Ideas:

Dublin?

Amsterdam?

The outer Hebrides? (Or inner, both are apparently lovely this time of year)

the hebs do not really qualify as a mini break

amsterdam and dublin are both ££££££££££££££££erific alas

I should have booked last week am an oaf

Whitby

Lyme Regis

Peterborough

Have sent you some lastminute.com links 

whitby is actually possible

maybe ryanair would still take me somewhere from stansted

I don't think Sale is very nice.  Nothing to see there unless you're into rugby.

Örebro 

How do you plan a last-minute break?

last minute

Skeggy surely 

ryanair lets you plug in dates etc and it shows you destinations that match,

Santiago

Copenhagen

both of these were on my list, pheebz! then they went up to ££££££££££££

I might still try Copenhagen I suppose it's £££££££££ at the best of times

santiago is usually an old reliable at under £100

stupid bank holiday

Norfolk - Wells on Sea, Holkham, Burnham areas for non crowded open spaces/ ace beaches

Suffolk - Southwold or Aldeburgh are ace and fab beach fun/ fish n chips etc to be had and brewery to be enjoyed

Kent - Broadstairs for oldschool charm/ avoiding the throngs at Whitstable

Sussex - Littlehampton for a nice beach/ seaside sports/ crazy golf on the front/ Arundel for the castle

find a wee cottage in the highlands

Fly into Newquay and Watergate Bay 15 mins in cab with a very good weather forecast ☀️ 

https://www.watergatebay.co.uk/

Manc citeh break

Ryanair flight to some random polish city with a cool name - wodge or wrotslav?

Half term next week, innit...

fookin kids ruining everything ONCE again

Ps even ryanair to gdansk is z z z

from where?

Edinburgh, stansted, etc

fookin schools. Lockem up! They can have Christmas holidays Christmas is rubbish anyway.

Edinburgh to Newquay is £409

G'wan's suggestion is not a bad one. Fly to Katowice and go to Gliwice. 

£350 pp from London 

Buzz airlines 

Entire flights are booked out. Not sure I've ever seen it this bad before. Usually you can at least pick up an annoying indirect route. 

Cost of living crisis my arse.

get the train from St Pancras to Sheffield then Sheffield to Edale then go walking

oo this looks nice

wonder if they have hotels

it's a couple of B&Bs in Edale...the Ramblers has rooms.  For a bit more choice Castleton is nearby or google Lose Hill Hotel which is a 15min cab from Edale and is a spa hotel to soothe your tired limbs.  Beautiful part of the world and 2 and bit hours from London.

or for City Breaks, Liverpool is very under-rated...some fantastic history and old buildings and the walk along the riverfront and round the docks is great.  Lovely people there too if you're on your own.

I'd also go walking, Edale is a good shout, or somewhere like Teesdale (not to be confused with Teesside), Cambrians in mid Wales. Basically you want somewhere lovely that's not ruined by being overrun with kids. So avoid beaches if the weather holds.

Belfast. There's always flights there.

you could stay at the culloden. 

visit the bow street mall

https://twitter.com/MarcusKeeley/status/1660416959245066240?s=20

I did actually suggest Belfast (a while back I went to Holywood and rather liked it) but apparently it's not on.

Wondered about derry (to visit the great and historic wall) but also no.

portrush?

Without kids I'd avoid half term tbh.  

Carcassonne. That was the only time I flew Ryanair.

I am not wasting this public holiday damnit

portrush on a bank holiday? it would be super.

Or just check into a mindful meditation workshop for the weekend. 

rham are you a bit of a faffer?

no

Ahem, my ideas above don't involve any spenny flights - just a hire car and finding some accom ;...although my folks are looking for next week and it's a nightmare - H Term innit

Arguably it's not "wasting" the public holiday to decline to spend 4 days' salary to do what will cost 2 days' salary a week later.