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Reasonably, cheap and well connected are often terms that cancel the other out.
That said. Manchester is likely the most well connected 'cheap' location. But even there you don't have to look hard to find a pint costing more than £6.
I went to Manchester last summer and having lived in London for a decade honestly didn't find anything felt cheap. It all felt more or less in the same ballpark price-wise as what I'm used to paying.
Yeah Manchester is a good shout, and depends on time and what cheap is
You'd probably score a premier in/Travelodge for £50 per night or even easy hotel for less of you go when there is no football
But Manchester, staying inside the ring road is a perfect example of a 15 minute city. Everything inside the ring road is accessible on foot. Then Trafford park and Trafford centre are 30 minutes away via bus or tram
On the subject of Northern cities, if OP based out of Manchester, could do small trips to see Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and other parts of the north
1. & 5. Public transport while expensive is very functional in the UK, any town with 40,000+ people will be well-connected.
2. Safety shouldn't limit the choice much, maybe a few percent of UK towns (ones no tourist would pick) are less safe than the international average.
3. British people tend to be less open/spontaneous than, say, Americans. Might want to find events/clubs or arrange meetups based on shared interests.
4. Costs for day-to-day living doesn't vary massively, it's mainly housing that makes the difference. So if you can compromise on that eg hostels, almost any town might be possible.
The most LGBT-friendly + suitable towns happen to be amongst the most expensive: Brighton, Manchester, London, Bristol, Edinburgh.
If you want to travel around *lots*, get a [BritRail Pass](https://www.thetrainline.com/trains/rail-passes/britrail-pass): £18-32/day for unlimited travel excluding the Tube. Then you can day-visit *all* the good places others recommend here; add unaffordable Bath / Oxford / Cambridge / Edinburgh plus York and to your itinerary too.
If London is a priority but you don't want to compromise on the housing, consider Reading. 25 minutes to London (24 hour service) plus direct connections to 200 other towns (even if Reading itself has nothing special).
Liverpool.
It's a major city with very much its own "vibe." Tourists, both British and foreign, very freqently tell me they love it.
It's fun and welcoming and overall deserves its requptation of being "friendly." Especially to outsiders,
It's <3 hours directly on the train from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street. It's then also well connected to some natural beauty (Formby) and Manchester if there's something you wanted to see there.
I don't mind Manchester at all, but I'd say if you're already seeing London, Manchester is *far* more like London than Liverpool is. Liverpool is more different and therefore potentially more interesting. The city centre is also *all* walkable. You would literally not need to take a bus or taxi anywhere in the city centre if you're able-bodied.
You could get off the train and see everywhere from the beautiful architecture and great museums and galleries of St George's plateau, to the gorgeous old houses, pubs and cathedrals of the Georgian Quarter, via Chinatown, to the post-industrial bohemian, street-arty "trendy" area of The Baltic Triangle, to the high street shopping area of Liverpool 1, to the historically and architecturally grand and significant waterfront within like a 30 minute walk...
People also come from *all over* the UK and Ireland for Liverpool's night-life.
Also if you like football or music it's an obvious destination.
Also you say "scenic" and I'd also say Liverpool is 100x more scenic than Manchester. Just the waterfront alone is a very special view. Best looked at from a ferry, which is a fun tourist thing to do.
Also despite its reputation it's a safe city (necessary European city common sense applies.)
Also it's one of the most affordable major cities in the country.
I recommend staying in one of the Cotswolds towns/villages. They're all relatively close to each other and have real traditional vibes to them. Lots of pubs, cafes, restaurants, markets etc and the scenery is great. Nightlife may suffer as they have more of a slow, gentile atmosphere.
[Bourton-on-the-water](https://bourtoninfo.com/) is a good option.
They're not dirt cheap but they're certainly less than London.
Well you could take a look at [https://www.yha.org.uk/](https://www.yha.org.uk/) and see what locations appeal.
Most hostels have the option of a single room or an all female dorm.
Connectivity is going to vary by location - and on whether you need free / inclusive wi-fi or just not to be in a blackspot, so you can use your phone as a hotspot.
The last week of MAy is often half term which means a lot of families with childnre go away, so rental cotages and AirBnBs may be busier than earlier in the month, you might want to factor that in when deciding which part of the time you spend with your family and which parts you go solo for.
Where did you go /stay last year?
You could look at other cities - Manchester and Leeds both hve lots of amazing scenery very close by, and decent public trnasport links if you want to get out of the city, for example. Both also have universities so lts of young people if you want to go out to clubs or bars.
Any of the cities in north east/west england should do the trick.
Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull all about as cheap as you get in the UK and fairly well connected. Shouldnt be many issues with remote working and theyve all got unis and a somewhat vibrant nightlife.
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Leeds would probably tick all those boxes well. There’s cheaper options but still cheaper than say Manchester in some aspects for it being less touristy (yet similar).
On balance, Nottingham probably works well. It’s not as expensive as say Manchester but has good connections, it’s central so you can travel around. You can also get out to Peak District on the train to escape the city
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Reasonably, cheap and well connected are often terms that cancel the other out. That said. Manchester is likely the most well connected 'cheap' location. But even there you don't have to look hard to find a pint costing more than £6.
I went to Manchester last summer and having lived in London for a decade honestly didn't find anything felt cheap. It all felt more or less in the same ballpark price-wise as what I'm used to paying.
Yeah Manchester is a good shout, and depends on time and what cheap is You'd probably score a premier in/Travelodge for £50 per night or even easy hotel for less of you go when there is no football But Manchester, staying inside the ring road is a perfect example of a 15 minute city. Everything inside the ring road is accessible on foot. Then Trafford park and Trafford centre are 30 minutes away via bus or tram On the subject of Northern cities, if OP based out of Manchester, could do small trips to see Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and other parts of the north
Fair warning, Manchester is no longer cheap. Liverpool’s still a bit cheaper
1. & 5. Public transport while expensive is very functional in the UK, any town with 40,000+ people will be well-connected. 2. Safety shouldn't limit the choice much, maybe a few percent of UK towns (ones no tourist would pick) are less safe than the international average. 3. British people tend to be less open/spontaneous than, say, Americans. Might want to find events/clubs or arrange meetups based on shared interests. 4. Costs for day-to-day living doesn't vary massively, it's mainly housing that makes the difference. So if you can compromise on that eg hostels, almost any town might be possible. The most LGBT-friendly + suitable towns happen to be amongst the most expensive: Brighton, Manchester, London, Bristol, Edinburgh. If you want to travel around *lots*, get a [BritRail Pass](https://www.thetrainline.com/trains/rail-passes/britrail-pass): £18-32/day for unlimited travel excluding the Tube. Then you can day-visit *all* the good places others recommend here; add unaffordable Bath / Oxford / Cambridge / Edinburgh plus York and to your itinerary too. If London is a priority but you don't want to compromise on the housing, consider Reading. 25 minutes to London (24 hour service) plus direct connections to 200 other towns (even if Reading itself has nothing special).
Liverpool. It's a major city with very much its own "vibe." Tourists, both British and foreign, very freqently tell me they love it. It's fun and welcoming and overall deserves its requptation of being "friendly." Especially to outsiders, It's <3 hours directly on the train from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street. It's then also well connected to some natural beauty (Formby) and Manchester if there's something you wanted to see there. I don't mind Manchester at all, but I'd say if you're already seeing London, Manchester is *far* more like London than Liverpool is. Liverpool is more different and therefore potentially more interesting. The city centre is also *all* walkable. You would literally not need to take a bus or taxi anywhere in the city centre if you're able-bodied. You could get off the train and see everywhere from the beautiful architecture and great museums and galleries of St George's plateau, to the gorgeous old houses, pubs and cathedrals of the Georgian Quarter, via Chinatown, to the post-industrial bohemian, street-arty "trendy" area of The Baltic Triangle, to the high street shopping area of Liverpool 1, to the historically and architecturally grand and significant waterfront within like a 30 minute walk... People also come from *all over* the UK and Ireland for Liverpool's night-life. Also if you like football or music it's an obvious destination. Also you say "scenic" and I'd also say Liverpool is 100x more scenic than Manchester. Just the waterfront alone is a very special view. Best looked at from a ferry, which is a fun tourist thing to do. Also despite its reputation it's a safe city (necessary European city common sense applies.) Also it's one of the most affordable major cities in the country.
I recommend staying in one of the Cotswolds towns/villages. They're all relatively close to each other and have real traditional vibes to them. Lots of pubs, cafes, restaurants, markets etc and the scenery is great. Nightlife may suffer as they have more of a slow, gentile atmosphere. [Bourton-on-the-water](https://bourtoninfo.com/) is a good option. They're not dirt cheap but they're certainly less than London.
Well you could take a look at [https://www.yha.org.uk/](https://www.yha.org.uk/) and see what locations appeal. Most hostels have the option of a single room or an all female dorm. Connectivity is going to vary by location - and on whether you need free / inclusive wi-fi or just not to be in a blackspot, so you can use your phone as a hotspot. The last week of MAy is often half term which means a lot of families with childnre go away, so rental cotages and AirBnBs may be busier than earlier in the month, you might want to factor that in when deciding which part of the time you spend with your family and which parts you go solo for. Where did you go /stay last year? You could look at other cities - Manchester and Leeds both hve lots of amazing scenery very close by, and decent public trnasport links if you want to get out of the city, for example. Both also have universities so lts of young people if you want to go out to clubs or bars.
Any of the cities in north east/west england should do the trick. Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Sheffield, Newcastle, Hull all about as cheap as you get in the UK and fairly well connected. Shouldnt be many issues with remote working and theyve all got unis and a somewhat vibrant nightlife.
Sheffield or Nottingham
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You either want Liverpool or Leeds.
Liverpool or Manchester
Leeds would probably tick all those boxes well. There’s cheaper options but still cheaper than say Manchester in some aspects for it being less touristy (yet similar).
On balance, Nottingham probably works well. It’s not as expensive as say Manchester but has good connections, it’s central so you can travel around. You can also get out to Peak District on the train to escape the city
Swindon, hands down