We're really lucky with where we live as there's so much going on and it's so easy to travel to other places of interest. We can be in the Lake District, Yorkshire, North Wales or the Cotswolds in just over an hour and there's so much to see and do there from visiting Beatrix Potter's home http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk to the history of York Minster and the Jorvik Centre and the castles at Caernarfon, Harlech and Conwy http://www.VisitWales.co.uk and the beauty of the lavender fields at Snowshill. Liverpool is 40 minutes away and offers fascinating exhibitions at the Albert Docks and the Beatles museum http://www.beatlesstory.com You can have a traditional English seaside experience at Blackpool: fish and chips, donkey rides on the beach, visit the Tower circus or see the Illuminations. Closer to home, we have two golf courses within walking distance and we love to go to Rivington where we like walking by the reservoirs and through the Chinese Gardens which were created by Lord Leverhulme. For those who are feeling a bit more adventurous they've also just opened a new Go Ape high wire adventure park or you can try out your skills at the indoor ski centre the Chill Factore. There are plenty of good restaurants, pubs, theatres, football stadia in Bolton and Manchester and for shopoholics the Trafford Centre is only 20 minutes away. The website http://www.timaps.co.uk is really useful with loads of good ideas.

We are Phil and Judith, a couple with three teenage girls. We are both professionals and enjoy travelling when able to get away. We have now done four very successful home exchanges and are keen to do more! Home exchange is a great way to see another country as a resident - and allow someone to see yours. We would expect to arrange an exchange some way in advance in order to get to know our fellow exchangers via email first to see how best we can facilitate their stay in the UK. Also, we have two cats, Ziggy and Orlando, who are very friendly and who we hope you'd be able to feed!