To find Bristol and Bath eerie?

[soulandwine]

I wonder if anyone else feels this way about Bristol and Bath? I grew up in east Devon and often used to think about where I'd live as an adult. On paper, Bristol seemed like the perfect and logical solution. The right size, location, beautiful architecture, interesting people and culturally rich.

I'm at a crossroads in my life, and with nothing tying me to any particular area, I am considering once again where would suit me best. My first thoughts were Bristol, but after another recent day trip, I somehow can't bring myself to love the city.

It's hard to describe, but I find the atmosphere in both Bristol and Bath oppressive, disconcerting and somewhat creepy. Both cities have a coldness, as though the soul has been sucked out. I don't feel this way about London, Oxford, Exeter, Winchester etc., only Bristol and Bath.

I will say that I'm a reasonably sensitive character, and I absorb other people's emotions, as mad as that sounds. Does anyone else feel the same way about Bristol and Bath?

Apologies, not sure if this belongs in AIBU or not.

Nope, born in one, worked in the other. Live near both. Two of my favourite cities (with acknowledged bias) - energy and vibrancy and great elements in both, alongside downtrodden and bleak areas as there is anywhere urban.

They are as different as Cheltenham/Gloucester, Glasgow/Edinburgh etc.

I don’t like Bath. It’s pretty obviously but the atmosphere is weird. Hoards of tourists, rude locals, plus a surprising lairy late night crowd.

I get the idea behind continuing to build fucking everything out of Bath stone but it’s starting to look like Disneyland.

I love both. In fact we had a great weekend last year going to bath on the Friday (for gentle sightseeing and Christmas market which ended up being absolutely hammered in some
Sort of cellar bar) and Bristol on the Saturday for a big with some friends that live there . But each to their own. Lots of other places you could go op?
Winchester?

As a PP said I think it's partly because it's in a bowl (Bath) so pollution sort of cycles around rather than escapes. I think as well the old buildings alongside the new ones and the general crampedness doesn't help. Bristol I personally think is a bit of a dive but never had bad vibes. People do post about this area a fair bit though!

Really interesting - I like both places but I’m fascinated you get that vibe from them. Do you think it could be related to light? I don’t think of either as a “bright” city

Both cities with high levels of radon. I’ve heard it hypothesized before that this is a reason for some people feeling unsettled.

Found Bath highly oppressive and couldn't wait to escape!

I've read on multiple threads before people saying they find Bath oppressive.

A friend who went to Bristol uni told me that.

I've never felt odd in either place.

Yes! We really didn't like Bristol and couldn't really pinpoint why. It felt really oppressive, dark and we just didn't get a good vibe at all. Maybe the human poop next to the pay machine in the multi-storey car park didn't help our view though 🤔🤢

Quite like bath though but wouldn't chose to live there.

I love Bath but know what you mean about Bristol. There is so much love for it, but I find it grubby and depressing, like the whole city needs a good scrub!

Feel totally the same about Bristol - couldn't wait to leave!

I love Bath! But I cannot stand Bristol, never have been able to. Went to an open day at the university over 20 years ago and didn’t even bother going in to the building, I hated it so much. Have been back a few times and the place makes my skin crawl

Er no.

I find Bristol vibrant and exciting. I had a client there for a while and loved going there for work. The positive energy as I came out of the train station was palpable.

And Bath is a beautiful city particularly in the sunshine with its lovely honeyed stone. Tourists can be quite annoying, and like many touristy places there are a lot of homeless too, but the shopping is great!

Lived in Bristol for many years, I will say YABU! it’s such a lovely city - hugely quirky, very unique, creative and homely. But it is a bit gloomy, weather wise, as it gets all the spray off the estuary, and has a lot of hills.

Bath definitely has a certain atmosphere, though, I can understand why some people don’t like it

Bath on the other hand feels like a self conscious
movie set. It’s objectively beautiful but feels a bit like it’s ‘pretending’ somehow. It’s also set in a basin so feels a bit… inescapable.

Now I think about it the worst vibes I’ve ever got from a place is Southampton - absolute dump with no redeeming features.

I drive through it often and have done for 27 years but I’m still not exactly sure where the centre of it is.

Bath is definitely weird

What you’re sensing in Bath OP is the miserable ghost spirits of all the locals who’ve been priced out of living there by rich outsiders moving in and buying up property and second homes. Much of Cornwall has the same vibe.

For West Country weird vibe I think you'd struggle to beat Shepton Mallet, that is one odd town.

I love both, but we live on the coast which is preferable

Went to 6th form in bath. Massive heroin and other drugs problem (at least back in the 90s) and a real gap between rich and poor. Might be pretty but I don’t like the place.

I love living in Bristol, Bath is nice for a day trip. Got a weird vibe about Glastonbury on a day trip, not in a hurry to go back there.