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.

Luba oh that makes more sense.

We have no idea what Druids got up to or how they got the stones to Stonehenge. I heard the stones were from Wales ( they traced the exact rock type), so how did they move them?

I love Bath. I fell instantly in love with it when I first arrived there. I lived there for years as a student and afterwards. The hills surrounding the city are quite dramatic.

I also heard that the Druids did a lot of human sacrifice and that type of thing. So you can imagine, even once they had dragged the stones all those miles got them up for Stonehenge, it wouldn't exactly have been happy camping for some of them.

YANBU Op. Same for me.

I completely agree and am so glad you said it! Bristol freaks me out, there is this huge meanness and sadness to the place.

Bristol definitely has a strange vibe. I liked Bath though when i went to stay there for a weekend last year.

Never been to Bath but I visited Bristol for the first time this Summer and thought it was a lovely city. It was a beautiful day and we were there for a particularly joyous wedding so that may have influenced my opinion of course. But we stayed a couple of days and I was quite taken with the place.
Liverpool on the other hand...urgh...I get really bad vibes any time I am there. Some of the old buildings feel really evil to me and I can't bear to be near the River Mersey, it looks so malevolent.

Two of my favourite UK cities that I've visited

@ChagSameachDoreen I can honestly say I don't think me or my group of mates in Bath are remotely weird or dickheads-,!! Bristol though- we did meet a few but I guess it depends on your definition of weird or dickhead!! The place we've lived that had the highest quota of weird dickheads was definitely Oxford- a lot of our neighbours were hugely intelligent and massively rude and with no common sense

Eloquently put. Buxton is like this exactly, too

The West Country always comes up in these kinds of threads.
I don't know Bath but I agree the Bristol has a rough and slightly menacing vibe. It's a strange disjointed place. I live in a different part of the country that is a high radon area so don't think it's that.

I hated Bath. I’ve never felt anything like it. Never ever had such a strong negative reaction to a place. I was expecting to love it and had wanted to visit for years!

I love Bath - a really friendly and lighthearted place in my experience.

Do you live round this ariel? Hee

Bristol is a great city. So many creative people, lots of different cultures, great food. The city centre is a dump and I only venture there for the odd primark trip. The harbour area is lovely.
Shopping wise you can go to the mall at cribbs causeway which I think feels a lot nicer and cleaner and theyre Developing the area which will be interesting.
Some great suburbs, I love henleaze and Westbury on trym but there are still pockets of deprivation and poverty which really need investment. Also the property prices are ridiculous.

Some people go there on holiday.

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4541251-sandhurst?flipped=1

There’s dickheads everywhere 😂 Bristol doesn’t have more of them then any other part of the UK 😂

Oooh, this is an interesting post!
I feel this way about Edinburgh and Liverpool.
Awful, awful feeling in both places.

I find them both unutterably depressing, I know what you mean about Bath, its like theres a black cloud over it, i also find it oppressive. Bristol just a shit hole full of angry lefties and junkies, ugh hate it.

The only remotely interesting thing about Bristol I experienced was with a boyfriend who was robbed and knifepoint for his bike. After a chat, the robbing junkie ended up lending my boyfriend a tenner because he was poorer 😀

Somerset is just a bloody weird county (Somerset born and bred, as our my children!).

Bristol is the best city in the country bar London.

Agree, OP. Bristol and Bath are both places I don’t have any desire to return to. And there are loads of threads on here about ‘creepy’ places and B & B feature more than any! So, I’d say you’re not alone in your feelings at all.

I know both well and Bristol I prefer by a mile. It’s culturally interesting and quite alternative but rather flat. Bath has always struck me as pretentious and cold. The surrounding towns are quite sweet though, wotton under edge, Malmesbury, Stroud, Cirencester