Places in the UK that have been surprisingly good/bad

[sparks_E39]

I think a lot of people are surprised when they go on holiday to Poole in Dorset and discover it’s actually a complete dive, and literally anywhere surrounding it is much nicer. I cannot fathom what drives people there in their thousands come the summer. Hateful town. Maybe my years of living there have skewed my opinion, but rural Dorset is so much nicer. I don’t ever want to leave the countryside.

[prand]

sparks_E39 said:

I think a lot of people are surprised when they go on holiday to Poole in Dorset and discover it’s actually a complete dive, and literally anywhere surrounding it is much nicer. I cannot fathom what drives people there in their thousands come the summer. Hateful town. Maybe my years of living there have skewed my opinion, but rural Dorset is so much nicer. I don’t ever want to leave the countryside.

Agree about Poole. Probably best experienced and viewed from the Harbour.

[mike9009]

Lyme Regis is great, Weymouth was also unexpectedly good. Torquay/ Paignton/ Newton Abbot dire, Exeter great. Scarborough is good.

I live on the Isle of Wight, so biased - but it has some great hidden gems (but also some dawgs.......)

[troika]

surveyor said:

I'm marking Cornwall down. I love the place, and spent many happy summers there with grandparents as a child.

But now it can't cope. Getting past Bristol to Cornwall in the summer takes about 50 billion hours. When you get there you will find that any town or beach is heaving - assuming that you were lucky enough to find somewhere to park in the first place.

You may then decide to head to a restaurant where you have previously eaten good grub. But you will find that the menu has been dumbed down for the summer tourists and it is now chicken in a basket....

And then you face the return journey, where it will take another 50 billion hours to break past Bristol.

This year we went to the Isle of Wright instead. and what a revelation. - but if you are reading this... please carry on heading to Cornwall instead!

Totally agree about Cornwall. Grew up there (Truro, Falmouth), loved it. Family still there but wouldn’t live there now, far too crowded and it can’t cope. Only visit out of season to catch up with family and friends, otherwise avoid.