A plucky YouTuber has turned the tables on a Welsh city that was labelled the UK’s worst seaside resort, finding charm in an unexpected place. Ed Chapman, a travel-savvy vlogger who shares his adventures on his eponymous YouTube channel, recently ventured to Bangor. The city has been tarnished by the savage label of being the worst seaside resort, according to a Which? survey.
In January, 4,744 Which? panelists gave the North Wales city an unenviable score of just 42%, with descriptors like “drab” and “run down” thrown into the mix, as reported by the BBC.
Yet, among the harsh criticism, the survey responders couldn’t deny Bangor’s cultural allure, giving nods to its cathedral and picturesque Menai Strait views. Despite praise for these attributes, Bangor’s reputation still took a hit, leading to a disheartened response from local officials, reports Wales Online.
Undeterred by hearsay, Ed immersed himself in Bangor life for two days and uncovered a surprising truth. Professing his discovery, Ed reflected: “I will say the locals have all been, including the taxi driver, really friendly. Very friendly people is a good start to any place you go to, regardless of if it’s a dump or not.”
But it was Bangor’s celebrated Garth Pier that truly captured Ed’s admiration. In a tribute to its singular elegance, he quickly lauded the iconic structure as “beautiful” and typifying something far more “traditionally seaside-y.”
As he neared the picturesque 19th-century pier, Ed remarked: “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.”
Surveying the expanse of water from the pier, he continued to praise the view as “impressive” and “glorious” before referring to the pier as “lovely”.
Moving on in the video, his appreciation extended to the local university, which he described as a “nice” building and “very sort of Hogwarts”.
It’s evident that Bangor left a positive impression on the YouTuber. Wrapping up his visit within the video, he disclosed his “very surprised” reaction to the coastal city, contradicting previous opinions by considering Bangor quite the hidden gem and “pretty underrated”, rather than the UK’s worst seaside resort.
Reacting to the earlier unflattering assessment this year, Bangor City Council issued a statement saying: “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.”
Among other celebrated features highlighted by the council were the Storiel Gallery and Museum, Pontio Arts Centre, and St Deiniol’s Cathedral.
In addition, within the same county lies Portmeirion, acclaimed as Wales’ top seaside town with an 83% score, while the nearby town of Llandudno admittedly did well with a respectable 78%.