Do you live in a tourist hot spot?

Do you live in a tourist hot spot?

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Johnnytheboy

24,498 posts

186 months

Friday 19th April 2019
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sparks_E46 said:
Used to live in Poole, Dorset. Massively busy in the summer, and an utter, utter dump.

Live in lovely North Dorset now.
Also in North Dorset.

It's like there's an anti-tourist force field along the northern fence of the A31/A35.

Frank7

6,619 posts

87 months

Friday 19th April 2019
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bloomen said:
Frank7 said:
It’s all a case of one man’s meat really, maybe the Med is anathema to Land Rover guy’s wife, whereas if my wife was standing on the beach at South Padre Island TX, nursing a Mai-Tai, while the Gulf of Mexico was lapping over her toes, and I said, “Better top up the sun cream Red, you’re not in Llandudno”, she’d say, “And if I have my way, I never will be.”
If you offered me a fortnight in the Maldives or a fortnight in Orkney and Shetland I'd be much more aroused by the latter. Way more to see and do. I guess I could compromise with my non existent wife on the Isle of Wight. If she still feels that leans too far towards me then it's divorce time.
As I said, one man’s meat.
I’ve been to both The Maldives and Shetland, I really liked Lerwick, but the fact that I wouldn’t need sun protection there, would point me back to the Maldives again.

bloomen

Original Poster:

6,891 posts

159 months

Friday 19th April 2019
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Frank7 said:
As I said, one man’s meat.
I’ve been to both The Maldives and Shetland, I really liked Lerwick, but the fact that I wouldn’t need sun protection there, would point me back to the Maldives again.
You get plenty of wind burn though.

Frank7

6,619 posts

87 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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bloomen said:
Frank7 said:
As I said, one man’s meat.
I’ve been to both The Maldives and Shetland, I really liked Lerwick, but the fact that I wouldn’t need sun protection there, would point me back to the Maldives again.
You get plenty of wind burn though.
Don’t think that I’ve ever experienced wind burn, although it doesn’t sound good.
I have however experienced sunburn, many, many, moons ago, and nobody with an ounce of brains would take a chance of exposing him/herself to that twice.

mike74

3,687 posts

132 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Actually been quite pleasantly surprised that (so far) it's been far less busy this Easter compared to other recent Easter half terms in my particular tourist hotspot location.

g3org3y

20,627 posts

191 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Crazy busy in our village yesterday. Everyone coming to enjoy the scenery, do picnics, walk the dog, row down the river, and generally have a nice time. Pubs also absolutely jam packed. With the warm lovely sunny weather I expect it to continue like this through the whole bank holiday weekend. It's nice to see the village so busy.

I think I'll just stick to the garden and walk my dog on the (quiet) fields behind the house. smile

cmvtec

2,188 posts

81 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Just walked the whippet down to the sea front and South Shields is filling up nicely.

bloomen

Original Poster:

6,891 posts

159 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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cmvtec said:
Just walked the whippet down to the sea front and South Shields is filling up nicely.
A whippet is dead northern so the tourists will be delighted to see it. I hope you had a tip jar around its neck.

I think this weekend is going to be a wee taster of what the summer holds. My guess - carnage.

cmvtec

2,188 posts

81 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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bloomen said:
cmvtec said:
Just walked the whippet down to the sea front and South Shields is filling up nicely.
A whippet is dead northern so the tourists will be delighted to see it. I hope you had a tip jar around its neck.

I think this weekend is going to be a wee taster of what the summer holds. My guess - carnage.
Good idea for the afternoon walk. He can earn his keep.

sparks_E46

12,738 posts

213 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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I had to run an errand at Lilliput today near Sandbanks, expecting it to be rammed. Actually pretty quiet which is a pleasant surprise. 24 degrees apparently. Still don’t like the place.

g3org3y

20,627 posts

191 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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sparks_E46 said:
I had to run an errand at Lilliput today near Sandbanks, expecting it to be rammed. Actually pretty quiet which is a pleasant surprise. 24 degrees apparently. Still don’t like the place.
Newly imposed height restrictions?

anonymous-user

54 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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sparks_E46 said:
I had to run an errand at Lilliput today near Sandbanks, expecting it to be rammed. Actually pretty quiet which is a pleasant surprise. 24 degrees apparently. Still don’t like the place.
Spent most of the day trying to find a parking space near the beach in Boscombe. Like London by the sea. Couldn’t move so came back, my Mum lives near Ringwood which is the only reason I come here. Like you, I don’t like it at all - wall to wall knobs and pensioners.

RizzoTheRat

25,135 posts

192 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Frank7 said:
I have however experienced sunburn, many, many, moons ago, and nobody with an ounce of brains would take a chance of exposing him/herself to that twice.
Its scary how many people you see sporting that luminous lobster look though isn't it.

bloomen

Original Poster:

6,891 posts

159 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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wormus said:
Spent most of the day trying to find a parking space near the beach in Boscombe. Like London by the sea. Couldn’t move so came back, my Mum lives near Ringwood which is the only reason I come here. Like you, I don’t like it at all - wall to wall knobs and pensioners.
I genuinely don't think I've ever heard anyone have a complimentary word to say about that part of the world. Seems innocuous enough to me.

There's been a steady stream of visitors strolling past my door today which has surprised me. It's usually a ghost town no matter. I guess the promise of the weather has motivated people to get out and about.

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

170 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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New Forest has been surprisingly quiet.


anonymous-user

54 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Alucidnation said:
New Forest has been surprisingly quiet.
Thanks, might try that tomorrow. The south coast experience is pretty grim.

schmalex

13,616 posts

206 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Alucidnation said:
New Forest has been surprisingly quiet.
I grew up in Lymington. Easter was always the start of tourist mayhem until September. Fortunately I sailed a lot so used to cycle to LTSC, rig my Laser and spend pretty much every day either training or racing

surveyor

17,809 posts

184 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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My experience from my grandparents in Cornwall when I was a younger is when the tourists came they would be out on a yacht. It was not that often that they wanted to go to the same places as the tourists, although parking sometimes got trickier in the village.

Burrito

1,705 posts

220 months

Saturday 20th April 2019
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Mexman said:
It's mostly not kids and students doing these jobs though and you haven't repeated any point.
You have made a new point accepting that these types of job are very poorly paid and workers often have no protection from their employers who are generally from other parts of the world.
My wife is 51 yrs old and works in an upmarket Truro hotel.
The hotel she works for is owned by 2 multi millionaire property investing brothers from the home counties who milk all of the business profits back away from the county.
The only money that stays in Cornwall is the very minimal wages that they pay their overworked staff.
Most young Cornish people have no choice but to live with their parents until the day they die, or move out of the County to live and earn up country elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the population of Cornwall is aging with no young blood to replace it, because they simply cannot afford to live or buy or even rent here.
Tourism is important, but so is quality of life to the residents.
Cornwall is not an amusement park that some people seem to think it is, people live, work and survive here through some brutal winters, come summer, yes the influx of visitors is welcome to certain businesses and their income.
Please do visit, please enjoy your holiday and contribute to the local economy, but also appreciate that the people who live and work here need to get around and work also, and keep the economy moving for the other 51 weeks of the year that you are not here.
Certain places are just no go areas in the summer, you cannot get anywhere near them, St Ives, Newquay, Padstow, Mevagissey, etc.
If I need to get to any of these places in the summer, it's just a nightmare, and the parking charges if you can get one are extortionate.
It really is just a little too much at certain times of the year to even bother venturing out of the house.
True of many a tourist destination I'm sure up and down the country, but I suppose because of Cornwall's 'funnel' shape, everyone just gets forced into a smaller and smaller area!
You seem to have a really negative view. Without tourism Cornwall would be massively limited. It has it’s downsides like most sectors.

I’m lucky in that my work life has largely been outside of tourism, as has my wife’s. But I have friends who’ve been in hospitality for years and whilst it can be demanding, it can be rewarding too.

Just as an anecdotal point, my circle of friends have almost all bought houses in and around Newquay over the last 10 years. So locals can and do get on the property ladder down here.

There’s increased congestion across Cornwall but to say that some towns are no go areas is a bit far fetched! I drove out to a couple of places today and the roads were busy but not gridlocked.

Morrisons had run out of buns at 7pm though! So maybe you’re right!

Here’s manor road car parking costs for you. Not exactly extortionate.



Tempest_5

603 posts

197 months

Monday 22nd April 2019
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We had massive traffic jams going to our local beach everytime it got warm over the last few years. It got really bad last year then seemed to dissipate and seems to have been only moderately bad this weekend. I can only assume that either someone has sorted out the traffic management or word has got around it's not worth the effort anymore. Maybe a bit of both?

BTW we have Whippets down here in West Sussex. There are Whippet walks that are held now and again down the beach. Quite spectacular when they are all let of the leash at once !

Unfortunately I can't upload at the moment so no photos.