What are cities or towns in Britain that you thought were nice, but actually are quite horrible/overrated?

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Unusual_residue@reddit

On this occasion, I choose Whitehaven

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Personal_Stranger_52@reddit

Why would you have ever thought Whitehaven to be a nice place?

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Cleveland_Grackle@reddit

Comparative to Workington, it could be seen that way.

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Personal_Stranger_52@reddit

Comparative to Workington, Barrow is a nice place. I can’t think of a worse place than Workington?

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Blackburn. Lived 10 miles away from it for the first 30 years of my life. Only visited it as a kid for Waves. Since Waves was demolished best part of a decade ago I can’t imagine what anyone visits for.

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WelcometotheZhongguo@reddit

The whole of The Cotswolds.

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Mobile_Barracuda_280@reddit

I grew up there. It’s really pretty but the atmosphere sucks and the social climbers it attracts are just puke worthy.

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MoistSnow220@reddit

I've never wanted to visit the Cotswolds

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wistmans-wouldnt@reddit

Brighton, although tbf I never thought it was nice, but loads of other people do. Crappy beach, lots of deprivation/homelessness, evil seagulls, rammed with drunk people, stag/hen parties etc.

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Cleveland_Grackle@reddit

>Crappy beach, lots of deprivation/homelessness, evil seagulls, rammed with drunk people, stag/hen parties etc. Sounds like Blackpool.... but then everyone knows that's shit.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

I've been to both, and Blackpool is in another universe to Brighton. Brighton is a broadly affluent, thriving city that has some deprivation and street homelessness. Blackpool is one of the most deprived cities in the country. There's really no comparison. Anybody who thinks they are similar really doesn't know either place that well.

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wistmans-wouldnt@reddit

I would never say it's as bad as Blackpool, just overrated.

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MunkeeseeMonkeydoo@reddit

Brighton reminds me of Benidorm! Not in the vibe of the place just in the way it tries too hard to live up to its own hype.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

I really like Brighton. Nice place to wander around with lots of interesting shops, and so many good cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants.

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PipBin@reddit

I lived there. It is up its own arse.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

Maybe. Doesn't stop it being a nice place to visit though.

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WelcometotheZhongguo@reddit

Blackpool of the south

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ldn6@reddit

Brighton kind of sucks. It should be great but is just…ugh. It’s a shame really.

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Jolly_Jack_@reddit

Leicester - don’t know why I bigged it up in my head, but oh my god, what an awful place. Slough, too.

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Pingisy2@reddit

Leicester has so many problems and the they are very difficult to fix. One of the worst cities in the country in my opinion

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Weak-Newt-5853@reddit

What made you think Slough was going to be nice!?

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Street_Inflation_124@reddit

Re Slough, the very famous poem by John Betjemen didn’t give you a clue? Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough! It isn't fit for humans now, There isn't grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death!

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robinbg88@reddit

Brighton. Used to be nice, is now a dump. My sister recently visited it from the Netherlands expecting a wonderful bohemia, her friends there said it was wonderful, they’re very wealthy with very good taste, after visiting she couldn’t say anything nice about it other than “there’s lots of pubs, some quite nice”.

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MoaningTablespoon@reddit

Bristol.

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Livid_Excuse_3501@reddit

Brighton

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WaitingToBeTriggered@reddit

A WHITE LIGHT

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Krakshotz@reddit

Oh God the Sabaton bot is loose again

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Meet-me-behind-bins@reddit

Bristol, found it a bit wanky in and around the town centre, too many try hards and Nathan Barleys. Liked the areas about half hour walk from the centre though, proper Bristolians are funny.

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fiddly_foodle_bird@reddit

> Bristol, found it a bit wanky in and around the town centre, too many try hards and Nathan Barleys. Yeah, it's been invaded by London "Media"-type Emigrees in recent years, hopefully it's a trend and will die out in time.

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mrwoof212@reddit

As a Bristolian, I’d agree that our shopping area is a bit of a dump and is overrun with smackheads and stoners. I also think we’re a victim of our own success as being a good city as we are now victim to a flock of Londoners moving here and driving up prices. Our city does not have the infrastructure for how much both unis are expanding too. However nothing beats some ciders around the Floating Harbour with proper Bristolians on a hot summers day

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Meet-me-behind-bins@reddit

Yeah I had some great laughs getting pissed in Fishponds, Brislington, up the top of Gloucester Road towards Horfeild. Still quite studenty in places but I don’t mind that, at least they have fun. The town centre Stokes Croft, White Ladies, Montpellier, wasn’t really my thing, too many rich kids playing at down and outs.

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Mobile_Barracuda_280@reddit

I live in Montpelier. Opened my window yesterday to see a girl trying to kill herself in the park

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Meet-me-behind-bins@reddit

Fucking hell, that’s a bit much, hope she was ok. I mean, Montpellier is nice, the place is definitely a cool place to live, at least when I was passing through a few times, some lovely little terraced houses with real effort put in to make them stand out and show some personality. I just think I’d struggle with screeching ket heads drinking Thatchers at 4am.

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Mobile_Barracuda_280@reddit

Poor girl was only 19 or something. Voices in her head I think

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Mobile_Barracuda_280@reddit

Yeah I definitely struggle with Ketamine head students off their head at 3am and little rude boys trying to smash my windows. Police came and took her away so don’t know but sadly just an average day in this trendy area which is honestly rather dysfunctional. Great if you’re off your head all the time but headache if you not. I’ve lived here since I was 16 and it’s still bonkers years later.

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original_oli@reddit

Yeah, centre's been overrun now and Clifton's always had the Student Grants up there.

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original_oli@reddit

London. I guarantee you'll be mugged or not appreciated.

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TA1699@reddit

No wonder 9 million people live there. Let me guess, you've either never been to London or you're basing your opinion on that time you went to the most touristy part of central London.

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original_oli@reddit

I think you know you're wrong. A-ha!

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TA1699@reddit

I'm just tired of shit-tier jokes and references all across reddit. 🤷

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original_oli@reddit

Needless to say, you had the last laugh.

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TA1699@reddit

? If you were on reddit for longer then you'd probably get tired of the constant shit jokes as well. Posts used to have actual insight, but now most of the top comments are just shit jokes.

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original_oli@reddit

Are you saying it's moribund?

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No-Computer-2847@reddit

It’s okay if you didn’t get the reference.

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TA1699@reddit

I'm just tired of shit-tier jokes and references all across reddit. 🤷

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original_oli@reddit

He's a bitter, bitter bastard

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TA1699@reddit

I'm just tired of shit-tier jokes and references all across reddit. 🤷

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E5evo@reddit

Leeds, hate the place.

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Martipar@reddit

I agree. I went for a week (i was booked off for a music festival but my friend decided to get married that week so instead of a week at a festival we spent it in Leeds instead). I lived in Derby at the time and expected Leeds, which is further north, to be cheaper, this was not the case and a few of the rock bars we went to were charging what the rock bars in London charged for drinks. The last time I went up some people were setting fireworks off in the market square. I have seen fireworks set off by people before in places where fireworks don't belong but never in such a public place.

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Hank_Wankplank@reddit

Sorry but it's quite amusing to me that you thought a much bigger city was going to be cheaper just because of it's latitude. Of course big cities are going to be more expensive. Do you think Edinburgh is cheaper than Barnsley?

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Martipar@reddit

People often say how much cheaper things are in the North, i was at least expecting it to be on a par with Derby, however that's not the case. Also, in general, i find small villages are the most expensive places as they generally have a captive customer base. So yes, i find larger places to be cheaper than smaller ones and I also expected a northern city to be cheaper than a Midlands city.

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TSC-99@reddit

I don’t hate it but I don’t think it’s all that either. I prefer Newcastle. I live in the middle kind of.

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E5evo@reddit

Middle of where? Leeds, Newcastle or between the two? Don’t say Darlo!

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TSC-99@reddit

Nah.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

Manchester. Massively overhyped city, imo. Been a number of times and it's...fine. It's not bad, but given how much it gets bigged up I always expect it to be something more than it is.

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D0wnb0at@reddit

I can’t speak of Manchester, I haven’t spent a lot of time there. But I lived in Sheffield for 10 years during my 20’s to early 30’s and it’s an amazing city IF you know where to go and what to do and on what days. Cause if not, you miss out on a lot of what the city has to offer. You often have to go to one place, and get a taxi to another place or a good walk. Someone who doesn’t know the city would just go to one place and expect loads of cool stuff nearby which isn’t always the case. I’d assume Manchester is similar.

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elalmohada26@reddit

Manchester just has really good marketing. It’s the best possible city to live in for people with Alzheimer’s because if they forget where they are they can look at the nearest flat surface and it’s guaranteed to say “This is Manchester” on it in ten foot high letters. And don’t get me started on the bees… Pretty much every other sizeable city in the UK has seen considerable renewal in central areas in the last 10-15 years and has actively become a more pleasant place to spend time, whereas Manchester just continues to ride on the reputation it earned in the 90s.

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ldn6@reddit

Manchester’s urban regeneration is light-years ahead of any other regional British city, though.

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elalmohada26@reddit

Overall it’s pretty good, post slum clearance and IRA bomb. But I do think it’s stood still in the last two decades where other cities have progressed. I grew up very near to Manchester and moved away in 2010 and the city centre is pretty much the same now as it was then, just a bit more tired looking. Whereas many other city centres have changed dramatically for the better in that time.

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ldn6@reddit

Manchester is great if you’re looking for experience (arts, nightlife, food, urban exploration), but it’s got piss-poor attractions overall. I think that goes a long way to explaining why some people struggle with it. Personally, I think it’s awesome.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

Can't speak to arts, but I've never found the nightlife, food or urban exploration to be anything particularly outstanding. Again, it's not *bad* on any of those things in my experience, but it's never measured up to the hype for me.

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Mop_Jockey@reddit

I thought the name about Liverpool.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

I actually quite like Liverpool. I felt like it had quite a unique vibe. I'd definitely go to Liverpool for a weekend again.

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Dolphin_Spotter@reddit

The waterfront docks area is banging. Just avoid the Adelphi.

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Weak-Newt-5853@reddit

Much prefer Manchester myself. The city centre in Liverpool just feels tacky and overrun with stag and hen dos. Not a fan.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

It does have a lot of stag and hen dos certainly. But I quite enjoyed it as a place to visit. It felt interesting and unique. Whereas Manchester has just always left me thoroughly underwhelmed. Of course, these things are all relative to expectations. I'm sure if I had no expectations of Manchester I'm sure I'd have a higher opinion of it. Birmingham would be an example of how a city can be a pleasant surprise if you don't have expectations.

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Weak-Newt-5853@reddit

I love wandering around Deansgate and The Northern Quarter in Manchester, and the pub and food scene is amazing. Agree on Birmingham, a real pleasant surprise! I go yearly with a friend now. Fantastic food and pubs and the people are great. Plus great live music scene.

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Worried-Ad-6593@reddit

I liked Liverpool. Manchester is Lidl Liverpool.

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Weak-Newt-5853@reddit

Sheffield is great fun, and hardly gets overrated? It kinda has a reputation for being a lovable dump no? I really rate Sheffield.

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Bluestarino@reddit

Sheffield is less shit than I thought it would be.

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Weary_Rule_6729@reddit

before i went to Lancaster I wrongly assumed it would be like York, because war of the roses and stuff. lol i was wildly wrong

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jimyjesuscheesypenis@reddit

Newcastle, we’re shite and there’s nothing here. Don’t come here with Peter, poppy and Preston.

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Ok-Cauliflower-7760@reddit

Oxford and Cambridge are the main ones. Very underwhelming.

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Meet-me-behind-bins@reddit

Christ they’re expensive too! I visited Oxford last year and I felt like a West London suburb. Pretty place though. Wouldn’t want to live there, I’d be worried I might break something.

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XStaticImmaculate@reddit

I remember when I visited Brighton (which I overall loved and really want to return to) - but I was taken aback by some of the the deprivation/homelessness/closed business etc. which is really naive on my part, because this exists throughout the UK - just in my head I expected it to be different

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ButterscotchSure6589@reddit

I went to Cheltenham a few years ago and thought it was quite nice if a little run down, a sort of tired gentility. Being a northerner, I obviously associated it with Gloucester because of the building society, stupid I know, however. Anyway, I went to Gloucester, expecting the same vibe. It was a shithole.

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Aylez@reddit

Wasn’t too bothered about Manchester, it just felt way too big. I much prefer smaller cities like Newcastle and Liverpool as they are generally a lot livelier in certain areas and more concentrated with bars and restaurants

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Martipar@reddit

Coventry. I used to live near Coventry and as a child I went to the Cathedral on a school trip, Laser Quest, the motor museum and the theatre. However for each of these I went to these places and back home. It wasn't until I was about 16 or 17 I went and actually spent some time outside of these places and it's pretty rubbish on the whole, especially in the suburban areas.

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CliffyGiro@reddit

Haven’t ever visited a town or city in the uk that doesn’t live up to its expectation or lack there of.

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Mobile_Barracuda_280@reddit

Stroud. Used to be cool creative people and locals. Now just full of rab coat wearing loud, rude knob heads who think they’re Uber wealthy because they bought an averagely priced house and painted it farrow and ball grey.

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original_oli@reddit

Bath

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Weak-Newt-5853@reddit

Liverpool for me. I'd looked forward to visiting for years, I've been a few times now and yeah I just don't really like it. The centre just feels rough and overrun with big groups on stag/hen parties. Seems to be a lack of decent pubs from what I've seen, and instead just plastic paddy Irish pubs dotted everywhere. Didn't butter my parsnips one little bit.

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DarthMaulofDathomir@reddit

Agreed. Grey and bleak place.

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Bbew_Mot@reddit

I find Broadway in Worcestershire to be a bit overrated. It's picturesque but compared to other towns in the Cotswolds like Stowe on the Wold and Bourton on the Water, it is a bit of a boring place.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

Yeah I wouldn't say it's a particularly remarkable Cotswolds village, though it's nice enough. The Lygon Arms however is such a nice hotel and is a reason to go to Broadway.

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PiskAlmighty@reddit

St Ives

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