Ever visited somewhere for the day and been really disappointed?

[Summerhouse2013]

We travelled to Yeovil in Somerset yesterday for the day, wow, we were so disappointed.

It was like a ghost town. Most of the shops were shut, only a handful were open. And towards the bottom area of the town most of the shops were completely closed down.

I'd always got the impression there was a lot more to Yeovil.

We left after an hour as there was nothing to do.

Agree with the PP who said Durham.

DS went to university there and we had been looking forward to visiting a few times, but then Covid hit in his second year, so that was that.

We finally went last year for his delayed graduation ceremony and stayed 5 days so we could really explore, and were disappointed. The main bit is obviously stunning but we struggled to find a decent restaurant, and in fact had the worst meal I have ever eaten in my life there.

I would love to go back to that part of the world, but I've definitely 'done' Durham!

I wonder if it's not so much the local alcoholism as that Edinburgh suffers from the same problem as York - being a destination for stag and hen parties.

To be fair, the Tate Modern isn't great if you do like art. Sadly, it's free, so tourists treat it like a public toilet/place to squat on the floor and eat crisps. Makes it very difficult to appreciate anything in the galleries when it's full of huge bickering families dragging big soggy prams and suitcases around the Blavatnik Gallery just to find somewhere out of the rain.

Haha I have no taste clearly! I adore Stratford upon Avon, in season and out. Went there during a wet Easter holiday and was there during a hot summer. Love the vibe as well as tramping in the surrounding countryside.

Mine is Harrogate which has been mentioned upthread. I kept expecting to see something amazing...but didn't

Went to the National History Musuem in London at the weekend. We were completely underwhelmed and disappointed. Thought it was a bit crap, actually. One or two good bits but otherwise, a massive disappointment.

What is not to like about Cambridge and Edinburgh?

Lands End - pointless.

Lake Windermere - been to loads of the Lakes but this one is always talked about - found it rubbish in comparison to the ones we found that I've never heard of.

Morecombe Bay - stopped on the way home due to M6 being closed. It would have been more fun to sit on the M6.

Bangor - again, on the way home, expected more from a university town.

And agree with Sealife Centres.

Surprised at the hate for Bath. It's a very beautiful city in the centre. And some great things to do like walk round the Roman Baths or enjoy the rooftop pool at the Thermae Spa. People who are interested in history will find it fascinating and it has good shops and restaurants too.
Some of the architecture especially the Royal Crescent and the Circus are amazing too. A lovely little city to explore, we thought.

So do I! It was my stamping ground as a teenager so I have a soft spot for it anyway. I like most places mentioned here so am clearly easily- pleased.

Giants Causeway - it's tiny!

I am shocked you visited Yeovil, it’s always been a dump.

Ludlow, absolutely nothing to do apart from the small castle. The market was on but we had seen it all in 10 mins.

Honestly, the approach to Bath from Bradford-on-Avon on the slow stopping train is something I look forward to every time I do it. It's breathtakingly lovely.

Ottawa. We've been twice and both times it was closed.

I like Ludlow, I think it's a really attractive town, and it has a couple of excellent pubs.

No, not during the actual festival but I still expected more bookishness from it! And it was pissing down with rain.
Might go during the festival sometime but is a very long way away from me and I don't want to be disappointed again.

Great Yarmouth / 21 years ago as well! Weather was crap, town was dead etc. was hoping for some classic seaside fun but it was not to be.

Conwy Castle for me, in fact Conwy.

I live near (but work in) Southampton a city famous for two particular things in history that attract American tourists, the Mayflower and the Titanic. Sadly the local council are more interested in attracting students (everything gets turned into student flats) than tourism unless you're here to visit the overpriced shopping centre. Actual tourist places run by the council have short opening hours and those that are historical have been shut and turned into things like a brewery. There is virtually nothing to see about the Mayflower and the pilgrim fathers and one smallish museum about the Titanic (it's a short visit with a shite gift shop - I know because I've been).

Anyway two American tourists came into our shop last week asking where they could buy souvenirs and postcards. They'd been to a local historical attraction which was closed and nowhere else was open. As much as I wracked my brain I couldn't think of one place that would stock touristy things. I asked them where they'd been and they said that they had been all around the city centre in about two hours and nowhere else was open. I asked why they had chosen to come to the cultural wasteland that is Southampton and they said that they assumed that the Mayflower and the Titanic were a big thing here. I pointed them in the direction of two other nearby cities that were properly geared up to celebrating their heritage and sent them on their way.

Afterwards I thought about how embarrassing it was. This is a big seafaring city and there is literally nothing to see or do which is the complete fault of the city council. We have no tourist information shop (closed about 10 years ago) and not even a big cinema - closed last year with a promise from the council that we'd have a new one soon. No ice rink - closed by the council 30 odd years ago with a promise to build a new one; no big concert venue but we need one desperately (we do have a good small venue music scene but that's constantly under threat). I now always advise visitors to go to Portsmouth, Winchester and The New Forest if they're looking for stuff to do but it's really sad and I apologise to anyone who came here looking for history and culture.

Yeovil isn't renowned for being exciting or beautiful so not really surprising it was found to be neither!

Australian from Victoria here,

Kryal Castle near Ballarat. Absolute disappointment and an expensive one at that.

My Dad lives near Yeovil, he calls it Yeovile. It’s pretty run down and has high unemployment as I understand.

I used to love Paris but last went about 5 years ago and was not impressed

That made me chuckle. Some friends used to live nearby, and even 15 years ago, before the collapse of so many retail chains, I didn't think much of it.

It used to have a great fabric shop though, I bought the material for my bedroom curtains there.

I'm in my 50s and from Norn Ireland originally and puzzled by that comment.
In my youth there was swathes of it to explore and you could even walk over the stones and do various walks along the shoreline.
I'm wondering if they've closed a lot of it due to fears of damage.