I probably will be driving to London (from Edinburgh) for Christmas, and would like to do it over two days, hopefully stopping overnight somewhere near the middle and making a nice road trip out of it (ie, not bothered about going off the motorway).
I just discovered Bakewell is near the middle of the country, but is it worth stopping there just for one delicious pudding?
WHAT IS GOOD TO DO IN YOUR SHITTY COUNTRY??? 
I spent a couple of days in the Peak District in May, Bakewell was nice enough but thought Buxton was maybe nicer? And still did Bakewell puddings. Whole area was lovely, don’t know about accessibility though if there was snow at Christmas.
Good point about the snow… Maybe should stick to cities?
Could be perfectly ok though. Have you been to York? That could be a good option too.
Glasgow
Oh you
For a one day/night Castleton would be nice. Lovely little village with a few good pubs and cafes. Can easily do a walk up Mam Tor and around the ridge there or go into the Edale valley. It’s all very nice and peak districty round there and only a 40 minute drive or so from the M1 near Sheffield.
It’s take a lot to totally cut off Buxton, Bakewell or Castleton I imagine. They’re all served by pretty decent roads.
York is a good shout! You could try Hebden Bridge… Sylvia Plath’s grave, Ted Hughes etc and you could catch a gig at The Trades Club
I’d say if you’re looking at the Peak District: Castleton > Bakewell > Buxton…but bear in mind Castleton is small and you’d need to like rural pursuits.
If you’re a fan of Cheese and Beer I’d recommend the Wensleydale Cheese site has in Hawes and the Bkack Sheep/Theakston breweries in Masham (both in the Yorkshire Dales…or near enough in the case of Masham).
If you’re looking at cities…York, Cambridge, Oxford, Lancaster, Exeter (bit out the way) and Bath are some of the most picturesque…whereas Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Nottingham and Bristol have the biggest activity variety.
Hebden Bridge is a cool little place, IMO. It’s got a slightly alternative/hippy edge that you don’t get in pretty much any other rural(ish) English town.
Yeah, Hebden Bridge is a great little place to visit.
If you’re coming down from Ed i’d recommend some of the little towns on the east coast, like Filey and Whitby, i love coastal resorts out of season.
Cambridge is always a bit drab in the winter, much better place to visit in the summer, imo.
Yes I love little rural places so Castleton/Hebden Bridge sound good. Not too keen on driving in and out of big cities I’ve never been to before, tbh.
Is there anywhere interesting to stop off at for an hour or so between the Peak District and London? I like trying local food specialities so anywhere like that is good too.
My personal favourite east coast place is Robin Hood’s Bay… especially during off season when there’s nobody about.
And nip to Haworth en route.
Bring my brother and his wife up to Hebden Bridge with you and be rewarded with a night at Ol’ Ma Dots’ b&b!
Northumberland coast
come over to my house if you like?
As a born and bred Lancastrian I can’t say I have that much of an affinity for the place… but it’s nice enough and would be a good/nice/cheap lay over point if you drove through the Lake District and maybe stopped off at Grasmere/Ambleside on the way (weather permitting on that one!).
And Buxton has an awesomely good brewery if you can get somewhere to sleep the night without having to drive there after the beer.
York is definitely worth a visit for someone who’s not been there before.