'I visited UK seaside town with bad reputation but I found one thing idyllic'

Wales Online

21 hours ago

'I visited UK seaside town with bad reputation but I found one thing idyllic'
A seaside city in Wales was dubbed the 'worst' in Britain, with people saying it was 'run down' and 'drab', but one recent visitor felt the title was 'misleading'
YouTuber Wendall visited Bangor in North Wales to see if it was the 'worst' seaside town
(Image: Wendall/YouTube )
A Welsh cathedral city that was dubbed as one of the 'worst seaside towns' won over one YouTuber who visited thanks to one thing.
Home to around 16,000 people, Bangor in Gwynedd scored lowly for its food and drink scene, shopping and tourist attractions. Critics also slammed the city's beaches and value for money.
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The BBC reported that some commenters called Bangor 'drab' and 'run down'. Although people living in the cathedral city hit-back at the poll, pointing out that it has never been seen as a seaside resort, unlike destinations such as Llandudno and Rhyl.
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Instead, the city has garnered a reputation for its sixth century cathedral, 19th-century university building, its Victorian pier and the Penrhyn Castle. YouTuber Wendall visited the city and was won over by its surroundings.
Bangor is located just miles away from the Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. Its Garth Pier also stretches out into the Menai Strait overlooking Anglesey and the picturesque town of Beaumaris.
YouTuber Wendall was won over by Bangor's harbour
(Image: R)
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In a video on his channel, Wendall visited the city's bay. He said: 'Before I came to this small city that has been given the title of the worst seaside town in Britain, I expected far worse than this, look at this idyllic setting. I'm starting to think this might be a little bit of tabloid sensationalism, even more so than other places I've been.
'This is quite idyllic, the tide is out at the moment so you have a bit of seaweed and stuff but it's peaceful and quiet. There's new buildings and pathways and stuff for people to walk.
'I've been to all sorts of seaside towns and Bangor, it's probably just a bit quiet and dead. But it's certainly not rough, not in the town centre and near the water anyway.
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'It's been termed the worst seaside town and I immediately think of it like a dying holiday resort, but this isn't actually a holiday resort, it's a town by the water but it's not got all the arcades, all the empty holiday parks, I think that title is misleading.'
Garth Pier in Bangor
(Image: R)
Wendall also visited the city's famous Garth Pier. At 1,500 feet (460 m) in length, it is the second-longest pier in Wales and ninth-longest in Britain. The YouTuber said: 'This is beautiful.'
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Fellow YouTuber Ed Chapman also praised the city's pier. On a video on his own channel, Ed said: 'Now, this looks beautiful that we're heading towards here. Sun's starting to set now, getting to golden hour, and we're heading onto the pier, which does look beautiful. It looks a little bit more sort of traditionally seaside-y."
Looking out over the water from the pier, he added that the view was "impressive" and "glorious" before dubbing the pier "lovely". Later in the video, he expressed his admiration for the university, calling it a "nice" building and "very sort of Hogwarts".
Bangor University
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Ed was left 'very surprised" by the city and said Bangor, in his opinion, wasn't the UK's worst seaside town and "pretty underrated". After the survey results were announced, Bangor City Council hit-out at the poll.
A spokesman said: 'It's disappointing to see Bangor City named as one of the UK's worst seaside towns. Such rankings often fail to capture the full picture and the unique charms that make Bangor City so special."
Other highlights emphasised by the council included the Storiel Gallery and Museum and Pontio Arts Centre and the cathedral. Commenters on YouTube spoke-out in favour of the city.
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One said: 'I'm Bangor born and bred. We are NOT a 'seaside town' and have never been one."
Another added: 'We are a very small university city beside the sea. We are not geared up to be a seaside town - that's places like Llandudno and Rhyl. We've never had a sandy beach and they are shoring up the sea defences down there atm [at the moment], which is a massive job. Bangor is the gateway to the mountains."