‘Sipping a pint while trout splashed in the river on a perfect summer's day': readers' favourite UK waterside pubs
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The Minerva stands at the entrance to Hull's trendy marina and has fantastic views over the Humber estuary. It opened in 1829 and is decorated with pictures, photos, maps and shields that celebrate Hull's maritime history. 'The snug' can only fit two people and is claimed to be the smallest pub room in the UK. The staff are brilliant and there's an ever-changing selection of guest ales. Rob
The Ferry Tavern is a family-run pub that stands proud on its own island between the River Mersey and the Sankey to St Helen's canal. Although it feels worlds away from nearby built-up areas, it's easily accessible, and best approached on foot or by bike, sitting right on the Trans-Pennine trail. The beer garden stretches along the riverbank, and nursing a pint of ale on a summer evening while looking out across this tranquil section of the Mersey with all its birdlife is serenity. The 300-year-old tavern is all cosy low ceilings and wooden beams, perfection for the Sunday pub quiz, while Foodie Fridays attracts locals to themed cuisine from Mexican to Greek. The rest of the week, however, hot food is not served.Matt Lunt
The 18th-century Blue Lias is a lovely family-run pub on the peaceful banks of the Grand Union canal in the heart of the verdant Warwickshire countryside. It beckoned me towards its outside beer garden as I strolled along the canal with its vibrant flower baskets hanging outside and the welcoming sound of friendly chatter from fellow walkers sipping ale. The pub is named after the clay that's quarried in the area and offers a beautiful, calm ambience on a summer's day with many people arriving on foot or by narrowboat.Gina
The Pandora Inn, on the banks of Restronguet creek between Truro and Falmouth, is a fantastic place to watch the world go by. Parts of the pub date back to the 13th century and the flagstone floors and thatched roof ooze history. But for me, the main attraction is the pontoon reaching out into the creek – the perfect place to watch wildlife and the regular clientele arriving by smallboat and kayak. Plus, the cheesy chips are to die for!Matt Croxall
One of the best beer gardens and all-round views in the country must be at the Bay Horse on the outskirts of Ulverston. The pub-hotel sits where the Ulverston canal meets the tidal estuary of the River Leven – an idyllic spot between the vast otherworldly expanses of Morecambe Bay and the soaring mountains of the Lake District. Being out of town, it's often quiet with only wading birds and the odd train for company. Being just outside the national park means the prices are also more Cumbrian (cheap) than at tourist traps in the Lakes. Michael
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The Tarr Farm Inn in Exmoor is in a secluded valley right by Tarr Steps, an ancient clapper bridge across the River Barle. It's a fantastic spot for a dog walk and a pint of local cider while the kids paddle in the stream. The inn dates from the 1600s and serves outstanding food (it was once chosen to provide the VIP catering for Glastonbury festival).Jen
The Granta overlooks the Mill Pond and Sheep's Green by the River Cam, and, despite being less than half a mile from the city centre, has countryside pub vibes. During the summer, cows may wander freely on the other side of the pond – old grazing rights are still utilised on Cambridge's commons. Moorhens, mute swans and herons are regular neighbours, the latter often statue-like at the water's edge. The pub's terrace offers a chance to relax with a drink while watching over this watering hole. There's even the chance of a cameo in cobalt from a passing kingfisher: an alternative Cambridge blue.Sharon Pinner
The William Morris at Merton Abbey Mills in Colliers Wood, south London, is a super-friendly pub next to the River Wandle. There is regular live music, lovely independent shops, and children can watch a watermill and learn about water energy. Although there is lots of traffic not too far way, the actual pub, named after the 19th-century textile designer, is a fab watering hole where you can almost forget about London. A short walk away is the National Trust's Morden Hall Park – you could whet your appetite by going there first.Asa
Piglove by the River sits in the Leeds' Climate Innovation District on the River Aire. It's not just the name that enchants. Owned by two Venezuelans who say they are inspired by the UK's craft beer tradition, Piglove offers small-batch beers brewed on site, rotating weekend street-food trucks, and a programme of tone-perfect events: quiz nights, spoken word, post-run cool-downs, pride marches, and jazz if you time it right. There's a greengrocers, mismatched benches, and the sense that something slightly bonkers might happen at any moment. It's walkable from the city centre, waiting for you to be seduced by the hum of Friday-night gatherings or the scent of pizza wafting over the sunlit water. Eliza Ainley
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Times
2 hours ago
- Times
My tour of England's glorious cathedrals produced a clear winner
I am not religious. I have only a passing interest in architecture. But I've always been fascinated by cathedrals: the elaborate vaults and arcades, the clash and contrast of clerestories, the stained-glass windows and ornate organs. Cathedrals possess an aura that compels us to touch their walls. They make us feel small. Cathedrals are seldom humble, often humbling. But I'd seen very few English cathedrals and little of England, my experience largely limited to European celebrities: Sagrada Familia, Notre Dame, Santa Maria del Fiore. Always up for a challenge, always a glutton for self-imposed deadlines, I decided in June last year to visit all 42 of England's Anglican cathedrals in the space of a year. I do not own a car, and trains require mortgages, so I often relied on family and friends for favours. My partner drove us three hours from our London flat to a log cabin in Ledbury, accompanied by our year-old whippet. I planned to start strong: three cathedrals in three days. Hereford felt homely, much like the city, and Gloucester hosted the most striking cloister I'd ever seen. But Worcester proved the favourite, not for the Norman crypt, certainly not for King John, but because it welcomed dogs. Our whippet pulled at the lead, dragging me past a well-behaved collie and timid dachshund, itching to reach a statue with an outstretched hand. The highlight of the trip: our usually quiet puppy, bark echoing across a silent nave, desperate to play with a marble Bishop Philpott. June, July, and August consisted of low-hanging fruit, day trips to cathedrals near London: Portsmouth, Chichester, Chelmsford, Guildford, Rochester and St Albans. All remarkable places with unremarkable cathedrals. My brother and I travelled to Salisbury to see a building that John Ruskin described as gloomy and profound. I found the exterior gloomy, the interior profound. Salisbury is full of surprises: the font, designed by William Pye in 2008, delivers streams of water over black marble, and an intricate Chapter House hosts Magna Carta. Salisbury proved an early favourite. It remained so for only six days. I visited Ely on the most crowded day of the year: the October harvest festival. Throngs of people ate toasties and bought trinkets by the truckload. A storm arrived at the nick of time, detaining me inside the great nave, where I joked with stallholders, selling farmhouse cider and autumnal reefs, about the Great British weather. Ely provided the coldest toastie and the warmest welcome. I can't remember much of the architecture, such were the joys. I had to squeeze in several cathedrals each time I ventured north. Leicester, Nottingham, and Sheffield proved vibrant and fascinating places, let down by their cathedrals. Then came Lincoln. If I ever tire of London, you'll find me in Lincoln. I climbed the Steep Hill, cheered on by hardened locals, and stumbled breathlessly upon the mighty façade. Lincoln Cathedral lends itself to romance, presenting the perfect marriage of complexity and size: it was once the world's tallest building, until its central spire collapsed during a storm in 1548. Every architectural feature seems enriched with armies of gargoyles or fields of carved foliage. Something captures your attention with every glance. The cathedral represents its city: self-assured, punching above its weight. I visited Winchester in January with bookish friends. Its cathedral commands attention: the endless nave, the soaring arcades, Gormley's sculpture in the perma-flooded crypt. We stumbled upon Jane Austen's grave, started discussing books, as we often did, and spent the rest of the day on the Austen trail, visiting her old stomping grounds. A few weeks later, I went to another great literary cathedral, the oldest cathedral in England, Canterbury, host to Chaucer's pilgrims and Edward, the Black Prince. My mum and I, after a few midday wines, stared at Becket's shrine and slurred about British history. The climax of Canterbury is its stained glass, the best I've seen: the south window seemed never-ending, showing off the most ancient glass in England. Canterbury is a marvel. My mum and I left feeling giddy, perhaps because of the wine, more likely because of the windows. Cathedrals are not designated by size, age or style. Function alone defines their status. A cathedral is the principal church of a diocese, a geographical area overseen by a bishop and distinguished by the presence of the bishop's cathedra, the Latin word for seat or throne. Cathedrals were once linked to the granting of city status, which explains why relatively small places such as Ely, Wells and Salisbury are cities, while larger places such as Reading and Northampton are not. As I ticked off the places close to home, places I'd been before, I noticed new details. St Paul's is an exercise in symmetry, an exposé of mathematical precision, a work of architectural genius. Or so I'm told. My memory of that day belongs largely to a Chinese tourist, probably mid-thirties, clinging to the rails, afraid to move near the top of the dome. She laughed nervously. She could not speak a lick of English, but managed to hold out a hand. I looked over my home town, standing proud in the jewel of its skyline, staring out at the Shard, the Tate and Thames. I'd been saving one cathedral, hoping to make it my last: Durham. The best view comes from the train. Legend dictates that John Betjeman pleaded for the stationmaster job because of that view. The cathedral watches over the city, the Wear protects the cathedral. I rushed over cobbles, heading down and climbing up, until I found its feet. The inside of Durham matches the beauty of the outside: the gigantic nave, rib-vaulted ceilings, the scale of Norman ambition. I spent two hours strolling with neck craned. You could spend a lifetime in Durham and barely scratch the sandstone. I saw the miner's memorial on my way out, two angels holding up a coal-black slate. The last colliery closed in 1993 but the memorial stands as a testament to Durham's history: the cathedral and the pits, two symbols of a stoic city. Durham challenged Lincoln but fell just short. My story does not have a happy ending. Time seemed to slip away and so far I've visited only 36 of the 42. I missed out on some apparent unsung heroes: Bradford, Carlisle, Ripon, Truro, Wakefield and Wells — a delight, so I'm told. I plan to visit them soon. It's nice to know there's always more to see. In England's Cathedrals, Simon Jenkins writes that, in the course of building, 'masons reflected the lives of the communities around them'. I found that many cathedrals represented their people: St Paul's felt prodigious, a little arrogant; Lincoln seemed self-assured and proud; Durham proved complex and stoic; and Worcester was welcoming to humans and dogs. But that sentiment felt unfair to other places: the people of Rochester, Bristol, Coventry, Newcastle and many other towns and cities, unlike their cathedrals, remain remarkable. The joy of visiting English cathedrals is visiting England, spending time with its brilliant characters.
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
The English county with the best pubs, according to our expert
There's nowhere to hide at the Coachmakers Arms in Stoke-on-Trent. When I visited recently, I was quickly ushered into the Lounge by the barman with the promise that 'the fire is on'. What he didn't mention was that the room itself was tiny, everyone else knew each other, and I was to be the entertainment for the next hour. Who was I, went the questioning, and what exactly was I doing in Stoke on this rainy Sunday evening? For footballers, a 'cold, rainy night in Stoke' is a famous litmus test of quality; if you can do it there and then, the thinking goes, you can do it anywhere. For pubgoers, the challenge is less onerous – genial questioning rather than a howling gale and a vociferous home crowd – but the rewards for success can be worthwhile. Once I'd revealed I was on the hunt for England's greatest pubs, I was inundated with recommendations for other pubs in Stoke. The Six Towns (Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke-upon-Trent and Tunstall), it turns out, are full of good options – but then again, so is Staffordshire as a whole. From Leek to Tamworth, this is a county stuffed with great traditional inns, a county that, I think (and having ummed and ahhed over it, changing my mind half-a-dozen times) is the best in England when it comes to pubs. What it offers is the most reliable blend of the elements that makes a great pub: atmosphere, decor, good beer and a strong sense of place. For the last of these ingredients, you'll struggle to beat Burton-on-Trent, England's greatest historic brewing town, with its trio of very different but equally good pubs: The Coopers Tavern, a historic Bass brewery tap; The Devonshire Arms, delightfully cosy, with gleaming copper-topped tables and untarnished green banquettes; and the Burton Bridge Inn, where the town's brewing tradition still burns bright. For atmosphere, there are the classics in Staffordshire's less well-known spots, from Leek's quirky Blue Mugge to the Anchor Inn by the Shropshire Union Canal. My favourite out-of-the-way Staffordshire pub is perhaps the Brushmakers Arms in Oulton, simple but so welcoming and comfortable. And in terms of decor and beer the Tamworth Tap, twice CAMRA's National Pub of the Year, is unparalleled. This is a micropub that feels like it's been in situ for decades, with one of the country's great pub gardens. Of course, there were plenty of other contenders. Nearby, there's Derbyshire, with its marvellous blend of city pubs and Peak District delights, while the West Midlands, and in particular the Black Country, can match Staffordshire almost blow-for-blow when it comes to atmospheric pubs serving good traditional beer. Kent and Essex have a surfeit of excellent country pubs, and as many as half-a-dozen urban counties – from Bristol to Tyne and Wear – could have carried off the crown. Why is Staffordshire so good? My guess would be that this is a place with a resolutely working-class culture, where the price of a pint remains within most customers' grasp. Squeezed between the West Midlands and the North West, it's not a place that appears to go too big on fads and fleeting fashions, very good news when it comes to pubs. It's also a place that, in Burton, has a brewing tradition that very few other places can match, with the exception of London. But while all of London's great brewing names are now things of the past – remembered, at most, in elderly branded mirrors on pub walls – the drinkers of Staffordshire still cherish Bass, even if the owners of the brand (AB InBev) have only recently woken up to its potential. Nowhere is this more obvious than at the Golden Cup Inn, one of the three Stoke pubs I included in my guide. There are many beautiful pubs in England, but none has quite taken my breath away like the Golden Cup. Recently restored to the tune of £250,000, it has a superb Edwardian green-tiled exterior, decorated with Bass's famous red triangle trademark and with the words 'Bass Only' above the windows. This isn't quite true – there are lots of other beers available inside these days – but it was telling that, when AB InBev decided to put some cash behind the beer in terms of marketing material, beer mats and new pump clips, The Golden Cup was one of the first pubs to get them. If that was all The Golden Cup had, it would be a nice place for beer geeks and history nerds. But when I visited, just before my trip to the Coachmakers, it was full of people, young and old, some enjoying a bank-holiday 'Daytime Disco', most just chatting happily in the pub's plush interior. That's the joy of Staffordshire pubs: they're connected to the past, but still very much alive. They've got the lot, and it's well worth testing yourself on a rainy Stoke evening to enjoy some of them.
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Daily Mail
How a seaside gem once loved by holidaymakers is packed with derelict ghost hotels... but locals say 'it's still better than Skegness'
With its pristine sandy beaches and bustling seafront its easy to see why Great Yarmouth was beloved by millions of day trippers for decades. In recent years the council has splashed cash to brighten up the ageing Britannia Pier and promenade in an effort to recapture some of the town's past glory. But while crowds of summer holidaymakers still enjoy strolling past its arcades, fish and chip shops and walking on the sand – a few roads over it is a very different story. Like a lot of Britain's faded seaside gems, Yarmouth has a big hotel problem. Victorian guest houses and converted homes once packed to the rafters with excited visitors are now left empty, boarded-up and derelict after years of decline. Neglected back streets are now becoming used by fly-tipping yobs to dump rubbish and old furniture. Even the town's Winter Gardens, a grand grade-II listed glass hall, is boarded-off while it awaits a much needed spruce-up thanks to £10m in lottery funding. But residents want funding spread evenly to tidy up the streets packed with eyesore buildings. One local told the Daily Mail: 'The same investment hasn't gone into other buildings. 'It's cosmetic on the seafront but there's fly tipping on the back streets. An overhead view of the derelict Victory Hotel in Great Yarmouth. The abandoned hotel went up in flames in 2023 in a suspected arson attack and has been left in its damaged condition Pictured: The Victory Hotel. Great Yarmouth, like many other resorts in the UK, was once a seaside gem, but is now packed with boarded up hotels The seaside resort's Winter Gardens attraction was the last surviving Victorian glasshouse but has sat derelict for years. A restoration project is due to begin, and could be reopened by 2027 The roof of the Victory Hotel after firefighters fought to put out a blaze in 2023. Eight weeks before the fire, the empty hotel was found to have been used as a cannabis farm While parts of the hotel have been boarded up, the upper windows remain smashed in, with shards of broken glass around the edges 'The two years after lock down were alright because people hadn't been anywhere. 'Then after that the decline started and you had foreign men put into hotels with no outlook or work at all.' While the council are keen to suggest that all seaside towns have a problem with empty buildings - Yarmouth's are hard to ignore. An eerie building just one street back from the seafront is the former home of The Victory Hotel. The hotel has remained derelict for years and in 2023 its roof was damaged by a fire caused by a suspected arson attack. Just eight weeks before the fire broke out, police discovered a cannabis farm growing inside the dilapidated building. Just a few minutes away, a blue plaque on the front of the Royal Hotel on the seafront, proudly tells visitors Charles Dickens had stayed there from 1848 to 1849 while he was writing David Copperfield. But now the once-grand hotel is closed with weeds growing up around the edges and a sign saying it was guarded by 24/7 security. Further along the front, Trafalgar House, a large Victorian building once home to a restaurant, is boarded up with a sign saying it is for let. The Show Boat amusement arcade is also closed for business, with its windows whited-out. While a Victorian sailors' refuge, dating from 1861, called The Sailors Home is also boarded-up. The building had been a museum between 1967 and 2003 but now a sign says 'renovation plans' are being 'finalised'. Further up on the North Quay, the derelict Star Hotel just about remains intact. The grade-II listed building has been standing since the 1600s but has become riddled with crime after its closure in 2020. The hotel, which was left in a state of disrepair, has been the subject of numerous break-ins and earlier this year had to be attended by fire crews after a crumbling part of the structure nearly fell to the floor. Yarmouth seems to be a tale of two towns - the grim, neglected back streets and the smarter sea front. The Star Hotel, which occupies a grade-II listed building, was abandoned in 2020 but in 2023 also suffered a suspected arson attack When the Daily Mail visited Great Yarmouth this week, while the back streets laid derelict with abandoned buildings and barely any activity, the main pier was still attracting holidaymakers The Royal Hotel, where Charles Dickens is said to have stayed between 1848 and 1849 while writing David Copperfield, is yet another one of many shuttered hotels in the seaside resort An overhead view of the Winter Gardens, which is currently closed, but is due to undergo restoration works over the next few years Shops and arcades on the main pier, though not as busy as in its heyday, was still bustling with families visiting the area during the summer holidays Tracy Crowther, 56, was visiting the seaside town with her father Malcolm Crowther. Tracy said she wanted to visit because they would go there when she was a kid, but admitted the town was looking 'run-down' and a 'bit tired' Nadine Fox, 44, who works in one of the food kiosks by the beach said the cost of living is crippling the town's economy. She said: 'I have lived here my whole life. As a holiday resort, it has gone downhill, mainly because of Covid. 'People cannot afford to do the same things as they did before. 'Now, if they have donuts and ice-cream, they can't afford to have lunch out as well. They either do one or the other. 'It's a lovely town but things have just become too expensive. 'We open until 11pm but a lot of the other businesses on the seafront close at 4pm or 5pm. It's because it's cheaper to close. 'They cannot afford to pay the staff, even if it's on the minimum wage, that's still £12 plus. And there's the tax and National Insurance. 'I would not want to see the bills for this place because these machines have to be left on all night [slush and ice cream machines]. The overheads have gone sky high. 'People will walk around the arcades and won't spend a penny and come and see the firework shows on Wednesday evenings.' Nick Robson, 56, runs a gift shop. He said: 'I think the investment in the town has changed it considerably. It looks a lot cleaner on the seafront but other areas have suffered because of it. The same investment hasn't gone into other buildings. 'It's cosmetic on the seafront but there's fly tipping on the back streets. 'The two years after lock down were alright because people hadn't been anywhere. Then after that the decline started and you had foreign men put into hotels with no outlook or work at all.' Councillors from Great Yarmouth Borough Council blamed the cost of cheaper holidays in Spain for the lack economic downturn - but said the town's future is bright. Pictured: A former HMO on Nelson Road South. It was gutted by a fire in 2023 The entire roof can be seen burnt through in aerial images. The building has since been left in a derelict state by its owner A sign outside the Royal Hotel reads: 'Charles Dickens stayed at the Royal Hotel in 1848-49 whilst engaged in writing the novel "David Copperfield" The now boarded up Maritime House once housed the Maritime Museum, but was closed in 2004 when the Time and Tide Museum opened. It was then used as a tourist information centre by the council but has stood empty and vandalised since it closed due to Covid Fire damage and graffiti can be seen on the exterior of the Star Hotel. The grade-II listed building has been riddled with crime since its closure in 2020 Despite looking 'run down' and 'tired' with many abandoned hotels and buildings, the seaside resort is still bringing in visitors. Whilst the pier itself was busy, the back streets and the stretch of beach itself remained empty John Quinn, 78, and Rita Smith, also 78, said 'We've been to a few English resorts, Blackpool, Morecambe, Scarborough and Skegness, and this is the nicest', though they said 'some of the back streets are a bit run-down' Cllr Malcolm Bird said: 'I do not think any seaside town is like it was in the Fifties or Sixties. I think there has been a decline. People's holidays have changed. 'There's a lot of positives but hotels need to invest in the future and offer people nothing less than what they've got at home. You have to invest. 'But a lot of these hotels are owned by middle-aged hoteliers and guest-house operators who do not want to throw that money into the business and instead rent them out as houses in multiple occupation which brings them revenue but does not do the town that great.' He added: 'We've had problems [with refuse collection] but from the first of April we have had a complete change of operators and they're investing in new sweepers and are trying to eradicate the dumping of furniture. It has improved. 'There are parts of Yarmouth, the back of the seafront, where there's a lot of property which is in need of major refurbishment and unfortunately we are not in such a bright economic period we used to be in. 'You can always go anywhere and find the bad parts. 'People say they think Great Yarmouth will be like Skegness or Canvey Island but I say 'No, we have a third river crossing and all the amusement arcades that my kids and their kids love are there and looking nice.' 'It's part of an English summer holiday.' Amanda Organ, 52, with son Thomas, four, said the issue was that people could not afford to visit Great Yarmouth anymore because it was too expensive An aerial view looking at the back streets behind the seafront. The tops of broken and burnt down roofs can be seen Pictured: The former Trinity Arms pub on Southgates Road in Great Yarmouth has been shut for more than half a century The Barking Smack pub, off which parts of the sign has fallen off, lays derelict on the seafront The fire damage to the grade-II listed Star Hotel can be spotted from above, with parts of the roof collapsing The hotel, on Hall Quay, sits along the River Yare. The building was cordoned off earlier this year after fears a crumbling section near the top was to fall through Despite the derelicts buildings littering the town centre, visitors said Yarmouth was nicer than other seaside favourites. Rita Smith, 78, on holiday with partner John Quinn, also 78, from Glasgow, said: 'We've been to a few English resorts, Blackpool, Morecambe, Scarborough and Skegness, and this is the nicest. But some of the back streets are a bit run-down.' Amanda Organ, 52, was with her son Thomas, aged four, said: 'I've known Great Yarmouth for a long time. 'It's a little bit more run down, but it always has been. 'What we find quite surprising is how expensive everything is. For holiday-makers, it's very expensive. 'For me, its best years were 30 years ago, when I was young, when the whole sea front was lined with shops selling candy floss, buckets and beach shoes and it's okay now but all the restaurants are closed. 'We have a lovely sandy beach there. Why is that not being heavily-promoted? It's because people cannot afford to come here. People have to spend a lot. 'We were going to go up to the model village but that's £11 so we didn't. 'I've only got one child but my friend has three children and for her to do crazy golf would cost £40.' Winter Gardens has received a £0.5m grant for its restoration. As initial works are set to begin, the venue is hosting a 'show and tell' event to share memories of the iconic site Despite the rainy weather when the Daily Mail visited on Thursday, visitors were still strolling down the pier Ms Organ told of how she has known Great Yarmouth for a long time and that while it has 'always been' run down, now it is a 'little bit more run down' The Showboat restaurant sits boarded up along the seafront Souvenir and candy shops remain open along the promenade as summer holidaymakers visit the famous Britannia Pier Tracy Crowther, 56, was staying in Great Yarmouth with her father, Malcolm, 86, for a five-day holiday. They came down on a coach trip from Leeds and were disappointed when they first saw the hotel they were staying at. Tracy, a teacher, said: 'I was disappointed when I first saw it. I didn't want to get off the coach. It looked tired from the outside and not very nice. But it's lovely on the inside. The food is lovely and it's nice. 'We came here because we used to come as kids.' Malcolm said: 'It's a bit run-down now. It's looking a little bit tired and that was a bit of a surprise. 'The back streets remind me a little bit of Blackpool. 'A couple of years ago me and my wife [Doreen] were here and stayed at that hotel [The Royal Hotel]. I'm not surprised it's closed down. 'We were very disappointed to say the least. It was very run-down and badly organised. They had no idea how to run the place.' Malcolm said: 'I'd still rather be here than Scarborough or Blackpool.'
