Summer feels totally different this year?

[madeinmanc]

I'm not just saying this because the weather's just turned dreary but summer feels really different to me this year, especially in my location. I live by the sea in a holiday resort and I'm sure there was much more of a buzz and holiday vibe the past few years, and it seems strangely absent this year.

I do various outdoor activities and they were all busy last year, sometimes it was even hard to book on some things. The swimming pool was booked out and people were out for walks. I remember going for walks and seeing groups of people out walking, these days I can often not pass another person.

Could it be that people aren't holidaying in the UK anymore, i.e. no more "staycationing"? 🤔Economic worries? But some of the things I'm thinking of are free activities.

Has anyone else noticed this, especially if they live somewhere where people go for UK holidays? It honestly feels so different to me.

I wouldn’t have thought there’s any more people going abroad this summer than last summer. It’s probably just the weather that’s putting people off staycations. DP and I are heading to Aldeburgh this weekend and the forecast shows “highs” of 19 degrees… 😑

Are you jn devon or cornwall? I think everyone is fed up of being ripped off.

I will add that we’re staying in a family member’s summer house for free. I don’t think I’d pay to sit in the cold and rain for 3 days.

Sewage on the beaches has put us off.

We’ve usually had several seaside days out and weekends away by the time the school summer holidays start.

I’ve been seeing the memories on Facebook and thinking about how different it is this year.

And of course our mortgage payment has gone up several hundred pounds a month, so we don’t have the money we usually do.

Honestly, I think if you are a pub, restaurant, tourism type business this government must want you to go bust.

Yes the sewage thing is another reason we won’t holiday in the U.K. again.

I live in a county town in a tourist area and it's busy, busy here. Lovely to see!

Our tiny roads are heaving as well. That's not so lovely 😆

Just booked a week in Majorca for 2 of us first week in September , 2 nights in Palma, 5 in a resort- both adults only 4 star and lovely (have been to both before) including good flight times from Bristol £1850 for the 2 of us. )b and b- not AI)

Finding somewhere nice in UK of a similar standard - no sea swimming, no outside lovely pools, overpriced meals and drinks would be £1550 -

Not enough difference to make it worth while staying here- maybe if I had a couple of kids flights to pay for and larger rooms needed still and could only go in school hols- - then it's different story.

I certainly think that the UK in many places has priced itself out and people more likely to come for the odd night or two rather than full weeks -

You never know - we might soon be inundated with tourists from Spain, Greece and Italy - wanting to escape their 40 deg plus heatwave.

A couple of years ago in Cornwall we gave a lift to some Italians who were doing just that. They told us that during the previous summer they’d also come, to walk Hadrian’s Wall!

What about the weather? I asked, bemused. ‘Chilly, damp, actually raining?’
’That’s what we wanted - we loved it!’