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Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Original poster

Everywhere is England is rammed

221 replies

Hyperfish101 · 31/08/2020 08:09

Maybe different elsewhere in UK but Covid has certainly wiped out options for a peaceful day out anywhere. Or so it seems.

Went to a local beauty spot for a walk yesterday. At 10 am cars queuing for the car park. All the NationL Trust type places swarming. Even little walks by our local river are overrun with people.

Had a week in a usually quiet place in the Scottish Borders. Nope. Jammed. The usual quiet beach was overrun. Car park rammed. Rubbish everywhere.

It’s horrible. I realise I was there too so limited grounds to complain but I’ve been going to these places for years and suddenly I can’t even park.

That’s even before mentioning the ‘wild camping’ we saw in the Lakes. Tents abandoned, rubbish everywhere.

I’m hoping when people can stop ‘staycationing’ and go abroad, things will settle down. I feel as if there are no unspoilt areas left now.

OP posts:
Original poster
Hyperfish101 · 31/08/2020 08:31

There a little lake near us. Surrounded by houses. Really quiet until this summer. Poor residents have had hoards turning up for barbecues, teenagers having parties etc. I took the dog for a walk and a van pulled up with a family who honestly looked like they were moving in......boats, tents, barbecue . It’s a tiny little beauty spot, not designed for it. No toilets etc.

OP posts:
bettsbattenburg · 31/08/2020 08:33

There are plenty of quiet places, you just need to think outside the box a bit and do a bit of research. We've had many places to ourselves or a few other people. In my experience nowhere has been rammed.

Scarby9 · 31/08/2020 08:34

I live just outside a seaside holiday place and haven't ventured into the town centre or to the beach area at all since June.

However, I have met friends for socially distant walks and now coffees in the 1 - 5 mile radius of the town and it is quiet there.

Yesterday we walked round a lovely lake and climbed a viewpoint looking out to sea. The cafe up there was doing brisk business but there were still outdoor seats available and there was only one other person at the viewpoint. We met only about 10 people on the walk round the lake (broad paths and lots of seats, so no problem) and got a coffee from the kiosk there with no queue.

We commented that it was a shame the tourists did not appear to stray from the main beach and main streets in town - so much more available that is less crowded and still lovely to visit really close by, if only they knew about it.

Namechangr9000 · 31/08/2020 08:35

We went to a zoo last week. It was pre book only but the carpark was absolutely rammed. I cant imagine how many people would be there without pre booking. However it was big enough that it didnt feel overly crowded when we were going round.

missyB1 · 31/08/2020 08:36

That’s why we’ve stayed at home this summer, I knew full well what it would be like at beauty spots and beaches. We do live on the edge of the Cotswolds but even so I’ve had to think long and hard about where we go out - we’ve avoided all the villages. We did go cycling in a local Forest the other day but arrived there very early in the morning, as we were leaving at lunchtime the cycle trail had become crazy busy!

drspouse · 31/08/2020 08:37

We went to Dorset and it was in no way rammed. We were in the same part last year and it was much more crowded then. We didn't attempt our local beach on the hottest day of the year though!

billysboy · 31/08/2020 08:37

Lots of visitors here in the Chess Valley most of whom cant seem to park sensibly
Some going for a walk and paddle along the Chess blissfully unaware of the raw sewage that keeps getting pumped into it further up stream
They seem to be keeping the pubs busy

Chosennone · 31/08/2020 08:40

Peak District here too. Never, ever seen it this busy! Lots of incidences of ASB at a well known beauty spot.

lljkk · 31/08/2020 08:40

Not where I live (Norfolk, can comment lots on beaches)... & not where I'm on hols right now (Cotswolds). I mean, the odd place is busy, but mostly its pretty easy to avoid people. I'm not interested in NT properties, can't you go elsewhere, OP?.... the Roman temple at Chedworth was fully booked but they kept numbers down so the people-density looked low to me. (we were only interested in cafe anyway, which had no Q when we arrived. The pub at Stanton was a bit busy -- you have a choice not to go to pub, we only wanted to find the path behind it. There are groups out walking, riding horses, cycling, picknicking - GOOD for them. Funny thing about Stanton: most tourists seemed to be foreign. Spanish, Dutch, German, unidentified furrin (I am furrin too).

The road & narrow pavements of central Bibury were crazy busy (more obvious furreiners) but Snowshill is just as pretty and had lots of room for pedestrians. Broadway Tower stood out for having lots of (I presume British) ethnic Asian families on a very rainy day, enjoying the mud. But still lots of room for people and no obvious rubbish about. I see a lot of flytipping in Norfolk but not seen any obvious flytipping in Cotswolds, yet. Some red roof tiles yesterday I suppose. Not heaving with Staycationers ime.

CloudPop · 31/08/2020 08:41

@Darker

I am furious about the rubbish. I can’t get my head round the mindset of people who leave tents and plastic and other stuff behind.
Completely agree. It's nauseating that we live in a society that seems so completely comfortable with leaving litter and junk spread around them, with seemingly no regard at all for who is going to have to clear it all up.
SunnySummerDays · 31/08/2020 08:42

We always go to Cornwall. It was rammed and i didn’t like it all. It usually feels like holiday makers there... this year it felt like shoppers and tourists and the atmosphere felt completely different. Even crowded on our remote walks. I’m hoping everyone despised the damp weather and gets back abroad again next year!

emilybrontescorsett · 31/08/2020 08:44

I'm not surprised by the increase in cars. The secondary school my dcs went to has removed all school busses telling pupils they either have to walk or get taken by car. Can you imagine the sheer volume of traffic on a busy road which already has speed cameras due to several fatal accidents in the past. The roads outside school will be clogged with parked cars both morning and afternoon making it dangerous to cross.
Last week we went out midweek making use of the 50% off scheme. We couldn't get in any local restaurant at all. We had to travel elsewhere to a chain style place in a shopping centre. The one consolation is that it will be benefiting our economy.
As for the litter issue I cannot understand those who leave litter, take it home with you!

lljkk · 31/08/2020 08:44

Ooh, I correct myself: ... the Spanish group had some kind of fire, I presume ad hoc BBQ on the Mount behind Stanton pub I suppose yesterday. Which I'm sure isn't officially allowed. I guess they could be Spanish speaking residents of Britain so = staycationers. For 6 hours of being outside in countryside, it wasn't a lot of bad behaviour to observe & may have been well-contained portable BBQ.

Kerberos · 31/08/2020 08:45

Some people are shit. Leaving rubbish behind you is never OK.

BUT you were there too? Adding to the erosion and footfall. I don't understand how you can be grumpy about the number of other people there?

Dotinthecity · 31/08/2020 08:45

We’ve had two holidays this year, one in Exmoor & the second in Dorset and found it to be really quiet in both areas. We spent several days at the beach in Dorset and although the car park was full, the beach was so huge that it seemed empty. It was the same when we went walking in the New Forest. I think you just need to choose where you visit with care. We live very close to a popular stately home for which you book a time slot to visit. Again, the car park is always busy but the grounds seem empty when you’re wandering around as the place is so huge.

Puffthemagicdragongoestobed · 31/08/2020 08:45

Come to London! Really pleasant at the moment!

topofthewardrobe · 31/08/2020 08:47

@SunnySummerDays

We always go to Cornwall. It was rammed and i didn’t like it all. It usually feels like holiday makers there... this year it felt like shoppers and tourists and the atmosphere felt completely different. Even crowded on our remote walks. I’m hoping everyone despised the damp weather and gets back abroad again next year!
But you were there contributing to it !
Walkley18 · 31/08/2020 08:47

Was in a seaside area yesterday, amazed at how busy it was, no social distancing or sanitizing of pleasure boats before next occupants, but no rubbish that I noticed.

notheragain4 · 31/08/2020 08:50

It's August bank holiday weekend, of course it's busy. We are in a very touristy UK spot this weekend, yes it's busy but no busier than I'd expect this time of year.

Kaktus · 31/08/2020 08:51

We went to Devon a few weeks ago. It was lovely, barely saw anyone else at all! Did our research and went to some quieter beaches off the main tourist track. Certainly didn’t get within 2m of any other group.
It makes me laugh when people say ‘I went to x and it was rammed’. You were contributing to it being rammed! If everyone stayed away (including you) it wouldn’t be. Or do you want everyone else to stay away so it’s nice and quiet for you??

SchadenfreudePersonified · 31/08/2020 08:53

It's the filth and rubbish left behind that gets me.

People go to these places because they are beautiful - then they leave them looking like a council tip!

wanderings · 31/08/2020 08:54

Well, the MN stance is “if you go abroad this summer, you’re a covidiot, and a selfish arsehole”. Hmm

MoltenLasagne · 31/08/2020 08:55

We're in West Yorkshire

MoltenLasagne · 31/08/2020 08:56

We're in West Yorkshire and haven't noticed it being much busier than usual although we haven't been to any NT places. Maybe it's worst by the coast as people want to feel more "holiday".

drspouse · 31/08/2020 08:57

I tell a lie, one seaside resort was busy on a sunny day so we didn't stop. Went back on a rainy day after it stopped raining.