be exactly what you seek!
I have nothing whatsoever to do with The Buttery opposite Balliol College financially, but I can certainly recommend it as a central and pleasant place to stay.

[horseshoes]

I agree about Oxford. My friends and I had a girlie trip away, staying in Leamingon Spa. We went to Oxford for one day out, Blenheim Palace for another (that was wonderful) and Warwick castle for another trip.

[mazie]

Have you "done" Edinburgh dave..It's vibrant and a great historic centre. Great pubs with great food

[dustypuss]

The lakes

http://www.lamplighterdiningrooms.com/

[Mosaic]

The hot spa in bath is awesome
http://www.thermaebathspa.com/

[atalanta]

If you enjoy classical music, Oxford has more orchestras, choirs and string quartets to the square inch than anywhere else I have ever visited.

[Buenchico]

The most obvious answer is probably Bath:
http://visitbath.co.uk/

However I'll throw in a couple of alternatives:

Much as we Suffolk folk hate to admit it, Norwich is a lovely historic tourist city, packed with good pubs and restaurants and with plenty to do:
http://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/

You might also enjoy Whitstable. I've stayed there for a total of 13 nights recently (for a couple of blocks of work) and I was greatly impressed by the range of pubs and restaurants, as well as the generally 'classy' (but not 'expensive') feel to the town. Whitstable also has quite a bit of history to it (with a lovely little museum) as well as being a good base for exploring (both by car and by rail):
http://www.seewhitstable.com/

[Kiki-frog]

Bath is lovely. Loads to see and do, and it's a reall friendly city. But Mazie's suggestion re Edinburgh is well worth thinking about

[spudqueen]

Liverpool. Loads to see and do. Lots of Museums including the new Museum of Liverpool life. Two Cathedrals, both worth a visit. You can take a trip on the Ferry 'cross the Mersey or take a trip on Merseyrail to Southport or Port Sunlight, which is a model village and has a brilliant art gallery - the Lady Lever. Albert Dock and the Maritime museum and Tate gallery. You can now also take a trip up St Johns Beacon (it is now a radio station), you can't miss it - just look up! And then fantastic shopping either up Bold Street for the more individual shops or Liverpool One for John Lewis and loads of shops. There's even an American style mini-golf in Liverpool One. And loads of Beatles stuff.

[ferlew]

Not forgetting Ness Botanical Gardens.

[dave50]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions.

[tamborine]

Eton & Windsor is full of history with vibrant shops & pubs, boat ride on Thames, daily military musical parade, giant wheel, carriage rides etc


www.windsor.gov.uk/things-to-do

Ideas for things to do in the Royal Borough, including sports and outdoor ... River Thames to romantic horse-drawn carriage rides through Windsor Great Park, ...

[Cathyhuns]

Best weekend away I ever had was in Wells.Stayed in a lovely B&B (numbertwelve but go for the bigger room), one day exploring Wells, one day walking in the hills and one day exploring the Somerset levels. Plus great restaurants within walking distance.

[LDC134]

I'd also consider Portsmouth - you have the historical dockyard with the Warrior, Victory and the new Mary Rose museum, plus you can take a day trip over to the Isle of Wight. Southsea offers some great shops (Albert Road has a really good eclectic mix of vintage / antiques) and there are many excellent independent restaurants. We also have Gunwharf Quays which is a modern complex of shops and chain restaurants, plus a bowling alley and cinema and the Spinnaker Tower which is a great viewpoint of the city. The City Museum is free and is a beautiful building housing a fascinating and changing museum about the history of the city. I would use trip advisor for B&B recommendations since I live here, I have never used them !