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.

I've stayed in Clifton Village several times and want to love it as on the surface it appears to be the perfect little spot in Bristol but I do feel slightly unsettled whilst I'm there!

Not personally but I do remember there being a thread on here about someone else who felt the same way about Bath and lots in agreement.

Sorry but that’s something about Bristol that is creepy and rough. I stayed in a (posh ish) hotel in the city centre. You absolutely had to get the lift to your car in the car park. No option to use the stairs as people were fully living there. The smell!

I didn’t honestly understand that.
I found the dock area creepy also.
Bath I prefer but my DC was wholly unimpressed by the bath stone and decided it was “depressing”. You can’t please some I guess.

It's so interesting as I was born in Bath and as an adult lived in Bristol for 15 years! I never liked living in the centre of Bristol, despite a nice townhouse that should be lovely. I was always desperate to leave, it drove my husband nuts but eventually he gave in. I think it is something to do with Bristol being set into a hill. The air feels like it never clears. I constantly felt like I was overwhelmed by people and noise, even when it was quiet. It can be very jarring on the nerves to live like that.

Interestingly when I was small we briefly moved to a Bristol townhouse. my mum insisted we move out after 18 months as she thought it was haunted by malevolent ghosts! We moved back into the countryside after that.

My (very level headed) mum still doesn't even like driving into Bristol. She says it makes her feel off....

I am like this with Leicester..for some wierd reason it feels like I'm being buried in cold damp black earth

I wonder how she feels about museums and chapels...😂

I grew up with Bath and Bristol as my local cities, and after Uni up north (in another edgy city!) I lived in Bristol for a few years. While I do love the it, I can see why people might feel on edge there. I guess it's always felt normal to me because it's what I'm used to, but yes Bristol does have an odd vibe. Having visited many other cities, I've always felt that they seem quite 'basic' and 'normal' and that may be because Bristol's always been my benchmark!

Bath however, despite it being my other local city, has ALWAYS felt odd to me. I feel like a lone voice saying it to my local friends though. I tend to avoid it as much as possible - I feel really uncomfortable there. I've always described it a 'haughty', with a weird feeling of a thousand regency ghosts sneering at us visiting plebs! It definitely feels like a place that's suspended in the past.

Sorry - my grammar and wording is horrendous on my last post.

No city beats Liverpool for me, so much heart and soul ❤️

Agreed on Liverpool ^. I feel good when I'm there.

Ghosts of slaves around Bristol.

I thought Liverpool had a good vibe when I went there as well.

Glasgow didn’t - it felt depressed.

Never been keen on London, feels like it’s trying too hard.

Really liked York.

It may be leylines. I had an odd encounter around Lizard's point in Cornwall. I set the Sat Nav to what was an easy trip home from the beach to the hotel. It was dusk and quite eerie. It took us down a steep one way road that turned into a track where the road fell away steeply at it's banks to a body of water it was overhung by heavy trees and hedges. I felt a feeling of absolute terror and had to navigate my way reversing back up this road. When I got to the top I was shaking and breathed a sigh of relief. Not even a minute later a van drove up from the road speedily past me. Where on earth it came from I do not know. That whole area felt sinister. I have had a quick look and it on a leyline point with high radon.

I've lived in both places and loved them both. I found them very pleasant, vibrant places with loads of character and loads going on. I really cannot understand what you are talking about.

I'm always fascinated where people who find places like Bath or even Bristol unutterably depressing live themselves? Last time someone said this they lived somewhere I personally thought was bloody awful and depressing- It's like the guy on LBC on James O Brien years ago was going on about Europe and was saying everywhere was a shithole - where did he come from? Romford! Personally I find vast swathes of the UK depressing - so Bath and Bristol would be low down my list!!

Crikey there's a big difference between shithole and eerie though - they are two completely different things.

@EmmaH2022 yes I agree - I think a lot of very historic places have a slightly eerie feel though. Same with many coastal places. It's built into the old buildings or the sound of the sea. The feeling of bygone times.

I wouldn't disagree that Bath probably does have a slightly eerie feel but it's one I liked having lived there- same went for Canterbury, winchester , York, Whitby etc - all lovely places. It's when it's eerie and not nice either that I find odd- for me that would be Glastonbury, Margate, Dover, welsh valleys , Telford, Milton Keynes etc!!

Clearly.

Agreed. I feel very shut in and trapped in Bath.

Yes, I wouldn't describe either Bristol or Bath as a shit hole. They are both objectively beautiful and culturally brilliant. There's just a certain energy...

There was once a whole thread on mn about how weird and eerie Exeter was, and Glastonbury is often felt to be the same. So, basically all towns and cities in the SW!

I love the SW but not the cities especially. Bristol is very rough in places and smells of weed permanently.

I don't find any of it weird or eerie just run down and a bit neglected around the edges, I would put Cornwall in that category as well. I love the Devon countryside, green and lush, train trip to Bristol and Bath is nice.

^^This
Bath is grimy, full of tourists and hen parties, beggars and seagulls.
I live near to both too, I avoid Bath as much as possible.
Bristol? Where’s the centre? It’s disjointed and decidedly run down to me, feels unsafe and a menacing air about it.
As for Glastonbury, it’s just sinister and full of strange people drifting aimlessly around.

I think this is a large part of the problem with Bristol. Just where is the heart? I took a trip recently to explore various residential areas, but didn't feel safe even in daytime.

It's so frustrating, as being from the South West originally I feel 'at home' with the people. Damn these strange vibes!

I've just looked up the crime rate in Bristol and am genuinely shocked that it's higher than my patch of London - which I perceive as being really rough.