I'd quite forgotten that our city centre has a 'seaside' event for the whole summer. We're just about as far as it's possible to get from the coast in Britain (about 75 miles), so each year the city centre takes on a festive air of a seaside town, with a helter skelter, stalls, sand, and an array of stripey deckchairs around the fountains.
My next bit of summery sunshine came at Idle Valley nature reserve, in Nottinghamshire. I'd not been there before, but I met a friend for lunch and we spent a happy few hours sat in the cafe and wandering around the lake.
We spent a few days bimbling around market towns and cycling along little trails.