Leader and government approval ratings and voting intention as a guide to general election results –

isam said:

YBarddCwsc said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

A little bit, most LOTOs generally start of with good ratings usually caused by a higher number of DKs.

There's been only one LOTO who had consistently positive ratings throughout their tenure, most LOTOs who go on to become PM have ups and down.

He's doing better than most LOTOs at this point in the cycle of leader/satisfaction ratings but meh in VI scores.

I genuinely don't know how much pandemic era polling can be used to compare to previous eras.

SKS is looking old, and a bit dull. It is a real pity he stood, Labour did have much better options.

SKS seems to be following the Tony Blair picture-book on "How to Win a General Election?"

But, the thrill just isn't there, anymore.

It is the same moves, the same foreplay as Tony used, but no-one feels really excited by the prospect of precoital activity with a greying, stolid, almost sixty-year old, lawyer.

Hard not to forget, we could have had Lisa Nandy or Angela Rayner .... as LOTO

Jess Phillips - a mix of Starmer politics and Corbyn passion. I think that is what Labour need

A perfect package, save the thick Brummie burr. That'll lose 10 Million votes. I speak as someone with a thick Brummie burr.

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

Leon said:

Black_Rook said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

The East tends to be conflated in most people's minds with the Fens: a billiard table flat, dull as ditchwater landscape filled with nothing but thousands and thousands of potato and sugar beet fields (although even the Fens have Ely, which is lovely and well worth a day trip if you've never been.) But yes, if that puts a load of potential visitors off then so much the better. More room for the rest of us to breathe.

I hear amazing things of north Norfolk (never been): genuine sense of wildness, seals on beaches, superb seafood....

The East is the untouched corner of the UK, tourist-wise. Probably as it has such a bad rep from a few hideous resorts, from Clacton to Yarmouth, whereas most of it is lovely, and in places like Suffolk, stunning.

Also, one of the sunniest regions in Britain, alongside south Sussex and the Channel Isles.

Some lovely walks near Dunwich - pretty little coastal towns too - we won't talk about Clacton or Yarmouth

Floater said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

Had some wonderful walks in and around Maldon.

Maldon is gorgeous. It also has the oldest continuous oyster harvesting tradition - ie a harvest decreed and patronage by royal patronage - in the world. Back to the 13th century.

"The only good thing to come out of Britain is oysters" - Pliny

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

What they actually said was that the peak deceleration was around 10 Earth g, in other words roughly 100m/s/s

Maybe all the science correspondents are working on the pandemic. Nope, that can't be it, they still have the politics team asking about holidays. Do the BBC really have no scientists in their massive team of journalists?

https://twitter.com/ZackBornstein/status/1362507545844224000

Leon said:

Floater said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

Had some wonderful walks in and around Maldon.

Maldon is gorgeous. It also has the oldest continuous oyster harvesting tradition - ie a harvest decreed and patronage by royal patronage - in the world. Back to the 13th century.

"The only good thing to come out of Britain is oysters" - Pliny

The Romans themselves were doing it in Italy since BC

Leon said:

Black_Rook said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

The East tends to be conflated in most people's minds with the Fens: a billiard table flat, dull as ditchwater landscape filled with nothing but thousands and thousands of potato and sugar beet fields (although even the Fens have Ely, which is lovely and well worth a day trip if you've never been.) But yes, if that puts a load of potential visitors off then so much the better. More room for the rest of us to breathe.

I hear amazing things of north Norfolk (never been): genuine sense of wildness, seals on beaches, superb seafood....

The East is the untouched corner of the UK, tourist-wise. Probably as it has such a bad rep from a few hideous resorts, from Clacton to Yarmouth, whereas most of it is lovely, and in places like Suffolk, stunning.

Also, one of the sunniest regions in Britain, alongside south Sussex and the Channel Isles.

As I recall, the fens is described quite romantically in Dorothy L Sayers' Peter Whimsey mysteries.

turbotubbs said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

Technically that is entirely correct, if a little misleading.

Pressures of ... gravity?

of Earth Gs, thru deceleration

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

Technically that is entirely correct, if a little misleading.

Not you too...

How can a pressure be equal to gravity?

Isn’t that the definition of a ‘G’? As short for g-force

Black_Rook said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

The East tends to be conflated in most people's minds with the Fens: a billiard table flat, dull as ditchwater landscape filled with nothing but thousands and thousands of potato and sugar beet fields (although even the Fens have Ely, which is lovely and well worth a day trip if you've never been.) But yes, if that puts a load of potential visitors off then so much the better. More room for the rest of us to breathe.

Without the Fens we would never have had Sir Hereward Wake

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_baronets

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Mexicanpete said:

isam said:

YBarddCwsc said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

A little bit, most LOTOs generally start of with good ratings usually caused by a higher number of DKs.

There's been only one LOTO who had consistently positive ratings throughout their tenure, most LOTOs who go on to become PM have ups and down.

He's doing better than most LOTOs at this point in the cycle of leader/satisfaction ratings but meh in VI scores.

I genuinely don't know how much pandemic era polling can be used to compare to previous eras.

SKS is looking old, and a bit dull. It is a real pity he stood, Labour did have much better options.

SKS seems to be following the Tony Blair picture-book on "How to Win a General Election?"

But, the thrill just isn't there, anymore.

It is the same moves, the same foreplay as Tony used, but no-one feels really excited by the prospect of precoital activity with a greying, stolid, almost sixty-year old, lawyer.

Hard not to forget, we could have had Lisa Nandy or Angela Rayner .... as LOTO

Jess Phillips - a mix of Starmer politics and Corbyn passion. I think that is what Labour need

A perfect package, save the thick Brummie burr. That'll lose 10 Million votes. I speak as someone with a thick Brummie burr.

She’s one of very few politicians with genuine charisma. You stop and listen when she speaks. I can’t really think of any others among the present crop of whom that’s true.

another_richard said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

Were you inspired by SeanT's travel writing ?

I remember him recommending the same places.

I rather think it is the other way round. He's a known plagiarist.

Charles said:

Philip_Thompson said:

ThomasNashe said:

Philip_Thompson said:

ThomasNashe said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

https://twitter.com/evolvepolitics/status/1362495613603094531

Pronouns can reveal so much!

What's wrong with those pronouns?

I'm not a linguist but to me they seem entirely grammatically correct. I don't understand which other pronouns would be better.

They = the subject referred to (two subjects both referred to separately as they)
Our = collective, everyone

That's the right grammar isn't it?

I’d suggest if he didn’t want to imply a group of outsiders claiming rights to participate in something that doesn’t belong to them, the sentence would have been constructed rather more carefully - and in particular ‘our’ would be seen to attach itself to BAME rather than elections.

Why? I don't read that into it at all.

"The Left thinks so poorly" is making it clear the Left thinks what follows, he doesn't agree.

"reckon they're incapable of securing a form of ID" they're refers to the people the Left think poorly of and he's saying they're not incapable.

"in our elections" clearly refers our to being the elections. Which we're all entitled to vote in and he thinks BAME can rightly get ID to vote in and the Left are wrong to think they're incapable.

What's wrong with any of that? BAME people are not incapable, he's right on that.

Nothing. It’s people seeking to make a political attack implying he’s racist

He's a white man, of course he's racist.

Campaigned to leave the EU as well. Doubly racist.

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Not fair. Although the dockyard was badly blitzed in WW2 and doesn't compare to Portsmouth or Chatham for C18/C19 stuff. The Royal William Victualling Yard, Crownill Fort, and some of the sea coast are a treat.

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

Technically that is entirely correct, if a little misleading.

Not you too...

How can a pressure be equal to gravity?

Isn’t that the definition of a ‘G’?

Pressure is force/area.

Force = mass x acceleration

Gravitational field strength can be expressed either as an acceleration or (more properly) as force/mass.

It's as if they confused the debt and the deficit only worse.

So like confusing weight and mass?

Leon said:

IanB2 said:

Leon said:

IanB2 said:

Leon said:

Black_Rook said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

The East tends to be conflated in most people's minds with the Fens: a billiard table flat, dull as ditchwater landscape filled with nothing but thousands and thousands of potato and sugar beet fields (although even the Fens have Ely, which is lovely and well worth a day trip if you've never been.) But yes, if that puts a load of potential visitors off then so much the better. More room for the rest of us to breathe.

I hear amazing things of north Norfolk (never been): genuine sense of wildness, seals on beaches, superb seafood....

The East is the untouched corner of the UK, tourist-wise. Probably as it has such a bad rep from a few hideous resorts, from Clacton to Yarmouth, whereas most of it is lovely, and in places like Suffolk, stunning.

Also, one of the sunniest regions in Britain, alongside south Sussex and the Channel Isles.

Contestants for the sunniest place in the UK are Ventnor, Shanklin, Eastbourne and Torbay, not anywhere in Suffolk.

The Channel Islands aren’t in “Britain” anyway.

Oh god. You're such a dick.

Three of the top ten warmest AND sunniest places in Britain last year:

Southend
Cambridge
Maldon

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/14040885/hottest-and-sunniest-places-in-uk/#:~:text=SHANKLIN – 262.32 hours of sunshine,beaches on the entire island.

Don’t you realise that to be ‘sunniest place’ needs a running record, not a single year’s data?

I have belatedly realised that you are, actually, and literally, a cretin. Took me long enough. Reflects badly on me, TBH. Anyway, arguing with an autistic cretin is perhaps the stupidest waste of time invented, so I bid you good day for the rest of eternity. Have a nice one.

Did you not read your own link? You are conflating temperature with hours of sunshine. For the latter, Suffolk doesn’t compete.

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Plymouth is amazing. One of the great medium-sized cities in the world. From the menacing nuke submarines to the Royal William Victualling Yards (like a maritime Versailles) to the historic Barbican to the Plymouth gin distillery to the brothels by seedy, eerie Devonport to the place where the Mayflower set off. Plus a post-war city centre actually done well: like an English version of Fascist modernism (and for all his faults, Mussolini was quite good at buildings)

I love Plymouth. It is enchanted in good and bad ways. Compelling.

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

Technically that is entirely correct, if a little misleading.

Not you too...

How can a pressure be equal to gravity?

Isn’t that the definition of a ‘G’?

Pressure is force/area.

Force = mass x acceleration

Gravitational field strength can be expressed either as an acceleration or (more properly) as force/mass.

It's as if they confused the debt and the deficit only worse.

The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g equal to the conventional value of gravitational acceleration on Earth, g, of about 9.8 m/s2.[1] Since g-forces indirectly produce weight, any g-force can be described as a "weight per unit mass"

And that is why we don't rely on Wikipedia...

Leon said:

another_richard said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

Were you inspired by SeanT's travel writing ?

I remember him recommending the same places.

I rather think it is the other way round. He's a known plagiarist.

I bought one of his flint pieces for my wife. I have to say she was delighted with it.

Philip_Thompson said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

Technically that is entirely correct, if a little misleading.

Not you too...

How can a pressure be equal to gravity?

Isn’t that the definition of a ‘G’?

Pressure is force/area.

Force = mass x acceleration

Gravitational field strength can be expressed either as an acceleration or (more properly) as force/mass.

It's as if they confused the debt and the deficit only worse.

So like confusing weight and mass?

Worse. It is more like confusing weight and density.

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

IanB2 said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

I've just looked at the BBC coverage and someone wrote this:

"The spacecraft has now entered the Martian atmosphere, at times feeling pressures of about 10 times the gravity of Earth."

There are times I just want to give up...

Technically that is entirely correct, if a little misleading.

Not you too...

How can a pressure be equal to gravity?

Isn’t that the definition of a ‘G’?

Pressure is force/area.

Force = mass x acceleration

Gravitational field strength can be expressed either as an acceleration or (more properly) as force/mass.

It's as if they confused the debt and the deficit only worse.

The gravitational force equivalent, or, more commonly, g-force, is a measurement of the type of force per unit mass – typically acceleration – that causes a perception of weight, with a g-force of 1 g equal to the conventional value of gravitational acceleration on Earth, g, of about 9.8 m/s2.[1] Since g-forces indirectly produce weight, any g-force can be described as a "weight per unit mass"

And that is why we don't rely on Wikipedia...

Blame pilots; they’re always going on about G as a pressure to be endured.

Leon said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

Suffolk - magnificent countryside, great pubs, you can go boating on the rivers, and Aldeburgh will give you a little chunk of posh if breezy coastline

South Devon (as others have said), superb seafood, exquisite villages and countryside, nice climate, Dartmoor to the north for adventure

The Welsh Marches. Herefordshire is like a quiet English Tuscany. Lost villages, antique churches, almost entirely unspoiled. The Forest of Dean. And.... Tintern Abbey. Oh my word. The Dordogne of England.

Lincoln: the city. The walk up to the cathedral is spellbinding

Nice but safe.

Here's different and cheap:

Retford - easy to get to, lots of pubs, Robin Hood country, Pilgrim Fathers country, Wellbeck Abbey, not far from Lincoln.

Bolsover - easy to get to, Bolsover castle, Hardwick Hall, Creswell Crags neolithic site, not far from Peak district.

Leon said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Plymouth is amazing. One of the great medium-sized cities in the world. From the menacing nuke submarines to the Royal William Victualling Yards (like a maritime Versailles) to the historic Barbican to the Plymouth gin distillery to the brothels by seedy, eerie Devonport to the place where the Mayflower set off. Plus a post-war city centre actually done well: like an English version of Fascist modernism (and for all his faults, Mussolini was quite good at buildings)

I love Plymouth. It is enchanted in good and bad ways. Compelling.

And the train ride through it past the RN Base and barracks over the Royal Albert Bridge. (Shame abouit the road bridge beside it.)

Leon said:

Black_Rook said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

The East tends to be conflated in most people's minds with the Fens: a billiard table flat, dull as ditchwater landscape filled with nothing but thousands and thousands of potato and sugar beet fields (although even the Fens have Ely, which is lovely and well worth a day trip if you've never been.) But yes, if that puts a load of potential visitors off then so much the better. More room for the rest of us to breathe.

I hear amazing things of north Norfolk (never been): genuine sense of wildness, seals on beaches, superb seafood....

The East is the untouched corner of the UK, tourist-wise. Probably as it has such a bad rep from a few hideous resorts, from Clacton to Yarmouth, whereas most of it is lovely, and in places like Suffolk, stunning.

Also, one of the sunniest regions in Britain, alongside south Sussex and the Channel Isles.

Try renting the Windmill at Cley. Hoste Arms at Burnham Market is a good base too. Marvellous walks all around that coast. Not sure what the best eateries are now - might have to see how they shape up after lockdown ends.

In autumn, towards dusk you will see skeins of tens of thousands of pink-foot geese coming in to the saltmarsh. One of the best wildlife spectacles in this country.

felix said:

dixiedean said:

another_richard said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

Were you inspired by SeanT's travel writing ?

I remember him recommending the same places.

He's very influential.
One might even say he has the influence of several men.

He is writing a new movie "The seven faces of Sean"

Surely, Seven Characters in Search of the Author?

Charles said:

ThomasNashe said:

Mexicanpete said:

isam said:

YBarddCwsc said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

A little bit, most LOTOs generally start of with good ratings usually caused by a higher number of DKs.

There's been only one LOTO who had consistently positive ratings throughout their tenure, most LOTOs who go on to become PM have ups and down.

He's doing better than most LOTOs at this point in the cycle of leader/satisfaction ratings but meh in VI scores.

I genuinely don't know how much pandemic era polling can be used to compare to previous eras.

SKS is looking old, and a bit dull. It is a real pity he stood, Labour did have much better options.

SKS seems to be following the Tony Blair picture-book on "How to Win a General Election?"

But, the thrill just isn't there, anymore.

It is the same moves, the same foreplay as Tony used, but no-one feels really excited by the prospect of precoital activity with a greying, stolid, almost sixty-year old, lawyer.

Hard not to forget, we could have had Lisa Nandy or Angela Rayner .... as LOTO

Jess Phillips - a mix of Starmer politics and Corbyn passion. I think that is what Labour need

A perfect package, save the thick Brummie burr. That'll lose 10 Million votes. I speak as someone with a thick Brummie burr.

She’s one of very few politicians with genuine charisma. You stop and listen when she speaks. I can’t really think of any others among the present crop of whom that’s true.

You stop and listen. And then think “my God, I didn’t realise it was possible for anyone to be so vulgar and self-obsessed”

I could do without vulgarity, generally, but self obsession need not be a deal breaker when it comes to a political figure. A lot of them have huge egos.

another_richard said:

Leon said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

Suffolk - magnificent countryside, great pubs, you can go boating on the rivers, and Aldeburgh will give you a little chunk of posh if breezy coastline

South Devon (as others have said), superb seafood, exquisite villages and countryside, nice climate, Dartmoor to the north for adventure

The Welsh Marches. Herefordshire is like a quiet English Tuscany. Lost villages, antique churches, almost entirely unspoiled. The Forest of Dean. And.... Tintern Abbey. Oh my word. The Dordogne of England.

Lincoln: the city. The walk up to the cathedral is spellbinding

Nice but safe.

Here's different and cheap:

Retford - easy to get to, lots of pubs, Robin Hood country, Pilgrim Fathers country, Wellbeck Abbey, not far from Lincoln.

Bolsover - easy to get to, Bolsover castle, Hardwick Hall, Creswell Crags neolithic site, not far from Peak district.

Henley-in-Arden. Safe. Rural. Mostly off the tourist radar. Stratford a short drive south, Birmingham north.

Or the villages south west of Banbury (such as Holt), the same in relation to the Cotswolds and Oxford.

ydoethur said:

felix said:

dixiedean said:

another_richard said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

Were you inspired by SeanT's travel writing ?

I remember him recommending the same places.

He's very influential.
One might even say he has the influence of several men.

He is writing a new movie "The seven faces of Sean"

Surely, Seven Characters in Search of the Author?

Isn’t it rather an author in search of more than one character?

Here it is all about what books you have on your shelves.....in the US.....

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1362447650801528836?s=19

FrancisUrquhart said:

Here it is all about what books you have on your shelves.....in the US.....

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1362447650801528836?s=19

I'll never understand why people, even if they feel the 2nd amendment is the most important thing ever and in need of constant defence, feel the need to flaunt the actual weapons quite so much. It's like showing off your favourite toy, we get it, you don't need to have them with you at all times to remind us.

Leon said:

Carnyx said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Not fair. Although the dockyard was badly blitzed in WW2 and doesn't compare to Portsmouth or Chatham for C18/C19 stuff. The Royal William Victualling Yard, Crownill Fort, and some of the sea coast are a treat.

Huzzah. A fellow fan. Plymouth is fucking incredible. Seedy, grotty, muscly, and all that, yet AT THE SAME TIME, superbly historic, with amazing architecture, wonderful views, incredible topography, Dartmoor meeting the suburbs, the mighty Tamar dividing everything, and the oldest regular ferry in the world.

We Brits tend to overlook what we have. Plymouth is a peerless example. Its history along makes it world class, but there is so much more.

And because it is a bit gritty, it hasn't been turned into St Ives or St Tropez or Nice or Tallinn.

To be honest, I've only ever been though it on my way to a ferry or to Cornwall.

Well, I grew up on the other side of Devon, so it was a long way away. If I wanted the bright lights of a big city there was Exeter (or Taunton at a pinch). For those prepared for a long trek up north, the legendary city of Bristol beckoned.

FrancisUrquhart said:

Here it is all about what books you have on your shelves.....in the US.....

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1362447650801528836?s=19

I understand she owns a restaurant where all the waitresses are armed. I won’t be stopping by next time I’m in Colorado.

Endillion said:

DougSeal said:

My wife just asked me “why do you go by Doug Seal on that stupid forum”. I had to confess I don’t remember.

If it helps (it won't), I tend to parse it as Doug's Eel.

I didn’t before, but I will now...

ThomasNashe said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

Here it is all about what books you have on your shelves.....in the US.....

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1362447650801528836?s=19

I understand she owns a restaurant where all the waitresses are armed. I won’t be stopping by next time I’m in Colorado.

I take it because it is in a particularly rough area....

FrancisUrquhart said:

Here it is all about what books you have on your shelves.....in the US.....

https://twitter.com/owillis/status/1362447650801528836?s=19

I'm fairly sure that even in the US you are supposed to keep any firearms locked away when not in use. Perhaps that only applies to some states.

Early polls for Democratic presidential nomination, of Dems & D leanders, eventual nominee in BOLD

1972 Democratic
Gallup poll, January 1969
Ted Kennedy 45% Hubert Humphrey 22% Eugene McCarthy 7% GEORGE MCGOVERN 1%

1976 Democratic Presidential Nomination
Gallup poll, July 1973
Ted Kennedy 40% George Wallace 16% Edmund Muskie 9% George McGovern 8%

1992 Democratic Presidential Nomination
ABC poll, January 1989
Ted Kennedy 26% Mario Cuomo 19% Mike Dukakis 15% Jesse Jackson 15% Al Gore 6% Bill Bradley 5% Dick Gephardt 4%

2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination
Gallup poll, June 2006
Hillary Clinton 36% Al Gore 16% John Edwards 12% John Kerry 11% Wesley Clark 4% Joe Biden 4% Russ Feingold 3% Mark Warner 2%

Friendliest place in the UK....

https://twitter.com/CrimeLdn/status/1362454115977207816?s=19

On the subject of holidays in the UK, what about a recreation of Three Men in a Boat? Going up the Thames either by boat or even just walking takes you past some amazing places even now.

Carnyx said:

Leon said:

Carnyx said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Not fair. Although the dockyard was badly blitzed in WW2 and doesn't compare to Portsmouth or Chatham for C18/C19 stuff. The Royal William Victualling Yard, Crownill Fort, and some of the sea coast are a treat.

Huzzah. A fellow fan. Plymouth is fucking incredible. Seedy, grotty, muscly, and all that, yet AT THE SAME TIME, superbly historic, with amazing architecture, wonderful views, incredible topography, Dartmoor meeting the suburbs, the mighty Tamar dividing everything, and the oldest regular ferry in the world.

We Brits tend to overlook what we have. Plymouth is a peerless example. Its history along makes it world class, but there is so much more.

And because it is a bit gritty, it hasn't been turned into St Ives or St Tropez or Nice or Tallinn.

I have been just reading a book about Gomme, Charles II's engineer, and his design of the Citadel at Plymouth. I want to go back and have a look. But I never got past the MBA aquarium, the first time I visited, watching the baby cuttelfish camouflage themselves like chameleons, and John Dory rotate about its lateral axis to be fed, and flushing white with pleasure, so there we are.

Crownhill Fort too. Palmerston foll, in superb order.

Plymouth reminds me a bit of Naples. Because it has this bad reputation people avoid it, so you can enjoy it without crowds of tourists. Yet Naples is superb, one of my favourite "neglected big cities" in Europe, maybe my TOP favourite.

Even before lockdown you could go to the Capodimonte museum and confront a world class Caravaggio and you'd be the only person in the room. Unthinkable anywhere else. All the trippers have been scared away by tales of theft and the Camorra.

Likewise the Royal William Victualling Yards in Plymouth. A magnificent piece of high imperial maritime architecture. First drawer stuff. Barely visited. Even before Ye Plague you could visit on a sunny spring day and be almost alone. Because Plymouth is perceived as "grotty"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_William_Victualling_Yard

Anabobazina said:

Leon said:

IanB2 said:

Leon said:

Black_Rook said:

Leon said:

Flatlander said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

Excellent. They've missed off the Hebrides (excepting Skye, and that no longer counts), Sutherland and 90% of the Highlands.

I hope everybody else does too.

They've also missed the east of England: East Anglia. Last summer I did an AMAZING roadtrip with the kidz, from spooky Essex estuaries (Osea island) to quaint, lovely Maldon, through gorgeous Lavenham and poetic Bury St Edmunds, via Constable country, to a few nights in Cambridge (arguably the most beautiful small city in the world, and also, maybe, the most fascinating)

Eastern England is weirdly neglected. Long may it remain so. Marvellous stuff. And great food all the way.

The East tends to be conflated in most people's minds with the Fens: a billiard table flat, dull as ditchwater landscape filled with nothing but thousands and thousands of potato and sugar beet fields (although even the Fens have Ely, which is lovely and well worth a day trip if you've never been.) But yes, if that puts a load of potential visitors off then so much the better. More room for the rest of us to breathe.

I hear amazing things of north Norfolk (never been): genuine sense of wildness, seals on beaches, superb seafood....

The East is the untouched corner of the UK, tourist-wise. Probably as it has such a bad rep from a few hideous resorts, from Clacton to Yarmouth, whereas most of it is lovely, and in places like Suffolk, stunning.

Also, one of the sunniest regions in Britain, alongside south Sussex and the Channel Isles.

Contestants for the sunniest place in the UK are Ventnor, Shanklin, Eastbourne and Torbay, not anywhere in Suffolk.

The Channel Islands aren’t in “Britain” anyway.

Oh god. You're such a dick.

Three of the top ten warmest AND sunniest places in Britain last year:

Southend
Cambridge
Maldon

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/14040885/hottest-and-sunniest-places-in-uk/#:~:text=SHANKLIN – 262.32 hours of sunshine,beaches on the entire island.

Indeed. I believe the great county of Essex is the driest in England. And parts of it are amongst the sunniest.

The map on this page is a good illustration:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/articles/uk-extreme-weather/

Anabobazina said:

another_richard said:

Leon said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

Suffolk - magnificent countryside, great pubs, you can go boating on the rivers, and Aldeburgh will give you a little chunk of posh if breezy coastline

South Devon (as others have said), superb seafood, exquisite villages and countryside, nice climate, Dartmoor to the north for adventure

The Welsh Marches. Herefordshire is like a quiet English Tuscany. Lost villages, antique churches, almost entirely unspoiled. The Forest of Dean. And.... Tintern Abbey. Oh my word. The Dordogne of England.

Lincoln: the city. The walk up to the cathedral is spellbinding

Nice but safe.

Here's different and cheap:

Retford - easy to get to, lots of pubs, Robin Hood country, Pilgrim Fathers country, Wellbeck Abbey, not far from Lincoln.

Bolsover - easy to get to, Bolsover castle, Hardwick Hall, Creswell Crags neolithic site, not far from Peak district.

I once stayed in Retford at a place called the Old Police Station. I was driving up from London to Newcastle in an intense storm and it was the only place I could find with any availability.

It’s a really nice town.

What were you arrested for

Cornwall is good. Nice pubs and railways 👍

Leon said:

Carnyx said:

Leon said:

Carnyx said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Not fair. Although the dockyard was badly blitzed in WW2 and doesn't compare to Portsmouth or Chatham for C18/C19 stuff. The Royal William Victualling Yard, Crownill Fort, and some of the sea coast are a treat.

Huzzah. A fellow fan. Plymouth is fucking incredible. Seedy, grotty, muscly, and all that, yet AT THE SAME TIME, superbly historic, with amazing architecture, wonderful views, incredible topography, Dartmoor meeting the suburbs, the mighty Tamar dividing everything, and the oldest regular ferry in the world.

We Brits tend to overlook what we have. Plymouth is a peerless example. Its history along makes it world class, but there is so much more.

And because it is a bit gritty, it hasn't been turned into St Ives or St Tropez or Nice or Tallinn.

I have been just reading a book about Gomme, Charles II's engineer, and his design of the Citadel at Plymouth. I want to go back and have a look. But I never got past the MBA aquarium, the first time I visited, watching the baby cuttelfish camouflage themselves like chameleons, and John Dory rotate about its lateral axis to be fed, and flushing white with pleasure, so there we are.

Crownhill Fort too. Palmerston foll, in superb order.

Plymouth reminds me a bit of Naples. Because it has this bad reputation people avoid it, so you can enjoy it without crowds of tourists. Yet Naples is superb, one of my favourite "neglected big cities" in Europe, maybe my TOP favourite.

Even before lockdown you could go to the Capodimonte museum and confront a world class Caravaggio and you'd be the only person in the room. Unthinkable anywhere else. All the trippers have been scared away by tales of theft and the Camorra.

Likewise the Royal William Victualling Yards in Plymouth. A magnificent piece of high imperial maritime architecture. First drawer stuff. Barely visited. Even before Ye Plague you could visit on a sunny spring day and be almost alone. Because Plymouth is perceived as "grotty"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_William_Victualling_Yard

If you want to contemplate world class art in solitude then the Wallace Collection is great.

Have you ever been to Hull ?

another_richard said:

Leon said:

Carnyx said:

Leon said:

Carnyx said:

Fysics_Teacher said:

another_richard said:

IanB2 said:

Global travel site Big 7 Travel has released the official 2021 list of the ’25 Best UK Staycations’; the top ten, in order:

Cornwall – England
The Lake District – England
Yorkshire Dales – England
Edinburgh – Scotland
Loch Lomond – Scotland
Isle of Wight – England
Norfolk Broads – England
Bath – England
Ballycastle – Northern Ireland
Manchester – England

6. Isle of Wight

This island off England’s southeast coast is famous for many things, from its stunning sandy beaches to its vibrant local culture and rich prehistoric history. One of the island’s biggest claims to fames is its plethora of fossils that have led to the discovery of more than 25 different dinosaurs that called Isle of Wight home in their day. For more recent history, there’s Queen Victoria’s royal former residence and Italian Renaissance dream in East Cowes, the Osborne House. And for a break from the tranquil sandy beaches, head to The Needles rock formation off the west end of the island.


11 - Cotswolds
12 - Snowdonia
13 - Scilly Isles
14 - Anglesey
15 - London (!)
16 - N Yorks moors
17 - Pembroke coast
18 - Orkney
19 - Brighton
20 - Skye
21 - Norwich (?)
22 - Inverness
23 - Cardiff
24 - Derry
25 - Oxford

No York ?

Not only a historic city filled with pubs, shops, restaurants and museums but close to both the Yorkshire Dales and Yorkshire Moors.

But isn't the list a bit predictable and likely to be both busy and expensive this year ?

What we need is a list of cheap, unfashionable places which have enough nice restaurants and are within easy reach of pretty places.

Not necessarily for a whole week but a few days here and a few days there.

They missed out the whole of Devon for a start: try anything there (except Plymouth which is a dump).

Not fair. Although the dockyard was badly blitzed in WW2 and doesn't compare to Portsmouth or Chatham for C18/C19 stuff. The Royal William Victualling Yard, Crownill Fort, and some of the sea coast are a treat.

Huzzah. A fellow fan. Plymouth is fucking incredible. Seedy, grotty, muscly, and all that, yet AT THE SAME TIME, superbly historic, with amazing architecture, wonderful views, incredible topography, Dartmoor meeting the suburbs, the mighty Tamar dividing everything, and the oldest regular ferry in the world.

We Brits tend to overlook what we have. Plymouth is a peerless example. Its history along makes it world class, but there is so much more.

And because it is a bit gritty, it hasn't been turned into St Ives or St Tropez or Nice or Tallinn.

I have been just reading a book about Gomme, Charles II's engineer, and his design of the Citadel at Plymouth. I want to go back and have a look. But I never got past the MBA aquarium, the first time I visited, watching the baby cuttelfish camouflage themselves like chameleons, and John Dory rotate about its lateral axis to be fed, and flushing white with pleasure, so there we are.

Crownhill Fort too. Palmerston foll, in superb order.

Plymouth reminds me a bit of Naples. Because it has this bad reputation people avoid it, so you can enjoy it without crowds of tourists. Yet Naples is superb, one of my favourite "neglected big cities" in Europe, maybe my TOP favourite.

Even before lockdown you could go to the Capodimonte museum and confront a world class Caravaggio and you'd be the only person in the room. Unthinkable anywhere else. All the trippers have been scared away by tales of theft and the Camorra.

Likewise the Royal William Victualling Yards in Plymouth. A magnificent piece of high imperial maritime architecture. First drawer stuff. Barely visited. Even before Ye Plague you could visit on a sunny spring day and be almost alone. Because Plymouth is perceived as "grotty"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_William_Victualling_Yard

If you want to contemplate world class art in solitude then the Wallace Collection is great.

Have you ever been to Hull ?

One place you’re never going to pass through on the way to somewhere else.