Annabelle Thorpe

Best for: People new to the UK, ideally with access to a car

In a nutshell: Guidebook with ideas for 52 weekend getaways in England, Scotland, and Wales, organized by best time of year to go.

Worth quoting: N/A

Why I chose it: London is awesome, but there’s a lot more to see around here.

Review: Generally speaking I like this book. It suggests quite a few places that I’ve never heard of or would not have thought to go to. Each section is only about three pages long, and includes a few ideas of where to stay, where to eat, and what to do, as well as the directions to get there via car. Each suggested getaway has something special about it, such as an afternoon at the races, and include two or three other places you can witness that special thing.

There is a lot of variety here; there are suggestions for pub crawls, sailing, shopping, holiday festivals, biking, and hiking. The author also notes if there are any special points of history, or any activities that kids will especially enjoy.

We’ve not yet made use of the book, but I really wish it had included an extra line in each section about whether it’s easily accessible via rail. I finished the book earlier today, but just spent the last two hours seeing whether the locations can be reached if I don’t have a car. Many can (yay rail travel!) but some definitely require a car.… (mer)