Staycations in England: Where to Go, Region by Region

England is small enough that almost anywhere is a realistic weekend away, but its regions feel very different from each other. The north has the big upland national parks and a rugged coast; the south west has the beaches; the middle of the country has market towns and canals; and the east is flat, quiet and full of sky. This guide works through England region by region, with the places that make the best base in each.

The North West: lakes and fells

The Lake District is England's most popular national park for good reason. Keswick is the best base for walkers, with Derwentwater on the doorstep, while Windermere and Ambleside suit anyone who wants boat trips and cafes as much as summits. For a quieter option, try Grasmere, Wordsworth's village. Campers should see our guide to the best campsites in the Lake District.

South of the lakes, Chester and Liverpool are strong city options, and Southport brings a classic seaside town into the mix.

Yorkshire and the North East

Yorkshire covers more ground than any other county, and it has two national parks. The Yorkshire Dales are limestone country, with stone villages and walks from Skipton and Richmond. On the coast, Whitby has its abbey ruins and harbour, and Scarborough offers two sandy bays. York is the county's great city break, and Harrogate the spa town.

Further north, Durham is a compact cathedral city, and Northumberland's castle coast starts at Alnwick and runs up to Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The Midlands: peaks and market towns

The Peak District was Britain's first national park and sits within easy reach of several big cities. Bakewell and Buxton are the two classic bases, one a market town on the Wye and the other a Georgian spa town.

Elsewhere in the Midlands, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick make an easy pairing, Ludlow is known for its food and castle, and Lincoln has a cathedral and castle facing each other at the top of a steep hill.

The South West: coast and moors

This is England's holiday coast. Cornwall offers surf beaches around Newquay, fishing harbours like Padstow and the artists' town of St Ives. Devon has two coastlines as well as Dartmoor, with Dartmouth in the south and Ilfracombe in the north. Dorset is home to the Jurassic Coast, which you can explore from Lyme Regis.

Inland, Bath is the region's great city break, and the Cotswold towns of Stow-on-the-Wold and Chipping Campden show honey-coloured stone at its best.

The South East and London

London is a staycation in its own right. Beyond it, the south coast runs from Brighton to the old Cinque Port of Rye, and Kent has Canterbury and the oysters of Whitstable. Winchester and the Isle of Wight round off the region.

The East of England

East Anglia is quieter and flatter than most regions. Norfolk has the Broads and a coast of salt marshes and wide beaches around Wells-next-the-Sea, while Cambridge and Norwich are the region's cities.

Choosing where to go

Match the region to the trip. For walking, head north to the national parks, covered in our guide to a staycation in every UK national park. For beaches, the south west is hard to beat, and our guide to seaside staycations for a long weekend has more ideas. For a car-free trip, a city with a mainline station is the simplest option. The bigger regions, like Cornwall and the Lake District, reward staying longer than a weekend.