Undesirable holiday locations, please!

[WouldBeGood]

I’m far too scared to book a wholesome staycation in a beautiful tourist area, lest I be run out of town by angry locals; or refused service in the extortionately priced local farm shop.

So, I’m planning to go to places that are not holiday destinations, where they might be pleased people are visiting. Or, even better, not notice.

My sole requirement is a nice hotel.

Any recommendations?

Holdsworth House in Halifax.
Close to Bronte country, Shibden Hall (Anne Lister/ Gentleman Jack).
Not too far to the Dales, Peaks, Yorkshire sculpture park, Saltaire.

I am not saying Stoke is undesirable but it is an unpolished gem. No hotel reccs because we live near enough for day trips.
Museum is ace.
Regal Theatre is extraordinary.
The iconic bottle kilns.
Trentham Estate Gardens.

@FlibbertyGiblets

I am not saying Stoke is undesirable but it is an unpolished gem. No hotel reccs because we live near enough for day trips. Museum is ace. Regal Theatre is extraordinary. The iconic bottle kilns. Trentham Estate Gardens.

All I can say about that is I would bet my car no-one else is going to Stoke on holiday

Thumbs up!

You might go to Stoke if you like pottery museums I suppose.

There are quite a few pretty corners of Kent OP. That might be an interesting option.

Otherwise you could look at city breaks in places like Newcastle or Liverpool. Or Hull - you're close enough to Yorkshire countryside and places like York and Lincoln. I've never been to Hull, it's not meant to be pretty but allegedly has the second friendliest people in the UK (after Liverpool I assume).

Surrey Hill’s. Beautiful countryside, lots of walks and cosy pubs and come the summer the locals seem to all be in Cornwall or Dorset!

Hull is much nicer than it's reputation, which is mostly down to assumptions from people who've never been there.

You could do worse than Leeds. Good hotels in the city centre, or the Oulton Hall a few miles outside is supposed to be nice.

Royal Armouries, good shopping, small museum, Thackeray medical museum, great food. Lots of city parks, Yorkshire sculpture park, national mining museum a bit further away. Also close to York and countryside.

If you drive, I'd stay out of the city, drive around then use the park and ride to go into the centre.

I also fancy Birmingham for a city break, which would combine well with the Shropshire hills, Ironbridge etc.

We stayed in a great hotel near Lancaster, not undesirable but not a traditional holiday location either

I would bet my car no-one else is going to Stoke on holiday

We're not going to Stoke, but we've booked to go on a camping weekend 3 miles from our house. DP entered a sporting event that comes with 2 nights camping, music, bars, food stalls etc and if the weather is good, I'm going with him to make a weekend of it.

Scunthorpe.

The Midland Hotel in Morecambe is lovely.

Given the likely absence of hoards of foreign tourists, Chinese tour groups etc I’ve decided this is the perfect year to go to London, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford, York or Edinburgh. Basically I’ll be avoiding countryside or coast.

Leicester has Richard 111, National Science Centre, a museum and Art Gallery, multicultural Golden Mile for fantastic Asian restaurants. Countryside nearby for walks, Rutland Water for cycling and water sports.
Marriott Hotel not far from M1/M69 junction.

East of Manchester Mossley/Greenfield - easy access to the peaks big enough towns to not notice you’re there.

Yorkshire, has some lovely places for days out, York (railway museum, dungeons) Leeds Royal Armouries, Whitby, Yorkshire wildlife park near Doncaster. Might be worth looking at what attractions / places you would like to visit, in whatever area and then looking for a nice hotel as a base to travel to them each day.

@Leapyleaffrog

Given the likely absence of hoards of foreign tourists, Chinese tour groups etc I’ve decided this is the perfect year to go to London, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford, York or Edinburgh. Basically I’ll be avoiding countryside or coast.

Good point! But even without the crowds of tour groups and their blasted selfie sticks I don't think I can afford the second mortgage that you seem to need to buy anything to eat or drink in London.

Some great ideas, thanks!

Yes, my theory is that lots of these “undesirable” places are actually nice, and interesting.

Another one thinking of a trip to Birmingham here!

Some of the smaller cathedral cities at are very nice for a few days - Winchester, Salisbury, Wells...

North Wiltshire isn’t very touristy. Lots of ancient stuff like white horses, Avebury and the ridgeway. Pretty villages and towns for an ice cream and wander. Near enough for a day trip to bath / cotswolds / Bristol.

*FlibbertyGiblets

I am not saying Stoke is undesirable but it is an unpolished gem. No hotel reccs because we live near enough for day trips.
Museum is ace.
Regal Theatre is extraordinary.
The iconic bottle kilns.
Trentham Estate Gardens.

All I can say about that is I would bet my car no-one else is going to Stoke on holiday*

Trentham Monkey Forrest
'Potteries' shopping centre for a retail fix
Hogarths Gin Palace is a pub if you're going on holiday after the pubs reopen.

Please post your car keys to P.O. Box 0n1y J0kin8

Carlisle

Good restaurants, Roman history, near the coast, near the Lakes, can be in Newcastle in an hour.

@Leapyleaffrog

Given the likely absence of hoards of foreign tourists, Chinese tour groups etc I’ve decided this is the perfect year to go to London, Oxford, Cambridge, Stratford, York or Edinburgh. Basically I’ll be avoiding countryside or coast.

@Leapyleaffrog good thinking!

As I lived for a while in very rural Scotland, the price of eating out in London holds no fear for me 😃

@BarbaraofSeville I have been to Hull. We had an argument at work pre-Covid about a supplier visit because no-one wanted to visit there a second time in their life.

I'd second Carlisle or the idea of North Wiltshire.

Yorkshire was good. We stayed in a converted piggery near Whitby and had a great time. We did a cliff top walk to Robin Hood's Bay. Great walk, great pub. The ice cream van had to come off the beach so it didn't get stranded by the incoming tide !

We've been to North Wales and stayed in an old slate miner's cottage. Very good base for days out and nights in by the open fire burning Welsh coal as the wind and rain lash down outside.

Went to the coast of Northumberland. Very good. Would go again this year because I'd like to trace the route that Grace Darling took when she rowed through a storm to rescue shipwrecked sailors over 100 years ago. There's a twilight boat trip that follows the route. You can see seals as well. I didn't read the advertising poster properly until it was time to go home.

There's an RLNI museum dedicated to her across from the churchyard where's she's buried.

(In the church there are six life size pall bearers roughly carved from wood, carrying a coffin. Not clear what this is about. OK, I get it. But it's the creepiest thing I've seen in a long time.)

Bamburgh Castle is interesting. There's some nice pubs in Bamburgh village too.

Chichester is nice, lovely small city with good restaurants etc, close to the coast, and nature reserves, the South Downs, interesting places to visit like Fishbourne Roman villa if that’s your thing.

You can do boat trips around the harbour, walk along the canal.. I’ve always enjoyed visiting.