Do you live in a tourist hot spot?

[bloomen]

If so, how unbearable do you find it? With exchange rates still a bit rubbish and the memory of last summer's heat I can well expect this one to be even more intense.

Last summer I ventured down to Cornwall a few times and my mind was blown at how rammed it was. Of course it always has been but it seemed to be turned up a notch further than I've ever seen before. If I had to contend with that to get through my everyday life I'd probably go batty.

Up north the locals seem ever more disillusioned with the North Coast 500 - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/eu...

Is it time to book that mini break in Hull or Port Talbot instead?

[227bhp]

A good topic for conversation, but to get right to the heart of the matter there are now too many people living in the UK.

[Integroo]

I lived in Edinburgh, apparently the population doubled during the Fringe, but I never minded as the Fringe was such an excellent festival.

I have now moved to London and just secured a flat in Greenwich, which I will move into in ten days or so. I understand Greenwich is another very busy tourist hotspot!

We did the North Coast 500 last year and it is not so much the number of people that is the problem, but the very narrow and poorly maintained (in places) roads and the complete lack of appropriate accommodation, restaurants etc..

[LivingTheDream]

depends whether you rely on the tourists for income I guess.

When I were a lad, my parents had a pub in North Norfolk. Summer was bonkers and it was more difficult than usual to get around the area but we rather relied on them coming and spending.

Winter we were sometimes lucky to get 1 old boy from the village pop in for half a mild in the evening!!

[GipsyHillClimber]

I lived just off the Quay in Poole for two years and it was rather strange how deserted it felt in winter but during summer it was rather crazy. Luckily I walked to work as driving anywhere near Poole/Sandbanks/Bournemouth during the summer holidays would easily take twice as long. Was very nice to be able to wander down to the beach on a warm evening but I couldn't have lived there for a long time I don't think as it felt far too seasonal.

Saying that I now live in London so everywhere is still busy, just all year round.

[PositronicRay]

We live close to Stratford on Avon, it gets busy on Bank Holidays and race days but the town seems to cope OK.

It's a bottle neck so traffic can get a bit nightmarish.

Edited by PositronicRay on Tuesday 9th April 16:23

[bloomen]

Integroo said:

We did the North Coast 500 last year and it is not so much the number of people that is the problem, but the very narrow and poorly maintained (in places) roads and the complete lack of appropriate accommodation, restaurants etc..

I think I'll reserve that for winter in future when you have it all to yourself. I well remember the standard of driving and the capacity long before it got packaged up and hawked. It must be hideous now.

I seem to recall Applecross asking if they can be removed from the route altogether.

[alfie2244]

We had a family Xmas day dinner at a restaurant in Central Bath a few years ago...............coachload after coachload of tourists still being dropped off outside the cathedral was a bit of a surprise.

[Integroo]

bloomen said:

I think I'll reserve that for winter in future when you have it all to yourself. I well remember the standard of driving and the capacity long before it got packaged up and hawked. It must be hideous now.

I seem to recall Applecross asking if they can be removed from the route altogether.

I think the Applecross Inn gets fully booked up to a year in advance. Bealach na ba was a bit chaotic with the number of campervans etc going up it, it isn't designed for that size and level of traffic.

[NDA]

bloomen said:

If so, how unbearable do you find it?

I grew up in a tourist spot in North Devon. Rammed with caravans in the summer and nothing but candy floss and amusement arcades.... absolutely dead and fully shut down in the winter. Pretty awful to be honest - the tourists were needed, but hated. I left as soon as I was able!

[Evanivitch]

bloomen said:

Is it time to book that mini break in Hull or Port Talbot instead?

If you like mountain biking and water sports, there's plenty to do near Port Talbot! Adam Valley, Ignore by Sea, Porthcawl etc

Cowbridge and the Vale of Glamorgan are quite nice places with good coastlines, good food and nice cottages. Cars and Coffee in cowbridge in September is a nice morning with the whole highstreet filled with a variety of old and exotic cars.

Not the Welsh tourist board, honest!

[bloomen]

Evanivitch said:

If you like mountain biking and water sports, there's plenty to do near Port Talbot! Adam Valley, Ignore by Sea, Porthcawl etc

Cowbridge and the Vale of Glamorgan are quite nice places with good coastlines, good food and nice cottages. Cars and Coffee in cowbridge in September is a nice morning with the whole highstreet filled with a variety of old and exotic cars.

Not the Welsh tourist board, honest!

It would be my duty to combat over tourism by not leaving it while staying there. I'm particularly interested in the motorway junction they're trying to close so my week will be spent in a camping chair looking at it.

[bloomen]

NDA said:

I grew up in a tourist spot in North Devon. Rammed with caravans in the summer and nothing but candy floss and amusement arcades.... absolutely dead and fully shut down in the winter. Pretty awful to be honest - the tourists were needed, but hated. I left as soon as I was able!

I'm Exmoor way. Even at the absolute height of summer the amount of tourism is pretty negligible apart from the obvious honey pots. In a way I think it's a shame that more people don't bother with it and head straight to more obvious places, but I'll take it all the same.

[abzmike]

227bhp said:

A good topic for conversation, but to get right to the heart of the matter there are now too many people living in the UK.

No there aren't - Just in a number of places.Vast tracts of perfectly liveable land are virtually empty.

[Roger Irrelevant]

I lived in York for a number of years and quite liked the fact it was touristy - it meant that a far higher number of really good pubs could survive than would otherwise be the case. Plus it's quite a big place so outside of the centre life carries on as normal. Agree re Devon and Cornwall in the summer though - we had a family get-together near Croyde in August a few years ago and before going I did worry that it might be a bit busy for my liking, couldn't have imagined how mad it was though. I'd planned to visit all sorts of places when we were there but after two days of averaging sub-central London speeds when driving about I gave up. I have been back since out of season and it's great but I'll avoid it like the plague in the summer hols.

[bloomen]

Roger Irrelevant said:

we had a family get-together near Croyde in August a few years ago and before going I did worry that it might be a bit busy for my liking, couldn't have imagined how mad it was though. I'd planned to visit all sorts of places when we were there but after two days of averaging sub-central London speeds when driving about I gave up. I have been back since out of season and it's great but I'll avoid it like the plague in the summer hols.

That whole outcrop is utterly dire in season. The roads were designed for a fella walking his livestock to market, not 1000 Bodens and surfers an hour.

[EL11SEG]

Saw this in the local paper yeaterday about the NC500. Myself and friends have been heading up that way long before the NC500 started. If you are a business owner making money from the passing trade it's ok but the locals who see nowt are not happy. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/highland...

Cruise liner season is upon us in the highlands which makes it pretty impossible to get into castles without another 400 folks fighting for the loo's and everyone is Outlander daft these days so Culloden Battlefield and the 'stones' are popular, this year we are expecting over 180k of visitors from the ships. And if you are planning a wedding and need a bus for transport and it is on cruise liner day you can forget it.

[SouthHamsGaz]

You can guess where I live from my user name.

Bloody hate the summer.

Our roads are narrow as it is, the minute all the grockles descend in their caravans the place becomes grid locked. Add that in with people who have no concept of how wide their car is and an inability to reverse makes me feel as though my head is going to explode.

Tend to avoid venturing too far from home during the 6 weeks the schools are off if we can help it.

[227bhp]

abzmike said:

227bhp said:

A good topic for conversation, but to get right to the heart of the matter there are now too many people living in the UK.

No there aren't - Just in a number of places.Vast tracts of perfectly liveable land are virtually empty.

Yes there are in my opinion and comparatively speaking.
What do you propose, that we build all over the land as well and have no-where to get any peace and quiet, grow crops and rear animals?
They'd still flock to the same holiday destinations every Summer....

[T-195]

bloomen said:

If so, how unbearable do you find it? With exchange rates still a bit rubbish and the memory of last summer's heat I can well expect this one to be even more intense.

Last summer I ventured down to Cornwall a few times and my mind was blown at how rammed it was. Of course it always has been but it seemed to be turned up a notch further than I've ever seen before. If I had to contend with that to get through my everyday life I'd probably go batty.

Up north the locals seem ever more disillusioned with the North Coast 500 - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/eu...

Is it time to book that mini break in Hull or Port Talbot instead?

It's nothing new. Cornwall has had terrible traffic for a long time during busy periods.