Going on Holiday in the UK - WHY?
Discussion
I don't bother in the UK any longer. I have done in the past, and have done the usual Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, York trips ad nauseum. The only one I would return to is the lakes but it is too congested now and on the last trip it rained for 7 days incessantly. It's just boring. I also worked at Manchester and Gatwick airports for over 20 years and I will not travel to the usual sad 'British' hot spots abroad. Not my kind of people. I don't want to get on a flight full of gobs
te drunks and so many are.
I have taken my children on trips that are fun but I hope teach them something about the world outside of the parochial UK and its small mindedness. I've taken them to Riga, Madrid, Berlin, Paris, New York, Las Vegas (and Grand Canyon), Dubai, Milan, Barcelona, Carcassonne, Prague, off the top if my head.
The UK is an awfully self-obsessed, dreary, bad weathered and parochial place, it's good to get away from it.
te drunks and so many are.I have taken my children on trips that are fun but I hope teach them something about the world outside of the parochial UK and its small mindedness. I've taken them to Riga, Madrid, Berlin, Paris, New York, Las Vegas (and Grand Canyon), Dubai, Milan, Barcelona, Carcassonne, Prague, off the top if my head.
The UK is an awfully self-obsessed, dreary, bad weathered and parochial place, it's good to get away from it.
okgo said:
Can't believe it needs explaining.
It is VERY likely you will have st weather, curtailing any activity you can do/enjoy that isn't indoors, especially with children. For not a lot more, you can mitigate that risk, eat better (and probably vastly cheaper) food. That is why people do it.
I agree. Up until last year, twice a year for nearly 20 years we would go into Europe (mainly France, Spain, Italy and once Holland) and stay in a luxury mobile home. We would mostly drive and stay in Novotel’s or something similar if the trip required overnight stays. It is VERY likely you will have s
t weather, curtailing any activity you can do/enjoy that isn't indoors, especially with children. For not a lot more, you can mitigate that risk, eat better (and probably vastly cheaper) food. That is why people do it.The children often had aqua park’s or similar attractions on site. We would of course go out and see many places within the host country. Moreover the children made many friends often from different countries.
Alternatively if I said to them that we are staying in a cottage somewhere in Britain with no pool(s) and it’s probably going to be cold and wet, I can’t see it going down too well.
We’ve had some great long weekends in Britain and Ireland, but for a main holiday(s) absolutely no way.
simons123 said:
One of the few places in the UK I do like is Dartmouth in Devon. Absolutely gorgeous mini harbour, harlyn bay beach is nice as far as UK beaches go ...but again the accommodation in Dartmouth is atrocious, overpriced, the restaurants are garbage and overpriced and there is nowhere to park.
Is there a harlyn bay at Dartmouth now?!simons123 said:
av185 said:
Leptons said:
What are your plans when it rains or there’s a perpetual sea mist for 4 days solid (like last time we went to Devon)?
Try Yorkshire.Devon fails to even make the top ten of sunniest UK places over the last 30 years. No wonder many on here invariably post the weather is crap.
In fact the East Riding of Yorkshire is on average sunnier than Devon and Bridlington is sunnier than Torquay.
As we all know Yorkshire also offers far better beer and pubs at reasonable prices better scenery friendly welcome and driving roads too.
As a relative newcomer that lives here, Scarborough does have its challenges, but only like so many other UK towns.
Peasholm park (that you refer to) is lovely, as is the unspoiled North Bay, the South Bay is also wonderful, pic from earlier today.
There are some excellent restaurants here, The Farrier is among the best at what they do, many other Middle Eastern / Med food influenced places have also sprung up recently.
Whitby has become more crowded over the past 5 years but it’s a victim of its own success and restricted as it sits fully in a national park setting so is compacted into one valley.
Scarborough is effectively four or five separate boroughs that share a collective name. The centre can be rough, but there are also areas that are stunning in terms of architecture / accommodation if you know where to look.
15 minutes by train there are Filey / Bridlington or if you drive, the amazing views from Flamborough Head or North Landing just 25 minutes away…..
We also have a range of motor events locally from Race The Waves to motorcycling events at Oliver’s Mount, plus loads of visiting car clubs and individuals just taking their classics to the seaside for the day.
It’s all horses for courses but it’s unfair to dismiss an entire county pretty much based on two visits if you don’t know of some of the great stuff that happens there….
https://www.ruralretreats.co.uk/england/yorkshire-...
In terms of accommodation in Whitby, you can stay in the rooms where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula or rent a full lighthouse out on the rocks, just depends what type of break you are looking for, but a bit unfair to dismiss it based on accommodation variety………
In terms of accommodation in Whitby, you can stay in the rooms where Bram Stoker wrote Dracula or rent a full lighthouse out on the rocks, just depends what type of break you are looking for, but a bit unfair to dismiss it based on accommodation variety………
I'd like to visit Scotland and the Lake District one day as they are both places I haven't been. But I HATE British food and my holiday destinations tend to be led by my stomach and wanting to drive fast without being held up by the UK's ridiculously slow drivers. I love being in the mountains but I'm not a walker, hiker, trekker, climber or cyclist.
For me, taking the car to the south of France and then finding myself in the Alps or the Pyrenees before either staying in France or heading south into Italy or Spain. If you've never been to Spain by car in the summer, it's a driver's paradise. Beautiful roads, amazing scenery and barely any traffic. And what traffic there is moves fast and overtaking is the norm. Here's part of a drive in central Spain last Summer, heading north towards Madrid.
Last year I took the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and spent three weeks driving around Spain and Portugal, visiting friends and finding great places to eat. Many Spanish cities are stunning in a way I've never seen in the UK. Must be to do with the bombing we suffered during the war.
I find being in the UK a miserable experience, so I'm very keen to get away. I'm planning a couple of weeks in Italy by car in August to celebrate my 50th and then 3-4 weeks in Japan in October. Next year, the focus is on Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. I'll probably have to pick just two. There's so much of the world to see and so little time to see it. I can see why Americans like to visit the UK, but it's not for me.
For me, taking the car to the south of France and then finding myself in the Alps or the Pyrenees before either staying in France or heading south into Italy or Spain. If you've never been to Spain by car in the summer, it's a driver's paradise. Beautiful roads, amazing scenery and barely any traffic. And what traffic there is moves fast and overtaking is the norm. Here's part of a drive in central Spain last Summer, heading north towards Madrid.
Last year I took the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao and spent three weeks driving around Spain and Portugal, visiting friends and finding great places to eat. Many Spanish cities are stunning in a way I've never seen in the UK. Must be to do with the bombing we suffered during the war.
I find being in the UK a miserable experience, so I'm very keen to get away. I'm planning a couple of weeks in Italy by car in August to celebrate my 50th and then 3-4 weeks in Japan in October. Next year, the focus is on Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. I'll probably have to pick just two. There's so much of the world to see and so little time to see it. I can see why Americans like to visit the UK, but it's not for me.
My view of UK holidays & agreement with the OP’s opinion was reinforced over the last few days having decided to spend the weekend in the Yorkshire Dales which has some of the prettiest countryside in the UK IMO.
However, the weather was dire bearing in mind it’s the middle of summer with persistent rain and daytime temperatures of 12c. The weather is nobody’s fault of course, but it’s a miserable way to spend a summer weekend with jumper and coats being essential. We’d planned to do an 8 mile walk starting out from Settle Settle but just as we were about to start, another downpour arrived so we thought we’d sit it out with a coffee at (probably) the largest café in the town. When we walked in, we both waited by the door to be seated at one of the empty tables as instructed but when the girl came to us, the first thing she told us was that it would be at least a 45 minute wait for food. I said that it wasn’t a problem as we were just having a drink but I was then told it would be around a 25 minute wait for a drink as they ‘were busy’. We went elsewhere.
Later in the day, we thought we’d have a few drinks at the various pubs around the town. The first one was fine but the rest were really run down/dirty with the final one having absolutely no bottles of any description in any of the fridges (no G&T for the girl) and I actually wondered if they were running everything down to close the business.
We thought we’d try a bar/bistro place for a drink & late lunch/snack which was ok but we were paying more than double for Gambas Pil Pil, Patatas Bravas, beer & wine by comparison with what we were paying in Spain a couple of weeks before and the quality here was nowhere near.
We have holidayed extensively in the UK in previous years but it’s wearing thin and I do feel sorry (& embarrassed) for people that have used their annual leave and paid to travel to the UK to experience our weather, (mostly) crappy food & hospitality.
On a positive note, the parking was cheap and we did actually have some good cake at one point.
However, the weather was dire bearing in mind it’s the middle of summer with persistent rain and daytime temperatures of 12c. The weather is nobody’s fault of course, but it’s a miserable way to spend a summer weekend with jumper and coats being essential. We’d planned to do an 8 mile walk starting out from Settle Settle but just as we were about to start, another downpour arrived so we thought we’d sit it out with a coffee at (probably) the largest café in the town. When we walked in, we both waited by the door to be seated at one of the empty tables as instructed but when the girl came to us, the first thing she told us was that it would be at least a 45 minute wait for food. I said that it wasn’t a problem as we were just having a drink but I was then told it would be around a 25 minute wait for a drink as they ‘were busy’. We went elsewhere.
Later in the day, we thought we’d have a few drinks at the various pubs around the town. The first one was fine but the rest were really run down/dirty with the final one having absolutely no bottles of any description in any of the fridges (no G&T for the girl) and I actually wondered if they were running everything down to close the business.
We thought we’d try a bar/bistro place for a drink & late lunch/snack which was ok but we were paying more than double for Gambas Pil Pil, Patatas Bravas, beer & wine by comparison with what we were paying in Spain a couple of weeks before and the quality here was nowhere near.
We have holidayed extensively in the UK in previous years but it’s wearing thin and I do feel sorry (& embarrassed) for people that have used their annual leave and paid to travel to the UK to experience our weather, (mostly) crappy food & hospitality.
On a positive note, the parking was cheap and we did actually have some good cake at one point.
Fortunate to have a property not far from Settle giving great access to fantastic countryside and driving roads great pubs beer and restaurants the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District offer in spades.
Unfortunately it looks like you have probably selected the worst pubs and cafes to visit in Settle....unfortunately easy to do anywhere in the UK or abroad if you do not know the area or do not do the appropriate research.
In contrast we spent the third week in June this year in North Wales near Betws y Coed and were blessed with perfect Summer weather 25 degrees just the same as June 2023. Fantastic food too...Tapas at Olif (ByC) pub (Ship at Trefwie) Llanwrst Fish and Chips and perfect walking/scrambling/climbing weather for Tryfan (north face) Glyders and Carnedds offering routes scenery and weather to match most other countries.
Interesting to note many visitors are often put off a holiday destination merely because of the poor weather on their first and only visit and often hear of this in the Lakes/Wales/Dales and it can of course happen anywhere in the world. But from past experience the difference with the UK is that a return visit is much easier and cheaper ££ than a foreign trip and having visited in bad weather on the first occasion chances are the weather will be substantially better on the second.
Unfortunately it looks like you have probably selected the worst pubs and cafes to visit in Settle....unfortunately easy to do anywhere in the UK or abroad if you do not know the area or do not do the appropriate research.
In contrast we spent the third week in June this year in North Wales near Betws y Coed and were blessed with perfect Summer weather 25 degrees just the same as June 2023. Fantastic food too...Tapas at Olif (ByC) pub (Ship at Trefwie) Llanwrst Fish and Chips and perfect walking/scrambling/climbing weather for Tryfan (north face) Glyders and Carnedds offering routes scenery and weather to match most other countries.
Interesting to note many visitors are often put off a holiday destination merely because of the poor weather on their first and only visit and often hear of this in the Lakes/Wales/Dales and it can of course happen anywhere in the world. But from past experience the difference with the UK is that a return visit is much easier and cheaper ££ than a foreign trip and having visited in bad weather on the first occasion chances are the weather will be substantially better on the second.
Just had a lovely week in north Devon.
Great weather, sunny and warm, excellent food from Pattard Restaurant, Farmers Arms at Woolsery, The Boathouse, Instow, Coffee Cabin, amazing bakery good from the Electric bakery good enough to beat any French boulangerie, great food from the Cafe at Sandymouth and much to my amazement a really good seafood platter in Westward Ho!
When its like that the UK is as good as anywhere
Great weather, sunny and warm, excellent food from Pattard Restaurant, Farmers Arms at Woolsery, The Boathouse, Instow, Coffee Cabin, amazing bakery good from the Electric bakery good enough to beat any French boulangerie, great food from the Cafe at Sandymouth and much to my amazement a really good seafood platter in Westward Ho!
When its like that the UK is as good as anywhere
Edited by blueg33 on Monday 1st July 13:15
Edited by blueg33 on Monday 1st July 14:50
blueg33 said:
Just had a lovely week in north Devon.
Great weather, sunny and warm, excellent food from Pattard Restaurant, Farmers Arms at Woolsery, The Boathouse, Instow, Coffee Cabin, amazing bakery good from the Electric bakery good enough to beat any French boulangerie, great food from the Cafe at Sandymouth and much to my amazement a really good seafood platter in Westward Ho!
When its like that the UK is as good as anywhere
I like North Devon but would never feel relaxed spending it as my holiday.Great weather, sunny and warm, excellent food from Pattard Restaurant, Farmers Arms at Woolsery, The Boathouse, Instow, Coffee Cabin, amazing bakery good from the Electric bakery good enough to beat any French boulangerie, great food from the Cafe at Sandymouth and much to my amazement a really good seafood platter in Westward Ho!
When its like that the UK is as good as anywhere
Edited by blueg33 on Monday 1st July 13:15
Edited by blueg33 on Monday 1st July 14:50
Rich Boy Spanner said:
I will not travel to the usual sad 'British' hot spots abroad. Not my kind of people. I don't want to get on a flight full of gobste drunks and so many are.
…
I have taken my children on trips that are fun but I hope teach them something about the world outside of the parochial UK and its small mindedness.
This is an excellent piece of parody.te drunks and so many are.…
I have taken my children on trips that are fun but I hope teach them something about the world outside of the parochial UK and its small mindedness.
fourstardan said:
MC Bodge said:
That's an odd statement. Why could you not relax in North Devon?
A week just wouldn't do it for me, not enough getting away from the UK and all the things people mention here. I go to North Devon annually for a few days to get away from the front room but thats it.
MarkJS said:
My view of UK holidays & agreement with the OP’s opinion was reinforced over the last few days having decided to spend the weekend in the Yorkshire Dales which has some of the prettiest countryside in the UK IMO.
However, the weather was dire bearing in mind it’s the middle of summer with persistent rain and daytime temperatures of 12c. The weather is nobody’s fault of course, but it’s a miserable way to spend a summer weekend with jumper and coats being essential. We’d planned to do an 8 mile walk starting out from Settle Settle but just as we were about to start, another downpour arrived so we thought we’d sit it out with a coffee at (probably) the largest café in the town. When we walked in, we both waited by the door to be seated at one of the empty tables as instructed but when the girl came to us, the first thing she told us was that it would be at least a 45 minute wait for food. I said that it wasn’t a problem as we were just having a drink but I was then told it would be around a 25 minute wait for a drink as they ‘were busy’. We went elsewhere.
Later in the day, we thought we’d have a few drinks at the various pubs around the town. The first one was fine but the rest were really run down/dirty with the final one having absolutely no bottles of any description in any of the fridges (no G&T for the girl) and I actually wondered if they were running everything down to close the business.
We thought we’d try a bar/bistro place for a drink & late lunch/snack which was ok but we were paying more than double for Gambas Pil Pil, Patatas Bravas, beer & wine by comparison with what we were paying in Spain a couple of weeks before and the quality here was nowhere near.
We have holidayed extensively in the UK in previous years but it’s wearing thin and I do feel sorry (& embarrassed) for people that have used their annual leave and paid to travel to the UK to experience our weather, (mostly) crappy food & hospitality.
On a positive note, the parking was cheap and we did actually have some good cake at one point.
That really sums up the issue very well IMHO, and reflects our experience in many parts of the UKHowever, the weather was dire bearing in mind it’s the middle of summer with persistent rain and daytime temperatures of 12c. The weather is nobody’s fault of course, but it’s a miserable way to spend a summer weekend with jumper and coats being essential. We’d planned to do an 8 mile walk starting out from Settle Settle but just as we were about to start, another downpour arrived so we thought we’d sit it out with a coffee at (probably) the largest café in the town. When we walked in, we both waited by the door to be seated at one of the empty tables as instructed but when the girl came to us, the first thing she told us was that it would be at least a 45 minute wait for food. I said that it wasn’t a problem as we were just having a drink but I was then told it would be around a 25 minute wait for a drink as they ‘were busy’. We went elsewhere.
Later in the day, we thought we’d have a few drinks at the various pubs around the town. The first one was fine but the rest were really run down/dirty with the final one having absolutely no bottles of any description in any of the fridges (no G&T for the girl) and I actually wondered if they were running everything down to close the business.
We thought we’d try a bar/bistro place for a drink & late lunch/snack which was ok but we were paying more than double for Gambas Pil Pil, Patatas Bravas, beer & wine by comparison with what we were paying in Spain a couple of weeks before and the quality here was nowhere near.
We have holidayed extensively in the UK in previous years but it’s wearing thin and I do feel sorry (& embarrassed) for people that have used their annual leave and paid to travel to the UK to experience our weather, (mostly) crappy food & hospitality.
On a positive note, the parking was cheap and we did actually have some good cake at one point.
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