Latest news with #boringtown
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
I went to the 'UK's most boring town' - even locals told me to go somewhere else
An Australian man living in the UK visited the nation's 'most boring town' to prove you can 'still have fun' - but was left stunned by locals who encouraged him to leave 'the dump' and visit alternative cities. Liam Dowling used ChapGPT, to determine some of the dullest places in the UK, with the AI chatbot, showing Slough as the top contender. Accompanied by his Canadian friend, Matt Giffen, the pair travelled via rail to the Berkshire town, located 20 miles west of central London and 19 miles north-east of Reading. In a video uploaded to his TikTok page @liam_dowling, he announces: 'Come with us on a day out in what's known to be the worst place, and see if we can have fun. It really can't be that bad.' Upon exiting the train station, the pair are immediately met with a broken down car in the middle of the road with its bonnet propped up - yet no driver or passengers appear to be in sight. They proceed to stop by the local Wetherspoons pub, where they ask a member of staff for recommendations on the best things Slough has to offer. Asking, 'Where should we go? What should we do?' the employee swiftly responds, 'Go to Windsor. It's five minutes away by train.' The pair then head outside to a table occupied by two locals, and after chatting about wanting to have fun in the area, are warned: 'You're in the wrong town, trust me. There's nothing here. It's a dump.' Luckily, the duo find the funny side, and take it as a challenge to create their own fun instead. After having a couple of shots, they decide to explore Slough's high street, where they continue to speak to locals about their thoughts on the area. Liam says: 'Every single one has said the same thing - that this place is the worst place on earth.' He jokingly adds: 'I low-key feel unsafe. It's getting a bit dodgy, not going to lie.' He then captures their short venture into the town's shopping centre, which appears to be empty, before settling down for a bite to eat at fried chicken takeaway shop, Chicking. The pair are left pleasantly surprised by the affordable grub, noting that the spicy wings are 'unreal' and the 'best we've ever had.' Liam quips: 'Slough might not have a shopping centre - or anything else - but they have great chicken shop wings.' After finishing their food, they go on to visit the Brickhouse pub for another beverage, before making a stop at Slough Ice Arena for a quick skate session. They conclude their trip with a stop at Pizza GoGo for a takeaway meal and another stop at Wetherspoons. Over 440 viewers took to the comments to share their thoughts on Slough Heading to the train station, Matt and Liam say: 'It's been an interesting day. It's not a fun place, but we had fun together. The one thing I will say is that the people here were so friendly - so nice.' Over 440 viewers took to the comments to share their thoughts, as one wrote, 'Slough is worst town but the best food in the uk,' while another said, 'No amount of influencing will ever make me go to slough, chicking wings or not. Hell hole.' A third added: 'Why would you do this??? The normal thing to do is leave Slough at 18 and never ever return,' while another remarked, 'Respectfully there's not much fun happening in Windsor either.'
The Sun
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I'm grew up in one of the UK's most ‘boring' towns – it's anything but with Netflix filming and beautiful castles
WHEN I was growing up in Grantham, it wasn't uncommon to hear the word 'boring' thrown around - and not just because I was a sullen teenager, In fact, the south-west Lincolnshire town where I whiled away my childhood had been branded dull on a number of occasions. 8 8 It was dubbed the 'most boring town in Britain' in a 1980 Radio One survey, when its most famous former resident, Margaret Thatcher, was prime minister. It still makes me chuckle that when Grantham received its 'Golden Yawn Award' almost half a century ago, one local suggested 'the only thing that ever came out of [it] was the A1' - and it 's a sentiment of tediousness that 'G-Town' residents have long internalised. That the town is still shorthand for 'monotony' is an unfortunate fact raised again by a new Daily Telegraph round-up that has made headlines in the past few weeks. Grantham sits amongst Stevenage, Surbiton and Swindon in the list of 'Britain's most boring towns'. However, now in my 30s, I can't help but disagree that, from things to do to sites to see, my hometown isn't so uninteresting after all. If you're into history, then Grantham has centuries of it - with sites arguably as impressive as nearby Stamford or Lincoln if you're after a weekend getaway in the area. There's the blue plaque to spy on the side of a shop on the town's North Parade where Thatcher was born in 1925 - which also happens to be a chiropractic clinic and natural therapy centre, called Living Health, if you fancy a massage too. There's likewise the Angel and Royal hotel - aged 821 years - which is believed to be one of the oldest hotels in the world, and has hosted no fewer than seven kings and queens. Even if you don't stay in one of its 31 bedrooms, you still pop in to the The Kings Room restaurant, as well as The Angel Bar - which serves cocktails and tapas. Just outside town, in the village of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, is the National Trust property Woolsthorpe Manor - the former home of Sir Isaac Newton. Grantham - underrated town of the Midlands It was from a tree at the premises that he famously saw the apple drop, leading to the discovery of gravity in 1666. Grantham has certainly had its brush with celebrity over the years, and usually as a filming location for iconic films and Netflix series. Belton House, a grand National Trust property on the edge of town - and a must-see in its own right - was famously enlisted for the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth. More recently, the 17th-century mansion was used for the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte - in which it doubles up as the interior for Kew Palace and the exterior for Buckingham House. Another fancy residence close by that is well worth a visit, Belvoir Castle was used to film The Da Vinci Code - with Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen spotted on set. 8 8 8 As well as A-list royalty, plenty of real royalty have also passed through - including King Charles, who stayed over at Belton House during his training at RAF Cranwell in 1971. Currently, the most famous local residents are arguably Rebekah Vardy and her husband, Leicester City player Jamie, who live in a 12-bedroom mansion just outside of town. If you like a good catch-up over a cappuccino, things have come a long way since I was a kid when the best place for a caffeine hit in town was Costa. Westgate Bakery is just off the Market Place, which hosts a market every Saturday selling all manner of lovely local produce, from honey to veg. The 14th-century Grantham House, yet another National Trust property, is currently the talk of the town since opening a new cafe within its five acres of walled gardens in April. Other local favourites for a cuppa include Kitchen and Coffee and the café at Belton Garden Centre. 8 8 The aforementioned Belvoir Castle's Retail Village is also great spot to spend an afternoon, and you can also pick up some nice bits from the farm shop too. Fancy something stronger? The Blue Pig, a 16th-century watering hole, is perfect for a pint, while The Tap & Tonic is unrivalled for cocktails. If you're after a way to blow off some steam - and perhaps have little ones in tow - then Grantham actually has plenty of things to do. The Grantham Meres Leisure Centre boasts a semi-Olympic-sized swimming pool, along with three leisure pools and its very own big windy slide. Feeling competitive? Grantham Bowl has 12 lanes and an American-style diner for refreshments, while you can go go-karting at Ancaster Leisure which has one of the biggest tracks in the region. In fact, for kids, you also can't go wrong with a trip to Belton House's adventure playground, which is the National Trust's largest in the country. For adults who fancy a bit of relaxation, then the country hotel Belton Woods is home to a popular spa and golf course. When I was growing up the cinema had just two screens and was a bit tired - however the shiny new five-screen Savoy Cinema multiplex was built on the same site and opened in 2019. One of my favourite free activities? A rural hike up to Belmont Tower - just a ten-minute drive outside town - from which you can see for miles on a clear day. So with the historic hotels, famous castles and new attractions - Grantham is anything but boring. 8
