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Original poster

A town like York

80 replies

Shettani · 30/01/2024 14:17

I struggle with anxiety and am making some progress pushing myself to do stuff which I have been avoiding. We went to York for a week last year and I absolutely loved the place- are there other towns out there which are very similar to York?

OP posts:
Minimum85percentCocoa · 30/01/2024 15:48

Yes Lincoln. I live in York and have family in Lincoln

NoNeedToArgue · 30/01/2024 15:53

itsgoingtobeabumpyride · 30/01/2024 14:36

Be careful what you wish for.
Tourists love York but it's not all it's cracked up to be when you live here.
The reality is it's a nightmare during tourist season, Viking festival, summer, Christmas etc.
You can't move for the visitors, most of the decent shops are closed or closing down, coffee shops and bars are replacing them.
The weekends are full of hen and stag parties.
Evenings in town are full of piss heads.
Town can be a no-go area for people with families.
If we go out for a drink we go during the day so we get out of town before evening, there's always fights especially in summer.
The train station smells like a brewery in spite of it being an alcohol free zone.
There are beggars everywhere.
Plus it's expensive to live here

Completely agree with the poster who said this is overblown! Lives in York since 2002, had a family here - absolutely love it.
Yes there are stag and hens which are a pain but they don't make my life a misery! York is a fantastic place to live and bring up kids.

Mrsbadger77 · 30/01/2024 15:54

Shrewsbury is beautiful and very underrated imho

LlynTegid · 30/01/2024 15:54

I would argue it is unique. There are other towns and cities which have their own charm, examples mentioned by others.

TallulahBetty · 30/01/2024 15:57

Chester
Lancaster
Shrewsbury

viridiano · 30/01/2024 16:42

Oxford, Cambridge, Bath have similar vibes.

Agree that the poster being really negative about York is exaggerating. It's no worse than any other city centre at night.

GintyMcGinty · 30/01/2024 16:43

Edinburgh, St Andrews, Inverness, Perth, Stirling

Drudgeryofthissocalledlife · 30/01/2024 16:50

If you enjoyed the fat rascals and fancy going to Betty's again (I live for it!), then Harrogate is a good bet. You can do a few low key'ish things. There are the baths in town or you could do the roof top spa at Rudding Park. Lot's of restaurants and shops. Parking is good imo. Beautiful walks in surrounding countryside.

WestwardHo1 · 30/01/2024 16:52

Beverly. Nice and close to York.
Winchester
Tewkesbury

Staticgirl · 30/01/2024 16:54

St Albans is quite a nice place to visit. It's pretty and not too big if you want a mini-York.

WestwardHo1 · 30/01/2024 16:58

itsgoingtobeabumpyride · 30/01/2024 14:36

Be careful what you wish for.
Tourists love York but it's not all it's cracked up to be when you live here.
The reality is it's a nightmare during tourist season, Viking festival, summer, Christmas etc.
You can't move for the visitors, most of the decent shops are closed or closing down, coffee shops and bars are replacing them.
The weekends are full of hen and stag parties.
Evenings in town are full of piss heads.
Town can be a no-go area for people with families.
If we go out for a drink we go during the day so we get out of town before evening, there's always fights especially in summer.
The train station smells like a brewery in spite of it being an alcohol free zone.
There are beggars everywhere.
Plus it's expensive to live here

Yeah it's totally like this. It's scarier than The Bronx 🙄

Original poster
Shettani · 30/01/2024 19:10

@Staticgirl i live in St Albans :-)

OP posts:
Original poster
Shettani · 30/01/2024 19:11

Also to answer some of the posters due to the close proximity have been to Cambridge a number of times and used to live in Chester for 4 years

OP posts:
Original poster
Shettani · 30/01/2024 19:14

Winchester and Harrogate sound lovely - will check those out

OP posts:
IheartNiles · 30/01/2024 19:16

I think Bath is closest to York in many ways.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 30/01/2024 19:17

We've been to York a number of times over the years and I agree, it's a really interesting city. It just has SOMETHING. And I've looked for the same "something" in other places. Cambridge gives me a similar feel, although it's totally different. DS is a student there so we've visited lots of times in all seasons.

We went for a weekend in Bath to look around the uni there. Also got the same "something" vibe.

Don't ask me what the "something" is, but I like it!

Darklane · 30/01/2024 19:25

Ludlow
Lancaster
Carlisle
Durham

Tittyfilarious81 · 30/01/2024 19:28

Chester is lovely, I really love Whitby it's not far from york , it's different as in you would call it a seaside town but it's got some lovely views and gorgeous cobbled streets and the old Abbey.

Mynewnameis · 30/01/2024 19:30

Shrewsbury, Chester, Bath

cakeorwine · 30/01/2024 20:45

York's fine.
The evenings are fine.
A lot of shops - and it can be busy with tourists but only in certain places.
But it is expensive to live here.

Canterbury and Chester are similar. Durham maybe

QueSyrahSyrah · 30/01/2024 20:56

I love York, and I also love Durham (probably more in fact).

OrangeBananaFish · 30/01/2024 21:02

Born N Bred in York. Moved away in 2012. Would never move back. Hardly ever go into the city centre when we go to visit family who still live there. I always assumed I didn't look at it in the same way as a tourist would which is why I don't get the appeal myself.

If you loved it so much why not go back? Why are you looking for somewhere else?

Never been to Betty's either.

Mairzydotes · 30/01/2024 21:04

Whitby

westvalleystreet · 31/01/2024 08:57

CurlyhairedAssassin · 30/01/2024 19:17

We've been to York a number of times over the years and I agree, it's a really interesting city. It just has SOMETHING. And I've looked for the same "something" in other places. Cambridge gives me a similar feel, although it's totally different. DS is a student there so we've visited lots of times in all seasons.

We went for a weekend in Bath to look around the uni there. Also got the same "something" vibe.

Don't ask me what the "something" is, but I like it!

We're all cool goth Vikings that like tea at Betty's Cake

Bluevelvetsofa · 31/01/2024 09:05

If you fancy trying further south, Chichester has some history. The cathedral is lovely, as are the grounds. There's the Festival Theatre, Minerva Theatre, Novium museum. You can walk round the city walls.

The coast is nearby, there are lots of pretty villages, Arundel has the castle and tea shops galore, the museum at Amberley and the Weald and Downland museum is very close by and is where they film The Repair Shop. Goodwood is there too, with walks up the Trundle and plenty of open countryside.