12 You-Mustn't-Go-Theres, rather amusing

[suzywong]

Crap places not to visit

I had always suspected the Eden Project was a like a giant garden centre. Have to disagree with the opinions on The Robin Hood place and Edinburgh castle.

Ds certainly enjoyed Edinburgh Castle and I think the London Eye is good, but agree utterly about the Tate Modern and I normally love galleries

That's very funny, have to agree with the London Eye remarks. I have always wanted to visit Haworth, being a huge Bronte fan but am now slightly put off.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire - Avebury is much better

Eden Project, Cornwall - agree the approach to it is good, but I liked it

Blackpool illuminations - agree its awful

Not visited JohnO Groats but been to Lands End & thats grim & very tacky.

not visited the others

The best time to visit Haworth is in February when it's a bit misty, freezing cold and quiet!! It's easy to understand why several of them died of TB!

The Parsonage is actually quite liveable in - in a 19th century kind of way!

iam not a fan of blackpool having bee dragged around mercelessly as a kid every fucking easter - with the "i must enjoy it" implicit overtone.

however blackpool illuminations for a kid - is fecking fantastic.

really - you dont drive through them - you walk through them - or go on an illuminated open top tram.

drive through them indeed.

My kids loved the London Eye. Ds almost wet himself with excitement when he found he saw it on emerging from Westminster tube station. It is eye-wateringly expensive, but fortunately my two are young enough to go free, and we spent the rest of the day in the fab, free NHM.

"he found he saw it?" Uh? he SAW it.

London Eye have a great SN policy, really fantastic. I think that alone warrants it coming off the list.

Agree about the queue for the London Eye though. I thought it was horrifically looong - then I realised it was worse because it's a windy queue. That's just to buy the tickets - then you join another one!

I enjoyed it, but dh and I only went on the spur of the moment the day after a Christmas party in London. We were stood in the queues nursing massive hangovers

i went to the Tate Modern with the worst hangover in the world and thoroughly enjoyed it.

totally sober, not so much fun

Totally agree about the Eden Project. Not a good place to have a big row with your dp and strop off either. Ahem.

Blackpool Illuminations are the bizz for kids!

totally agree about the London eye - especially if you go with kids. The whole experience just takes toooo long!

As for Hampton Court, she obviously missed the best bits which are the fantastic gardens (regrettably, you have to pay to go into them now) - the kids love the maze (even if we aren't so keen!) and there's a great, but expensive, cafe. Ice-creams by the river and lots of lovely walks. The palace itself is interesting but the sort of thing that unless you were really into history, you probably wouldn't do it again (and it is expensive).

should also say that Hampton Court gets no public funding at all - all the upkeep/costs have to be paid for by ticket sales, fundraising etc. etc. which is largely why it costs so much to visit

Kids adore blackpool illumiantions, when they are in my dd can't get enough of them.

ive been reading that book "bs to alton towers". its got most of the places i went as a kid in it!

London Eye - go at off-peak times then you just walk straight on after you've not queued to buy a ticket.

Stonehenge, I used to go there as a child and climb all over it, wouldn't go now it a "visitor experience"

Tate Modern, only go to the proper exhibitions, Kandinsky this summer, unmissable

i remember when you could climb all over stonehenge too !

Agree with the illuminations being great for kids, definately not fun to drive through though the trams lit up are lovely and it's a good walk too. The switch on is brilliant, I went for the first time last year and it's a great atmosphere, it's totally free and there's a concert in Central Carpark (last year hosted by Chris Evans on Radio 2, with McFly, Rachel Stevens, Erasure, Mica Paris...) I don't think you can really complain about something that is free!

I haven't been to any of the other places mentioned but I'd love to visit Edinburgh Castle!

Fond memories of Hampton Court coz that's where DH took me. We were sat on a bench when he whipped out a diamond ring and asked me to marry him (awww)

Loved blackpool illuminations when I was a kid, but we walked them instead of driving.

Born and brought up in Bronte-land, so no comment (its my home).

Never seen stonehenge.

Loved London Eye, but went without kids.

Lands end/john o'groats. Both ok, but went without expectations.

Oh WE felt like that about The Eden Project!

my kids loved the london eye, and also the robin hood thing.they also enjoyed walking through the blackpool lights. the way the writers have talked about their childrens reactions makes them sound a bit spoilt.

Eden project pants.

London Eye - ok

Loved Tate Modern, but that was pre kids when we walked over the wobbly bridge from our pad in the city for some art and a latte.

Stonehenge - my mate went to the last free festivals there with her mum when she was 14/15. Always wondered what happended to Grace.