What's the worst place you've ever been in the UK?

[In2mindsss]

Ill go first.

Morecambe. Nice views but proper creepy.

I think this is right, but the moaning on my local Nextdoor is bizarre. They see nothing good, though there are plenty of things around that are great, plus - and this is the relevant part in respect of your post- they really don’t understand that this isn’t particular to our town, it’s a national if not a global problem

Known as Boz Vegas to the locals. My colleague moved there and her car insurance increased a lot.

Also Stevenage - not the old part near the station, but the ‘new’ - bad shopping centre and bad vibes all round.

I get that as someone who lives in the West Midlands. Seems like we have to pretend the Roma aren't a huge pain in the arse even though we gave lived in harmony with people from all over the world for over 80 years and have embraced and shared each other's cultures

We had no idea and booked a b&b there! We are from London and we were shocked. Lol

The entire north?
Even Durham /Ilkley/York/ the dales/ Cumbria/ Northumberland.....

I can only assume you visit very particular pockets of the north .

I don't disagree that Bradford is grim but there are plenty of grim places in the south too

Kinlochleven. I've never been creeped out by anywhere before and this place just had bad vibes.

I’m sorry that happened to you. The beach is lovely though.

I'm old too and I remember Dunnett's shoe shop and the pediscope which took X rays of your feet (!!!) In the shoe shop. It was administered by one of the sales assistants. The actual device is now in the Heritage Museum.
I've been to Cabrelli's cafe for chips a very long time ago.It was my Saturday treat as well.
No one seems to have taken over the old Woolworths building which is such a shame. Wick was a lively place many years ago, it's a shadow of itself now. Though I would thoroughly recommend Wickers Wotld cafe at the harbour, big platefuls of tasty homemade food. I have no affiliation to them, I've just had some good lunches thete.

It’s a horrible station!

I used to get the ferry from Sheerness to Vlissingen back in the day and thought Sheerness was a poor advert for the UK.

Same with Ramsgate when it had the link to Ostende.

But I guess port towns are industrial and not very pretty (though Dieppe is quite nice).

I agree. It's funny how London stations have different vibes and demographics and feel very different to each other.

Always makes me think of 'Slough of Despond'

Blackpool was run down in 90s. I don't believe its got better since.
I didn't enjoy Bristol.
It may have been different if I hadn't been alone, but I didn't feel comfortable eating out alone in the evening and was very pleasantly surprised to find the hotel (inexpensive) restaurant had a great chef.
If you're a tourist, you wouldn't see them, but there are parts of Edinburgh that I wouldn't go to.
I expect most people feel like that about areas where they live though

I was going to say Croydon, but I considered Thornton Heath. I lived in Croydon for the first half of my life, but mostly close to the Thornton Heath border.

It was grim when I moved away 35 years ago, and have in-laws who still live there. I'm told that the police call the area approximately between Selhurst and West Croydon stations "Stab City" now.

What’s wrong with Norfolk?

Did you ever see that programme with Ross Noble where he went to various places and did various things? He’d gone somewhere and a person said that it was one of the most inhospitable places on earth. Ross replied ‘You’ve obviously never been to Romford’ 😁

I also find Shropshire weird. Bridgnorth is definitely weird. Lovely, clean, interesting shops- but feels weird.

Portsmouth. I lived there for work for several years. I think people who visit tend to stick to Gunwharf Quays and the Harbour, but never really see the town centre or the residential areas around it. I've lived in other dodgy places but I never saw as much scary stuff or felt as much hopelessness as I did living in the centre.

Surprised you didn't say Severn Beach. Pilning isn't "pretty" but I've seen a lot worse. Mind you, they are building all those giant warehouses now with unrestricted planning permission.

I absolutely agree that just sneering at deprived areas is tasteless and frankly very dim.

But I don't think that's what most people are doing here. Most pps get that it's meant to be subjective so even some beautiful places are being mentioned.

I'm from the north and I know most of 'The North' is lovely - but as another pp said, 'Sssshh! - don't tell them!'

I'm fascinated by architecture and culture and I think what we're mostly condemning are 3 things:

• appalling post-war architecture, especially Brutalism and the ripping out of historic town centres to build horrible, generic, could-be-anywhere shopping malls (now largely being abandoned due to economic decline and online shopping.
• the lack of investment in infrastructure - maybe worse in the north? - producing private wealth and public squalor, to quote someone.
• the lack of civic pride in towns, ignorance about their history, indifference to their old buildings and industries and less community activities than perhaps a generation or two ago. Is this due to poor education? Only wanting to watch Netflix rather than join a club or a night-school class (mostly gone now!)?

Just my theories because, reading this, it is disturbing the number of UK towns which seem to be in terminal decline!

I love Shropshire and Shrewsbury is very nice. But I sort of know what you mean about Bridgnorth! I got funny vibes there too.

I don't think I've ever been anywhere really awful. I'd say Telford is pretty charmless, at least it was in the 80s. But most places are just houses/flats and same old chain shops.

Somewhere like Galleons Reach in London is a bit nothing. It's just tall buildings and a shopping complex. Like no pedestrians or things to look at if you were a pedestrian.

If there's one thing which puts me off a town and I think is a sign of urban decay, it's graffiti everywhere. I find it deeply depressing.

I'm not getting into an argument about whether it's art or not. Yes, it's clearly art. I just don't want if on beautiful brick, stone and wood and I don't want it shoved in my face everywhere, whether I want it or not.

Sure, some of the graffiti-ers are talented but I wish they wouldn't deface buildings with their designs.

Apparently Berlin is just covered in it.

Bridlington.