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Help for a holiday location please

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Traintripper

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Hi all, it’s just come up on my camera memories that two years ago as now I was stopping at the travelodge at Poole with a freedom of the Severn and Solent ticket and I had an absolutely wonderful time, taking trains at will, no planning, just getting on etc. I’m now thinking about planning a similar break for later in the year, problem is I don’t really know where to go.
So I’m asking the forum for suggestions for the following requirements please:
Somewhere coastal
Very close access to main line railway
Premeir Inn/Travelodge
Somewhere covered by a multi day ranger ticket.
Poole ticked every box for me, I would love to find somewhere similar. I don’t mind where in the UK it is
Thank you in advance
Traintripper
 
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NorthWestRover

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North West 7 Day Rover.

Cumbrian Coast, Fylde resorts, Morecambe, Southport. All on the coast.

Plus cities - Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds.

Settle & Carlisle (Kirkby Stephen is a nice town), Calder Valley (I like Hebden Bridge), Kendal or Windermere.
 

D6130

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North West 7 Day Rover.

Cumbrian Coast, Fylde resorts, Morecambe, Southport. All on the coast.

Plus cities - Chester, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds.

Settle & Carlisle (Kirkby Stephen is a nice town), Calder Valley (I like Hebden Bridge), Kendal or Windermere.
I like Hebden Bridge too, as I live there for part of the year (......all of the year at the moment :'(). However it's too small to have a Travelodge or Premier Inn and, while it has several hotels, B&Bs and holiday apartments, they tend to be a tad on the expensive side, so probably best done as a day trip from somewhere else.

If you fancy a nice market town, Kendal ticks most of the boxes and as well as having its own station on the Windermere branch, it's very accessible to/from the WCML at Oxenholme, less than two miles away.

If you don't mind a big city environment, Preston is almost dead central for a North West Rover, with train connections to virtually everywhere in the region (including Hebden Bridge :smile:).

If you would prefer to be in a smaller, quieter place - say on the Settle-Carlisle line - I would recommend Settle rather than Kirkby Stephen. The station is slap bang in the town centre and you're only 30 minutes walk or less than ten minutes in a taxi from Giggleswick station on the Settle Junction - Carnforth line. At Kirkby Stephen, you have a one and a half mile walk uphill on a busy and dangerous main road to reach the station.

Blackpool has plenty of cheap accommodation, but has become somewhat scary at night in recent years.

If you want to be on the Furness line, Ulverston is very nice, but you have the best part of an hour's journey each way before you can change onto another line.
 

Mcr Warrior

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The North West Rover is also available on a slightly cheaper 4 days in 8 basis if you don't fancy schlepping about every single day.

Agree with @D6130 that Kendal is normally worth a visit.
 

306024

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Norwich could work. Of course it’s not on the coast but plenty of costal locations you can get to by train. Travelodge right outside Norwich station, and the city itself is good with a castle and cathedral. If it’s the trains themselves you are interested in then there’s not much variety these days, but lots of nice places to visit, you can travel on a different route each day.

Here’s a link to the rover tickets available:

https://www.greateranglia.co.uk/tickets-fares/discounts/rangers-rovers
 

NorthWestRover

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I will probably do a North West Rover this summer so I'll give Settle a go. I went on spec to Kirkby Stephen in 2019 and included a trip on the Stainmore Railway.
 

Andy Pacer

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If you don't mind a big city environment, Preston is almost dead central for a North West Rover, with train connections to virtually everywhere in the region (including Hebden Bridge :smile:).
Incidentally, i've already pencilled in a North West 4 in 8 rover centered around Preston, i've looked at Thu, Fri, Sat nights in June at the Premier Inn, each for £29 or £30 which seemed very good.
 

Llandudno

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Hi all, it’s just come up on my camera memories that two years ago as now I was stopping at the travelodge at Poole with a freedom of the Severn and Solent ticket and I had an absolutely wonderful time, taking trains at will, no planning, just getting on etc. I’m now thinking about planning a similar break for later in the year, problem is I don’t really know where to go.
So I’m asking the forum for suggestions for the following requirements please:
Somewhere coastal
Very close access to main line railway
Premeir Inn/Travelodge
Somewhere covered by a multi day ranger ticket.
Poole ticked every box for me, I would love to find somewhere similar. I don’t mind where in the UK it is
Thank you in advance
Traintripper
Some cracking deals at Premier Inn for the summer in Liverpool, presumably owing to the lack of football, overseas visitors and cruise ships.

Lots of rooms for under £40 a night when I looked last week for dates in July/August.
 

Mcr Warrior

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Liverpool is somewhat on the periphery of the North West Rover validity area, though, (but handy if visiting Chester, Southport and the Wirral, I suppose).
 

Andy Pacer

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Liverpool is somewhat on the periphery of the North West Rover validity area, though.
Guess it depends on plans, if its a 4 in 8 then there is no shame in using Liverpool for a night in the middle of the rover, especially if coming from the north end.
 

Llandudno

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Maybe, but slightly better better served by rail than some of the other suggestions like Ulverston, Kendal, Hebden Bridge, Settle and Kirkby Stephen!

At least no one has suggested Reddish South...yet!
 

NorthWestRover

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I don't think the suggestions of Kendal etc were as a base, more like good places to visit. I don't think you can beat Preston as a base for a NW Rover. Liverpool wouldn't be bad nor would Manchester and Leeds, although the latter two might be a bit more pricey.
 

steamybrian

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OK- not on the coast but an inland town..
..Tunbridge Wells...

A recently opened Premier Inn/TravelLodge
....is a few minutes walk from the station and town centre.
Central station had (pre- covid) 4 trains per hour to Tonbridge/ London and 2 per hour to Hastings
Short walk to the Spa Valley Railway.
Short walk to main bus stops for bus routes around East Sussex/Kent.
 

Traintripper

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Wow! Thank you very much everybody, I wasn’t expecting such a good response. It seems like the North West needs some serious consideration (and maybe East Anglia). Thank you all. Traintripper
 

30907

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As you have had a FOSS, how about a Freedom of Devon and Cornwall?

Premier Inns at Exeter St D, Penzance and Paignton stations - I would split between the first two. Travelodge Torre, St Austell, Plymouth similarly within walking distance - Torre looks closest and has an 0901 departure!
 

SteveM70

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Agree with the comments about the north west, but if I did one of those I’d stay in Lancaster. Cheap travelodge in the middle of town, station pretty central, plenty of food and drink options including one of Mr Martin’s places if you’re that way inclined. Plus it’s a nice place, and there’s the castle to visit too
 

Hardcastle

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Agree with the comments about the north west, but if I did one of those I’d stay in Lancaster. Cheap travelodge in the middle of town, station pretty central, plenty of food and drink options including one of Mr Martin’s places if you’re that way inclined. Plus it’s a nice place, and there’s the castle to visit too
The Lancaster Travelodge is now a Ibis.
 

Snow1964

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I would suggest the Seven and Solent Rover, (Covers Portsmouth, Weymouth, Salisbury, Bath, Taunton, Cardiff, Worcester, Great Malvern, Bristol etc)

Plenty of scenic places, Bradford on Avon, Lymington, Chepstow, New Forest. So everything from South Cotswolds, harbours, forests, to historic cities

Suggest staying in the middle, perhaps Chippenham (travelodge, or Angel), maybe Bradford-on-Avon, or if you are lucky and can get a good rate, a hotel near Bath station
 

Traintripper

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Hi, thanks for the further suggestions, I've completed the South West and had a FOSS and made full use of both I really enjoyed them. The FOSS is an outstanding ticket. I had sort of discounted the North West as I'd done settle Carlisle, Cumbrian coast, I've not however done morecambe, Blackpool and that area. Plus I live in Shropshire and I'd thought stopping in the likes of Preston /Lancaster wasn't feeling like going very far. I think I've changed my mind about that now though

I think it's either going to be the North West or an Anglian Plus. You've all given me plenty to think about. Thanks once again. Now to start the planning
 

NorthWestRover

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I did mention Morecambe in my first post in this thread. It's not wonderful but does meet your requirements of being on the coast. Blackpool is Blackpool, but I prefer Lytham and St Anne's on the Blackpool South Line. You can walk from one to the other along the Fylde coast - takes a good hour.

Arnside is a good, but small, place at the Southern end of the Cumbrian Coast line. If they are open a couple of nice cafés and a fantastic pie shop.
 

Llandudno

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I did mention Morecambe in my first post in this thread. It's not wonderful but does meet your requirements of being on the coast. Blackpool is Blackpool, but I prefer Lytham and St Anne's on the Blackpool South Line. You can walk from one to the other along the Fylde coast - takes a good hour.

Arnside is a good, but small, place at the Southern end of the Cumbrian Coast line. If they are open a couple of nice cafés and a fantastic pie shop.
Indeed, Arnside is a beautiful place to drop back a trains or two, fabulous views and two pubs. The Albion has a large outdoor beer garden with stunning views across the Kent estuary.
 
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