Overrated places in the UK

[Fixitup2]

What are your over rated places in the U.K. that everyone else seems to love?

Mine is the Peak District which imo has mediocre scenery spoilt by too many roads and too many people. I hate it and only ever agree to go if there’s nowhere else and we need to stop somewhere that way.

Disclaimer- not been to these places in years.

But I loved Brighton, Bath, Scotland, Stratford on Avon, Avebury and Stonehenge. IOW was many years ago but it felt like a time capsule from 15 years before, I loved that back then. Stratford Christmas market used to be magical.

The approach into London (train) always depresses me. The greyness, the concrete, the graffiti But then I loved Camden

Lived a while in Surrey. Would not go back if you paid me. Never liked Bristol, like PPs just didn’t feel comfortable there.

Mostly been to out of the way places, luckily no ‘Slaughtered Lamb’ experiences.

@lakesidelife

The Lake District, busy and wet. Scenery not as good as Scotland.

Erm it's not Scotland

Disliked Brighton and Torquay and thought Dublin was overrated. I’ve loved everywhere else I’ve visited.

Dublin isn't in the UK. The city isn't great to visit unless you know where to go and what to do. Which most tourists don't. Then it's pretty awesome. If the weather isn't shite.

@Gemma2019

Stonehenge. It's a bit shit.

It's wonderful.

@HOkieCOkie

Any of those god awful chav resorts like Pontins and Butliins.

Whoa, while totally accepting that you clearly don't like them can you honestly really say that they have ever been "over rated" - particularly on MN!

They are what they are, a cheap and cheerful family holiday. I don't think anyone here has ever claimed anything else for them.

@BrumBoo

Isle of Wight. It was like a giant Brexit retirement village. They sold Golliwog memorabilia in tourist shops. The beaches were shit. It was like a giant version of Rhyl....

That made me laugh WAAAAAAY more than it should have.

I know four people from the IOW. All live in mainland England now, and have for 8 to 12 years. (In Birmingham, Chester, West London, and Stafford now.) All aged 25 to 40. Not one would go back, ever.

I also echo a pp with Stonehenge. WAAAAAY overrated. And to get behind the barriers/fences, to see the stones properly, you have to fecking PAY. £21.50 EACH!

The stones in Avebury in Wiltshire are better. (Featured in Children of the Stones in the 1970s!) Eeeeeeeeeeek! That was a scary show. Aimed at kids, but scared us all shitless!

The Lake District. The walks are nice but the actual lakes (or meres or whatever) are so much smaller than I thought they'd be. I've visited other lakes in Europe and I imagined the English Lake District being like that. They were tiny in comparison. I was really disappointed.

Apart from the size of the lakes it was ok. Not worth the price hike compared to similarly nice landscapes elsewhere in England though. I'd take Northumberland over the Lake District any day.

Re: mancunians being best people in the world. That is part of the issue with Manchester. Mancunians telling everyone about how great they and the city are with absolutely no evidence to show it. It's a really overrated.

Durham – My DH has always wanted to go and we managed it last year it was a bit meh

Anywhere with a Christmas market

I Love London - my Nan lived there & So I have lots of happy memories of visiting her, or visiting museums with my dad when I was little and of taking my own child there When he was smaller, I also love walking around and is popular areas, people watching at St Pancras, Covent Garden and also unusual one of kind of shops in Victoria and Chelsea area & to go alongside that I have seen many an amazing exhibition at the V&A and at the Wallace collection - they are my top 2 museums in London

@Inextremis

Dungeness. I have never seen so much shingle in my life. It's like a wasteland.

Dungeness is the UK’s only desert so what do you expect? 🤣

Liverpool is not nice and really overrated. It may be that because of where I'm from it's an easy trip, so people mention it as a weekend away but I found it grotty.
Broadway in the Cotswold's because it's overrun by tourists.
Hastings because it's so depressing.
Wisbech, although I don't know if anybody but my mum rates it but she said we should definitely stop off there and it was just a small boring parking nightmare.

Buxton. It goes by having a rep as a spa town, but past the Victorian era I don't think that's been of any benefit? It's an average town in the hills with a nice park and a small theatre. That's it. Oh and there's a big heroin problem because there's not an awful lot else to do.

Southwold. Just a bit depressing really.

@Gemma2019

I'm going to narrow it right down and say Hamleys - basically a snootier version of the Entertainer. Way smaller than you expect it to be. Totally shit experience.

Not indigenous to the UK but I'm also going to say all branches of Nando's. Overrated doesn't even begin to describe it.

@Gemma2019

Not indigenous to the UK but I'm also going to say all branches of Nando's. Overrated doesn't even begin to describe it.

I have a few friends and family in the States. Whenever they have visited us, their general reaction has been the same.

I'm going to narrow it right down and say Hamleys - basically a snootier version of the Entertainer. Way smaller than you expect it to be. Totally shit experience.

That's interesting. The last time I was there was about 20 years ago. My memory of it then was very much better. I guess it's changed a lot in the last 20 years.

@FizzyPink

Oh dear, we’re booked to go to the Isle of Wight in a few weeks and this is the second thread it’s been slated on

My contribution is the Cotswolds. You have to drive a lot to get around and there’s not really very much to see in each village. Plus the crowds make it pretty difficult to see anything anyway.

We really enjoyed it. Nice walks and plenty of history. You don't have to frequent the bad bits.

@bealola agree re Durham - I was like "is that it?!"

Cornwall, London, Scotland and Wales.

Durham definitely

I’d also avoid Swindon, it seemed completely soulless. But it did make a good cheap-ish base from which to travel to other places.

Hereford is quite depressing now, a lot of empty shops after the last year. And way too much traffic. Shame as it used to be a vibrant, eclectic town centre, with a great mix of mainstream and independent shops.

Brighton is seedy. I was disappointed in Cornwall too, not worth the journey.

I’m pleased to see my hometown, uni city and current city of residence on here!

I’ve never liked Brighton - feel like I should as I’m generally into the alternative/counter culture vibe, and I like the seaside, but always found it a bit grotty and up itself (sorry Brightonians)

I love Stonehenge BUT have only ever been on the summer solstice when they let you right up to the stones and it’s packed with druids and there’s lots of fun stuff going on.

@BlueLobelia

[please don;t say Salisbury, please don;t say Salisbury... looks at diary for confirmed Salisbury weekend in 3 weeks.]

Salisbury and the surrounding areas are lovely. I grew up there.

If you like pubs, The Haunch of Venison is fab.

haunchpub.co.uk/

Whitby - just felt a bit wanky, and I was really looking forward to it. Crowded, overpriced and not that welcoming.
Whereas Scarborough, which I was expecting to be a bit rough, was gorgeous and charming.

@Hyacinth88

Edinburgh.. Fake Scotland

Yes Edinburgh is shit as well. The best thing is the train to Glasgow

Gloucester as well. Weird place