Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Am I the only person who doesn’t get Tenby?

228 replies

Aquabi · 24/02/2025 14:52

Obviously no offence intended. Different strokes for different folks.

So we have some Canadian cousins coming over in Sumer and as an extended family we are putting together an itinerary. Everyone has said we need to do a typical seaside town. It is pretty much unanimous that everyone in the family chat has decided Tenby is the #1 choice.

Don't get me wrong the actual landscape was outstanding. But I found Tenby a little bit drab given how popular it was. It was heaving which I didn’t mind but I really do not get the hype.

I went a few years ago in Summer and was expecting to find this absolute gem and it was fine. I enjoyed some of the bakeries.

Am I the only person who doesn’t get it?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
SallyWD · 25/02/2025 10:45

I think the vast majority of UK seaside towns are quite deprived and tacky. I grew up in a seaside town and it has a lot of depravation. It's a run-down, shabby place, but I still love it.
Obviously, there are a few upmarket seaside towns like Salcombe and Southwold.

mewkins · 25/02/2025 11:08

RubyFlax · 25/02/2025 06:19

I don’t get Tenby either… we had holidays there a couple of times when I was really small, one with extended family - so although I don’t remember much of the holiday it still gets brought up at family occasions etc. I then went to Tenby with DH a few years ago when we were staying in the nearby area. Some of the shops are nice enough & we had a walk round etc, but we found it a bit grotty in places & in my opinion there are so many nicer beaches in the uk !? E.g most of Cornwall / Northumberland / Scottish highlands / Anglesey / North Norfolk.

The thing that really put me off Tenby though was there were rats absolutely everywhere. We went not long after the pandemic & apparently there had been an issue with rats getting out of hand around this time ( I googled it after we left & it was in the local press!)
I know every town/village has rats, but I’ve never been wandering around a town in broad daylight and seen multiple rats brazenly walking about. We tried to sit on a bench overlooking the sea & eat a cake we’d bought, but a rat came out of the hedge right in front of us, so we moved on! We could see them scuttling in and out of the hedges all the way along that area. Later in the day we saw them all over the grass in a different area as we walked back up towards town.
The pastel houses are pretty, but that’s about it for me, and I definitely wouldn’t head back.

For this reason, I will never now visit Tenby😬😱

KimberleyClark · 25/02/2025 11:18

mewkins · 25/02/2025 11:08

For this reason, I will never now visit Tenby😬😱

Show quote history

The reasons were tourists dropping litter/feeding seagulls and holiday home visitors not putting their rubbish out in the proper bins. So not the fault of the town itself.

NormasArse · 25/02/2025 11:19

I feel like that about Beaumaris. There are much nicer places on Anglesey.

ValerieDoonican · 25/02/2025 11:55

PlayingDevilsAdvocateisinteresting · 24/02/2025 16:52

Well, I have never been to Tenby, but it is on my 'must visit' list now - thank you.

When I was a child we always used to spend a fortnight in Swanage, Dorset. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to visit it for a long time now, but it is still - and I expect always will be - my favourite seaside holiday resort. The whole of the Purbeck peninsular is lovely, including a visit to Corfe Castle, I wonder if it still has it's miniature village? I nearly forgot that Swanage also has a steam train that goes between Swanage and Corfe - it may go further than that now...

I hope you all have a lovely time wherever you go.

I was going to suggest Swanage - nice little town, proper harbour and little beach, and studland bay is stunning. Gorgeous countryside all around, eg corfe castle on its rocky perch.

CerealPosterHere · 25/02/2025 12:07

NefiBlw · 25/02/2025 09:15

How else would we have got there? By boat? Smile

Show quote history

Train. You can park at a train station a few miles out and its ten minutes on the train.

SerenityNowSerenityNow · 25/02/2025 12:14

For this reason, I will never now visit Tenby😬😱

I go to Tenby every year and I've ever seen any rats

NefiBlw · 25/02/2025 13:11

We were camping not far from St Ives, and to drive to somewhere further away and catch the train didn't cross our minds.

Unlikely to go again, although Cornwall was lovely, it's not that different to Wales.

I would go to Devon again, as it has some lovely seaside, and didn't seem as inundated with tourists.

I'm from a fairly touristy part of Wales and appreciate the tiny town heaving in peak season thing.

Also, being Welsh, a train is not the first mode of transport that springs to mind.

ExcessiveNumberOfNinjas · 25/02/2025 13:33

SquashedSquid · 25/02/2025 02:39

Oh, absolutely awful story. A family came down from England with the best mate of the husband driving the car. No tax, insurance or licence. The wife and older child went to the holiday cottage while the husband and his mate took the baby to the supermarket. The mate crushed the baby and the buggy in the car park.

He was drugged up and drunk, and the parents of the children knew this and still got in the car with him to come all the way to Wales. They deliberately put their children into a car with a man who had no driving license or insurance, and who they knew had been drinking and taking class A drugs. Absolutely disgusting.

Good God. I remember reading the scant facts of that story and thinking there was something not quite right about it. None of that was mentioned when it was first reported.

ThePoshUns · 25/02/2025 15:04

No there was very little on the press about what actually happened in the car park. Poor child.

ArtTheClown · 25/02/2025 15:36

I found Tenby a bit underwhelming too. Nice enough, pretty town centre and the bit overlooking the beach. Beach itself was pretty cool.
But one street back or further along and it's all quite drab and shit - rough boozers and bookies kind of vibe. Also was underwhelmed with the food scene - some okay bakeries, no decent coffee to be had.

SquashedSquid · 25/02/2025 15:56

ExcessiveNumberOfNinjas · 25/02/2025 13:33

Good God. I remember reading the scant facts of that story and thinking there was something not quite right about it. None of that was mentioned when it was first reported.

Show quote history

No, it was all a bit hush hush for some reason. Absolutely horrific incident.

And to the person who said that Tenby isn't tacky just because that happened, I'm aware. I said why I thought it was tacky. My comment about this incident was in relation to someone saying there is the worst multistorey car park ever, which I was agreeing with.

Fingerscrossed22 · 25/02/2025 16:29

I live in North Pembrokeshire. I Grew up here...., I can count on one hand how many times Ive been to Tenby!

Come more North pembrokeshire! Quieter, very pretty and I'm v.biased!

Trainingfairy · 25/02/2025 17:59

Didn't you find some of the great music in Tenby? Have had some great nights in the pubs with live music. Some really nice restaturants. A trip on the boat over to Caldy Island with the monastery and lovely walks. A walk along the coast to Saundersfoot. A drink at The Yacht Club at Tenby's iconic harbour?

Other than that, it's awful.... 🤣
Seriously, I suppose it depends on what you likk doing but there is so much for everyone; spectacular in the summer but also really great in the winter too.

Trainingfairy · 25/02/2025 18:01

SerenityNowSerenityNow · 25/02/2025 12:14

For this reason, I will never now visit Tenby😬😱

I go to Tenby every year and I've ever seen any rats

Nor me - honestly!

Smilingthroughtears · 25/02/2025 18:02

Wow! I didn’t know Tenby was a big thing. I went there all the time growing up as it is near where my grandparents lived and my Mum grew up. It’s just Tenby to me, although the last time I went there was probably at least 7 years ago.

I am reading this thread with great interest and wondering what makes it so amazing.

Purplebunnie · 25/02/2025 18:30

CerealPosterHere · 25/02/2025 12:07

Train. You can park at a train station a few miles out and its ten minutes on the train.

Show quote history

I did not know that. I haven't been to that part of Cornwall for a very long time but I am filing this bit of information away. I've avoided St Ives purely for the parking. Mousehole is also difficult with cars, I don't mind the walk into the town but you can't always guarantee a parking place

I've never been there but seen some fantastic pictures of Robin Hood Bay, it reminds me a bit of Clovelly which is lovely but another tourist trap.

Julimia · 25/02/2025 18:46

That's really made me laugh. Years and years ago me , hubby, two early teen children and my mum went to Tenby. The worst holiday of my life for all sorts of reasons,none of them really Tenbys fault! Never been since!!

tommyhoundmum · 25/02/2025 19:03

Aquabi · 24/02/2025 14:52

Obviously no offence intended. Different strokes for different folks.

So we have some Canadian cousins coming over in Sumer and as an extended family we are putting together an itinerary. Everyone has said we need to do a typical seaside town. It is pretty much unanimous that everyone in the family chat has decided Tenby is the #1 choice.

Don't get me wrong the actual landscape was outstanding. But I found Tenby a little bit drab given how popular it was. It was heaving which I didn’t mind but I really do not get the hype.

I went a few years ago in Summer and was expecting to find this absolute gem and it was fine. I enjoyed some of the bakeries.

Am I the only person who doesn’t get it?

Weymouth is a typical old fashioned British beach with a beautiful bay

Jetandianto · 25/02/2025 19:26

Whitby! By far the best seaside town in the UK!

Shruggs · 25/02/2025 19:31

Tenby is nice but there are lots of nice places in West Wales. I do love St David’s - but it’s the cathedral for me as I find it so calming.

The beaches around Pembrokeshire are also stunning- I love Freshwater West, where Dobby’s grave is, the Blue Lagoon and places further up the coast near Llangrannog. Also love Gower - Rhossili Bay is just beautiful.

Arran2024 · 25/02/2025 19:45

It depends what you want to do in a seaside town. Do you want to walk on the beach? Do you want somewhere with views? Good food? I found that Tenby ticked most of my boxes when we visited but maybe it's not for you. It's walled in, which is part of the charm, but maybe you dont like that. Parking is a nightmare. What about Llandudno?

Suchasonganddance · 25/02/2025 20:20

May be wrong but thought I read one of the local cliffs near town censer was infested with rats?.

Lincsvip · 25/02/2025 20:47

I went with no expectations or even a clue what it was like, turns out I loved it and it my favourite place in Wales

PandorasJam · 25/02/2025 21:07

CerealPosterHere · 25/02/2025 12:07

Train. You can park at a train station a few miles out and its ten minutes on the train.

Show quote history

And it's a lovely train ride too, along the coast all the way. There's a big park'n'ride car park so you don't have to compete to find space in St Ives.