Well, I need to get a couple of things, and wouldn't mind visiting a new city. Can anyone suggest any nice/good places to visit? so far I've considered

Coventry
Nuneaton
Leicester
Rugby
Solihull?
Wolverhampton
Macclesfield?
York (even though I've been there plenty times as a kid)
Leeds (as above)
Oxford
Cambridge
Leamington Spa
Banbury
Reading
Derby
Nottingham

Any other suggestions/insights to cities are welcome

Belfast?

Well since I'm a 7 hour ride from Stranraer and not to mention the extravagant cost to get there...that's a no go.

Besides...I'm not keen on Belfast. Been too many times already

Dublin then....

Coventry - a bit concretey!
Leicester's ok but it depends how long/what you'd want to spend doing.

Cambridge is lovely

Now, that's a bit more reasonable, only 3 hours or so from Holyhead.

But nah, I'd rather stay in England (Wales/Scotland if need be)

Try Durham or Canterbury. Lovely cities both!

Wells is really beautiful. Plus, they don't have a water shortage! (its running down the streets!)

Wells and Canterbury are just a touch too far for me at the moment.

Durham could be worth investigating. Why oh why the only Newcastle train of the day from Liverpool DOESN'T stop at Durham is mad

The fast trains tend not to.

Durham is well worth a visit, though it's a hike back up to the train station.

Newcastle I always enjoyed.

Oxford is worth a visit. Nice city.

That's a shame. Try and get there if you can. Just near the Cathedral is the main music hall used by the students at the University. The accoustics are wonderful. Sometimes the Cathedral has a recital too and is steeped in history.

Well...I dunno, TPE usually stop at Durham, it's one of their main East Coast stations But never mind, I'll just change at York

Now what do you mean by this hike eh Sarah?

Some trains do, some trains don't, but the expresses used to rush through and blow you off the platform.

The train station is at the top of a hill.



Railway is on viaduct. You have to start your trek to the train station from the bottom of the hill that the viaduct meets the top of! As I recall the road seems quite long when you're walking it, and the path is reasonably steep.

Tha being said, there is a nice little park behind it, and you get a fantastic view of the cathedral and castle if you arrive in Durham by train, and if you get to the end of your visit and you really are too shattered to climb back up the hill, it used to cost about £1.50 from the Bailey colleges back up to the station by taxi which is a bargain as long as you can cope with the occasional insane taxi driver trying to do 60 mph along the Bailey.

Oxford and Cambridge are both really nice but you can get a bit buffeted about by hordes of tourists (particularly in Cambridge) which makes it all a bit tiring. Perhaps the thing to do would be arrive at about 6pm, go out for something to eat, get up early and wonder round before it's too crowded, then hire a punt from somewhere (if they do that in the holidays) - that's a real laugh and you get to see some beautiful backs of colleges/gardens. More fun if you go with a few friends.

If you're prepared to travel to Macclesfield what about Buxton? It's a rare town that hasn't been spoilt by thoughtless development, which gets cut off by the surrounding peak district when it snows. It's quite small but it's quite genteel and set around a lovely park in the centre. You could try and coincide your visit with something you want to see at the Buxton Opera House which, although small, is more beautiful than much bigger ones I've seen. There's the Goyt valley nearby which is good for a short walk in beautiful scenery. If you stay at the big hotel in the middle (I think it's called the Palace) and the Opera is on sometimes the company come back after the show and have a few drinks there. There's a very grand sweeping staircase when you go in and a decent swimming pool. Alternatively there's a small hotel opposite the Opera house with a neglected grand piano sitting in the unused front room.

Bath is quite nice, particularly if you dart off into the Cotswolds which has these beautiful honey coloured villages set in ancient rolling countryside. We thought the South Cotswolds was less crowded and touristy - Castle Coombe and Lacock are both really beautiful although places like Broadway and Bourton on the Water are more famous.

Cardiff is really vibrant now although I do have a soft spot for Swansea and the Gower.

Alternatively you might be able to get to places like Paris and Budapest just as quickly and cheaply on Easyjet if you're flexible about dates and times.

Dublin - if you haven't already been.....

Bangor!

Cardiff - been there done that, great place, but not just now anyway

Swansea- I never did see much of.

Bath - touch on the far side

Buxton - been there, not THAT great for what I need

Dublin - mmmm nah, not on my own at least




at the thought of Durham now

No, don't be put off!! There is also a shuttle bus service too and from the station

What do you *need*? If you say then people can be more helpful...


It's worth the hike, it's just best to know about it beforehand. I thought you had been before on one of your trips but I guess I was mistaken.

Oxford is flat...

Oxford is lovely and very interesting to visit. Plus you can mingle with all the brainy students.

Really? How long's that been going? That would make life easier! Where does it run from?

I've been through Durham when I went to Newcastle. That's it

I'm just looking for a city to explore and to do a bit of shopping in

I loved Durham when I went on Monday!

Presumably you saw the fantastic view then, Chris?

I haven't been to Durham for a while but the shopping is better since the Prince Bishops arcade opened. It's not huge though, shopping wise, but there are a few nice little shops and it's not all just chain stores (or didn't use to be anyway).

Exploration wise, you have the tow-paths - you can walk right out to the uni playing fields - you can hire a boat to explore the river - there are some nice footpaths and bridges around the river and to/from the riverside to Bailey level - the Cathedral and Cloisters are worth a look - I think it's possible to see the Castle though you may need to pay? - lots of chapels & churches some of which may be open - a good few nice cafes and tea-houses - if you want a huge and great value meal, go to the Court Inn - you could take another hike up to the science site, or even go to the psychology department for a good aerobic work out and a nice view! The actual city centre itself is tiny but one could wander for many hours along paths etc though you could conceivably get quite lost. It's quite nice in that if you know where to go you can get to nice country walks in not very many minutes.

Unfortunately it's been a long time since I was there so I'm a bit rusty on how to get to some of the nice places that I remember. You could probably do a fair bit of exploration if you had a whole day.

*gets out road atlas*


how about CHAD?

- or Stratford upon Avon

Paris! Go through the tunnel if you're keen on trains. As for Belfast, you don't have to go to Stranraer. Or why not fly to Derry? Or Shannon? It was 99p plus taxes recently!

NOT Derby!

Yes I did see the magnificent view of Durham Cathederal etc

Can't fly, no passport.

Paris - not just yet!

Where on EARTH is CHAD?

Stratford is supposed to be really nice, might try there.

Why not Derby?

Salisbury's really nice, loverly cathedral, really nice atmosphere and my favourite place in the area for shopping.

Nothing doing, station is long walk from the city centre, and not worth it when you get there. Nottingham is better for the shops.

Try Liskeard!

Chad is in central Africa, might be a bit pricey.

London? There's so much to see. Tickets to / from London are cheap if booked in advance. You can get an all day tube ticket for £4.80 - this enables you to visit all of London. It's an excellent trip to do.

Yep considered London too. Not sure about the Tube though

The tube's fine. I can imagine it'd be a bit dodgy at night, but in the day it's absolutely brill.

If you do choose to go to London, and want a good train ride - try the Docklands Light Railway from Bank to Cutty Sark. You get some great views of the new (ish) Docklands developments.

I'll add my vote for Durham - beautiful city - daughter's at Durham uni and I always look forward to going up there - beautiful country around too. Stratford-upon-Avon - has someone mentioned this already? I'm going there tomorrow and really looking forward to it - haven't been there since I was teenager - more years ago than I care to remember. I like Cardiff too, although there's an awful lot of building work going on there at the moment. You could try the Welsh Folk museum just outside Cardiff - another place I love going.

I was actually going to go to Cutty Sark for a conservatoire open day, but have since decided against it

How well do you know Chester? You can say hello to the Bressan recorders while you are there and there are lots of quirky little shops around as well as the usual ones. The buskers there are usually good too.

You can't beat York!

Why not do Newcastle and Durham ? Its only 20 mins to Durham from Newcastle and the trains are very frequent.

Newcastle is definetly my favourite city- but I did live there for 6 years or so

BRESSAN RECORDERS?! WHERE?!

Now...Chester isn't a place I'd want to visit, been there repeatedly and work there...no thanks


Looks like I'm off to Durham then folks. Maybe stop off at Newcastle and York too

Yeah... If I were you , I'd go to Durham too.

The Bressan recorders are world fomous and are in the Grovesenor Museum in Chester. Chester has lots of things for you to discover, obviously. Don't dismiss it so readily.

Durham is great!

Check this

You have to visit Edinburgh. Such a beautiful city, and cultural as well. And this time of year is like no other with the festival but it's finishing soon.

Right, funny you should mention that. I thought about Edinburgh this afternoon!

petrat, I can visit Chester whenever I want really, so that's why I'm dismissing it for this purpose. I'm hardly going to have a chance to go to Oxford or Durham every day am I?

I LOVE Chester!
Never heard of Bressan Recorders, I'll have to go and look.

You have not really explained just what you are looking for. Infact you are being quite secretive! Are you a spy on a mission? Do go to see the recorders next time you are in Chester. I am surprised that you did not know about them.

I'd like to go to Durham one day. One hell of a train ride though

I'll second Edinburgh. One of my favourite UK cities.

Nice find, Dina

I LIKE Edinburgh but wouldn't put it as one of my top favourites. It's nice, but there are cities I prefer (sorry!)