If you can only scrape together 48 hours, the UK is arguably the best place on earth to do it. A new editorial round-up from Condé Nast Traveller UK makes the case that a proper break doesn't need a flight — just a pick of eight destinations, each pitched at a different kind of weekender.

For couples, the editors point to the Cotswolds, where honey-coloured villages like Bourton-on-the-Water, Upper and Lower Slaughter and Burford come with antique shops, old pubs and smart hotels such as The Rectory in Crudwell and Lucknam Park with its spa and four-poster beds. Ambitious walkers can tackle a chunk of the Cotswolds Way, a 100-mile trail that starts in Chipping Campden and finishes in Bath.

Families get a nod towards East Sussex, with its quiet villages and broad beaches, or London itself — the newly revamped Young V&A gets a specific mention as a kid-pleaser. Outdoorsy types are directed to the Lake District for camping and hiking, and to the Isle of Skye for something wilder. Skye takes commitment: it's a 232-mile, five-hour drive from Edinburgh (most visitors fly into Edinburgh, Inverness or Glasgow and cross the bridge from the mainland), but the Cuillin mountains, seal-spotting boat trips and a meal at The Three Chimneys reward the effort. Kinloch Lodge, recently spruced up, is flagged as the island's smartest base.

Coast lovers have two strong options. Cornwall has the warmest climate in Britain, sugar-sand bays at St Ives, Porthcurno and Newlyn, plus Rick Stein's Padstow seafood institution and a growing art scene in Penzance. Dog-friendly couples will like The Old Quay House in Fowey; families are pointed at Watergate Bay Hotel in Newquay. Dorset is quieter and arguably more dramatic — the 95-mile Jurassic Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning 185 million years of geology, with Durdle Door's limestone arch as the headline act. Inland, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage runs supper clubs and courses from bread-making to curing, and they sell out, so book ahead.

Two more deserve a mention. The New Forest, a 220-square-mile national park where ponies roam free, doubles as one of England's best foodie escapes — Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder's restaurant at Lime Wood, The Terrace in Beaulieu, and The Pig in Brockenhurst with its 25-mile sourcing menu. And for the university-city debate, the editors refuse to pick a side: Cambridge offers punting on the Cam, the Kettle's Yard gallery-house and cocktails at 196; Oxford counters with Blackwell's three miles of bookshelves, the Vaults & Garden Café and a refreshed Randolph hotel.

The takeaway: whatever your crew — romantic, feral kids, or hiking boots — there's a weekend within reach of most of Britain's population centres. Pick your vibe, book the hotel early, and go.