Durham

Take Bill Bryson's advice- go to Durham! In fact, he just became the new chancellor of the University of Durham since Sir Peter Ustinov's passing a year or two ago. Isn't that exciting? Get a degree there and Bill Bryson will shake your hand :)

It's just a beautiful town. Period. Gorgeous cathedral and castle set on a woody peninsula, the winding river Wear, well-trodden stone bridges, cobblestone streets, riverside footpaths for wandering and thinking...

A tiny place- no cinema, only two or three 'clubs,' but who cares?! Who needs cinemas and clubs when you have lots of pubs, cafes (try Vennels), bookstores, and endless beautiful walks to take? If you wander a little south of town there's farmland where you can take a run and stop to talk to the horses, wooded trails filled with bluebells and foxgloves in spring...

Just go.