Southampton the 4th crappest town in the UK

[Barry Sanchez]

I was chatting to an Olympic Sailor a while ago and he said the solent was pretty much considered the yachting capital of the World. I don't know enough about it to tell if he was talking sh!te or not tho.

 

Really? How many times when you think of Southampton do you think of yachts? And yes he is talking ****.

[Barry Sanchez]

I just typed into google yachting capital of the World, must be a mistake as I can not see Southampton.

[melmacian_saint]

I will also point out that our airport is suffering from short-sightedness and a blind "if it ain't broke..." attitude. Possibly one of best airports in Britain in terms of location and accessibility (funnily enough the worst links are to the city itself, although the train is handy enough for the central city I suppose), with a mainline station connecting it virtually to half of the UK and smoothly to the whole of its catchment area, and yet it is completely monopolized by FlyBE (who do offer the odd bargain but most of the times rip you off), operates only short routes and the odd summer one and has possibly one of the most mug-minded terminals in the world. The way they fit 9 departure gates and make you go through that narrow labyrinth of a duty free after security into such a small terminal is just wrong. Also the entrance and pick-up point is one of the weirdest things you'll find in airports UK wide, very poorly organized.

 

The runway is also not long enough to receive frequent capacity flights from the majority of medium range aircraft like the A320 or the B737, and these flights apparently have considerable weight (and therefore pax.) restrictions when flying from here.

 

The day FlyBe pulls the plug the airport will be on its knees. Plymouth-Air Southwest v.2.0.

[Whitey Grandad]

So because a yacht is sold in Britain it makes that area the yachting capital of the World? Thats a bit much dont you think? Annapolis, Auckland and Palma **** all over it to also **** on your delusions of grandeur.

 

Royal Yacht Squadron?

Cowes week?

Round the Island Race?

[aintforever]

Really? How many times when you think of Southampton do you think of yachts? And yes he is talking ****.

 

He said Solent, and I guess he probably knows more about it than you. I expect he was talking about the competitive sport not w@nkers poncing about in speed boats.

[Whitey Grandad]

I will also point out that our airport is suffering from short-sightedness and a blind "if it ain't broke..." attitude. Possibly one of best airports in Britain in terms of location and accessibility (funnily enough the worst links are to the city itself, although the train is handy enough for the central city I suppose), with a mainline station connecting it virtually to half of the UK and smoothly to the whole of its catchment area, and yet it is completely monopolized by FlyBE (who do offer the odd bargain but most of the times rip you off), operates only short routes and the odd summer one and has possibly one of the most mug-minded terminals in the world. The way they fit 9 departure gates and make you go through that narrow labyrinth of a duty free after security into such a small terminal is just wrong. Also the entrance and pick-up point is one of the weirdest things you'll find in airports UK wide, very poorly organized.

 

The runway is also not long enough to receive frequent capacity flights from the majority of medium range aircraft like the A320 or the B737, and these flights apparently have considerable weight (and therefore pax.) restrictions when flying from here.

 

The day FlyBe pulls the plug the airport will be on its knees. Plymouth-Air Southwest v.2.0.

 

The runway is long enough but not wide enough, apparently.

[Whitey Grandad]

I just typed into google yachting capital of the World, must be a mistake as I can not see Southampton.

 

You rely on Google too much, I would suggest.

[Barry Sanchez]

Royal Yacht Squadron?

Cowes week?

Round the Island Race?

 

Sorry the three things you have used as an example for why Southampton is not 4th crappest place in the UK and why it is the capital of the yachting World are actually not in Southampton itself, in fact they are separated by water, what would Cowes think of this?

[Barry Sanchez]

You rely on Google too much, I would suggest.

 

No I simply know people are talking rubbish thinking Southampton when they state its the yachting capital of the World, you could even throw in the area argument as well, its crap.

[100% Saint]

No offence to any Liverpudlians but the times i've been there it's worse than Southampton in terms of outskirts and around the city centre even though the city centre itself in Liverpool is not bad. I don't understand how were are 4th or even London 1st. Bizzare!

[Barry Sanchez]

He said Solent, and I guess he probably knows more about it than you. I expect he was talking about the competitive sport not w@nkers poncing about in speed boats.

 

For competitive large yachting you mean, then he truly is talking out of his hoop, the med, Florida (Keys) and the Caribbean are the playground of the rich, not the Solent.

[Barry Sanchez]

No offence to any Liverpudlians but the times i've been there it's worse than Southampton in terms of outskirts and around the city centre even though the city centre itself in Liverpool is not bad. I don't understand how were are 4th or even London 1st. Bizzare!

 

I doubt many Liverpudlians come on here so dont be concerned.

[Wade Garrett]

Barry, you boring c*nt, stop going on.

[Wes Tender]

Well, having done the same exercise, the Yanks cannot even agree between themselves, half say Annapolis and the other half says Newport, Rhode Island. But other claimants say the British Virgin Islands, Kiel, the Abaco Islands and Stockholm. But as lots of the Yank Google sites are written by self-publicising Yank towns, then one would expect them to glorify themselves. The Yanks always like to have the biggest, including heads and mouths. But as there are such events of importance as Cowes Week, the Fastnet Race, the Round the Island race, the Tall Ships race and Around the World races starting in the Solent area, then we have plenty of grounds for claiming that the Solent is the Capital of World Sailing

[Barry Sanchez]

Barry, you boring c*nt, stop going on.

 

Translates, Barry you are a legend and correct but please stop being correct all the time as the natives down here need something to be happy about, whether it be a New Forest pony or a yacht.

[Barry Sanchez]

Well, having done the same exercise, the Yanks cannot even agree between themselves, half say Annapolis and the other half says Newport, Rhode Island. But other claimants say the British Virgin Islands, Kiel, the Abaco Islands and Stockholm. But as lots of the Yank Google sites are written by self-publicising Yank towns, then one would expect them to glorify themselves. The Yanks always like to have the biggest, including heads and mouths. But as there are such events of importance as Cowes Week, the Fastnet Race, the Round the Island race, the Tall Ships race and Around the World races starting in the Solent area, then we have plenty of grounds for claiming that the Solent is the Capital of World Sailing

 

 

No, Wes no we dont, you can claim it if you want but you are incorrect, you are also doing what the Yanks are doing. Tall Ships? Thats been to Liverpool (record attendance) and Hartlepool but I dont see them piping.

[Wes Tender]

No, Wes no we dont, you can claim it if you want but you are incorrect, you are also doing what the Yanks are doing. Tall Ships? Thats been to Liverpool (record attendance) and Hartlepool but I dont see them piping.

 

Yes, I do claim it. If you don't agree, then who cares? I think that you're just a bit miffed that Southampton is the UK's largest Cruise Liner port and not your beloved Liverpool dump.

[Whitey Grandad]

Sorry the three things you have used as an example for why Southampton is not 4th crappest place in the UK and why it is the capital of the yachting World are actually not in Southampton itself, in fact they are separated by water, what would Cowes think of this?

 

So what if it's water? Were talking about boats here. Cowes is only 11 nm from Southampton, that would fit comfortably. Into the North Circular. Some people see water and think that's where the world ends but actually it's where the rest of the world starts.

[buctootim]

So what if it's water? Were talking about boats here. Cowes is only 11 nm from Southampton, that would fit comfortably. Into the North Circular. Some people see water and think that's where the world ends but actually it's where the rest of the world starts.

 

Isnt that like saying Lambeth or Catford is a great place to live because its only (much less than) 11 miles from Kensington or Mayfair?

[ecuk268]

Really? Its an industry worth £17 Billion, you dont want a slice of that, I think you are talking out of your arse, this is nothing to do with highly skilled jobs (I would always argue for them as well) but the progression of a dour City and providing more jobs for people, thats no bad thing, do you think all the people connected with tourism are on minimum wage and only work in the summer? I suggest you research a bit more.

 

At least I am capable of conducting a debate without resorting to infantile insults. I'm sure that you agree that insults weaken the argument.

[CB Fry]

So what if it's water? Were talking about boats here. Cowes is only 11 nm from Southampton, that would fit comfortably. Into the North Circular. Some people see water and think that's where the world ends but actually it's where the rest of the world starts.

 

The rest of the world that isn't Southampton you mean? Yes, I think you do.

 

Cowes: not Southampton.

[aintforever]

The rest of the world that isn't Southampton you mean? Yes, I think you do.

 

Cowes: not Southampton.

 

Yeah, bravo. That needed saying.

 

I think the point was that being in an area good for sailing is one of Southampton's attributes.

[Special K]

For competitive large yachting you mean, then he truly is talking out of his hoop, the med, Florida (Keys) and the Caribbean are the playground of the rich, not the Solent.

 

You demonstrate the art of "talking out of the hoop" better than anyone Bazza. The Solent has one of the most vibrant sailing event diaries in the world, covering loads of different classes of boat and with more active yacht clubs than you can shake a stick at.

[mack rill]

And don't forget to wipe your feet on the way out!

[Whitey Grandad]

Isnt that like saying Lambeth or Catford is a great place to live because its only (much less than) 11 miles from Kensington or Mayfair?

 

Or vice-versa. You can't divorce a community from its immediate surroundings.

 

It's ridiculous to say that London, for example, is a great place or a crap place. It's an enormous conglomeration of vastly different communities and can't be compared with somewhere like Chipping Sodbury..

[Whitey Grandad]

The rest of the world that isn't Southampton you mean? Yes, I think you do.

 

Cowes: not Southampton.

 

We were actually talking about the Solent, but just because two locations are separated by a short stretch of water doesn't mean that they are not a connected community.

[CB Fry]

Yeah, bravo. That needed saying.

 

I think the point was that being in an area good for sailing is one of Southampton's attributes.

 

I think the thread is about Southampton as a city. What Cowes has to do with that is anyone's guess. Being that you can get to the Isle of Wight from Portsmouth too, you could include Cowes, Cowes week and everything about the Isle of Wight it in the Pompey credit column just as conveniently.

[CB Fry]

We were actually talking about the Solent, but just because two locations are separated by a short stretch of water doesn't mean that they are not a connected community.

 

The Solent was on the crap towns list? Not surprising, it's waterlogged to buggery.

[Whitey Grandad]

The Solent was on the crap towns list? Not surprising, it's waterlogged to buggery.

 

That just shows how ridiculous the whole concept is. What are we considering here? How do we define a town? Does London include everything inside the M25.

[Batman]

That just shows how ridiculous the whole concept is. What are we considering here? How do we define a town? Does London include everything inside the M25.

 

Isn't the city of London actually really really small.

 

No wonder it was on the list

[CB Fry]

That just shows how ridiculous the whole concept is. What are we considering here? How do we define a town? Does London include everything inside the M25.

 

How about the clearly defined "county" of greater london, defined by the boroughs within it. Not that ridiculous. It's a "thing" that is clearly defined and written down (and administered by the GLA).

 

What definition includes the entire Solent and Cowes as part of Southampton?

 

So in answer to your question "what are we considering here?", how about the City of Southampton, which currently Cowes is not a suburb of.

[Whitey Grandad]

How about the clearly defined "county" of greater london, defined by the boroughs within it. Not that ridiculous. It's a "thing" that is clearly defined and written down (and administered by the GLA).

 

What definition includes the entire Solent and Cowes as part of Southampton?

 

So in answer to your question "what are we considering here?", how about the City of Southampton, which currently Cowes is not a suburb of.

 

This definition?

 

. the administrative area of London, consisting of the City of London and 32 boroughs (13 Inner London boroughs and 19 Outer London boroughs): formed in 1965 from the City, parts of Surrey, Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire, and almost all of Middlesex, and abolished for administrative purposes in 1996: a Mayor of London and a new London Assembly took office in 2000. Pop: 7 387 900 (2003 est). Area: 1579 sq km (610 sq miles)

 

That's bigger than a lot of sovereign states. How can you compare it with the City of Southampton?

[Whitey Grandad]

Isn't the city of London actually really really small.

 

No wonder it was on the list

 

Yes, also called the Square Mile and separate from the City of Westminster.

[CB Fry]

This definition?

 

. the administrative area of London, consisting of the City of London and 32 boroughs (13 Inner London boroughs and 19 Outer London boroughs): formed in 1965 from the City, parts of Surrey, Kent, Essex, and Hertfordshire, and almost all of Middlesex, and abolished for administrative purposes in 1996: a Mayor of London and a new London Assembly took office in 2000. Pop: 7 387 900 (2003 est). Area: 1579 sq km (610 sq miles)

 

That's bigger than a lot of sovereign states. How can you compare it with the City of Southampton?

 

Jesus wept. You do realise the Crap Towns thing is a humourous book, a bit of fun?

 

Your squinnying about the definition of London would carry more weight if you weren't trying to pretend that Cowes is part of Southampton.

[Barry Sanchez]

Jesus wept. You do realise the Crap Towns thing is a humourous book, a bit of fun?

 

Your squinnying about the definition of London would carry more weight if you weren't trying to pretend that Cowes is part of Southampton.

 

Thank you CB Fry, people are extending their argument (still incorrect) to try and strengthen it by adding places on and bizzarrely getting ****ty about London, London is a great City if you live in one of select few suburbs but other than that mundane and expensive for travel and housing, I can comment on this as I have done and so have family for years.

Southampton as a City is dour and grey, its my spiritual home and to others I will always try and defend it but its hard when it truly is **** to other Cities for things to do.

People then bring in the New Forest and others which only shows that our City the core as such is ****ing ********,

Edited 8 October, 2013 by Barry Sanchez

[Barry Sanchez]

From crap towns returns

 

 

Take a look at a map of the UK. You see roughly in the middle of the south coast that there is an opening? Looks a bit like the country’s bumhole? That’ll be Southampton, the most depressing place I’ve ever visited, whose main claim to fame is that the Titanic sailed from there, killing hundreds of locals in the process.

 

But that was in the glory days. Now, it’s a culture-less abyss with amenities and nightlife that make Chelmsford look like New York.

 

Southampton: the only place in the UK I’ve ever seen someone get on a bus and nonchalantly spark up a crack pipe.

[Whitey Grandad]

Jesus wept. You do realise the Crap Towns thing is a humourous book, a bit of fun?

 

Your squinnying about the definition of London would carry more weight if you weren't trying to pretend that Cowes is part of Southampton.

 

Why are you obsessed with this? I give an example, nothing more, of Cowes as being as near to Southampton City Centre as anywhere within the M25 is to the City of London. The fact that they are separated by 11 miles of water just makes that example more extreme. If you're going to include all the London boroughs in the appraisal of London then you have to include all the amenities around Southampton. That is all..

[Barry Sanchez]

http://www.craptownsreturns.co.uk/2012/09/25/southampton/

[Barry Sanchez]

Why are you obsessed with this? I give an example, nothing more, of Cowes as being as near to Southampton City Centre as anywhere within the M25 is to the City of London. The fact that they are separated by 11 miles of water just makes that example more extreme. If you're going to include all the London boroughs in the appraisal of London then you have to include all the amenities around Southampton. That is all..

 

 

City centres, does Cowes want to be associated with Southampton? They have their identity, we have an ikea.....................

[CB Fry]

Why are you obsessed with this? I give an example, nothing more, of Cowes as being as near to Southampton City Centre as anywhere within the M25 is to the City of London. The fact that they are separated by 11 miles of water just makes that example more extreme. If you're going to include all the London boroughs in the appraisal of London then you have to include all the amenities around Southampton. That is all..

 

Well no. Boroughs of London is London. It is London.

 

Cowes is not an "amenity" of Southampton.

 

I am not obsessed with pretending a town on an island is somehow part of a city on the mainland. (I asked before and you ignored it, how come Pompey can't lay claim to Cowes anyway?)

[pap]

If you're having to justify Southampton by including what's near it, you've lost the argument.

 

I ended up in Liverpool because of Uni. I wanted to get as far away from the South as was possible. Even then, when it was a much grottier city, Liverpool yanked my pants down and gave me a good seeing to. For me, it's an attitude thing. I prefer the southern US states to the northern ones, where the north/south rudeness thing is very much flipped. I don't like the introduction culture down there. Average looking women think they're f*cking stunnas, and they're really not. The pubs used to close on time, even most of the local pubs I drank in.

 

I like the Hobbit and Bevois Valley, although my favourite pub would actually be the Bent Brief. I also loved living in the Polygon, because apart from Bevois Valley, it was the only place that had a bit of life in it. The South is not good at cities. Most of the other total sh!tholes are down that way too. I don't think Southampton is as bad as some of those, but it's expensive, got a crappy night club culture, an out of town shopping centre in the middle of f**king town. As for all these nice areas? You don't see a soul in most of them. Highfield's alright - the Crown is a good pub - but seriously - what is there to do in the posh end of Bassett?

 

I'm always happy when I get back, but as I said earlier, it's because of friends ( most of my best mates live outside the city now ) and family, which you can't really get anywhere else. Southampton's got nothing going for it (for me). I'm unconvinced by the arguments in its favour. Give me a good Northern city with friendly people, decent music and a city centre that inspires you, rather than f**king LeisureWorld.

[pap]

Oh, and actual banter. Not just a few words that a prelude to a bust-up between beer-heads.

[The9]

Well, I worked on an installation project right across the South (and some bits of the North) of England and Wales, and have seen cities and towns in every county in that half of the UK, spending a week in about 30 of them, and I actively chose to live in Southampton permanently a few years later after being a student here. Suffice to say I don't agree with the ranking at all.

 

Far worse places than Southampton I've been to include Stoke, Coventry, Middlesbrough, Luton, Slough, Swindon, Merthyr, my home town of Newport, and basically anywhere urban east of Swansea, west of the Celtic Manor, and south of Brecon excluding Cardiff, Usk and Caerphilly (i.e. the 90% of South Wales which isn't Cardiff or Cardiff Bay).

 

There are doubtless many more I have not yet been to. Merthyr is by far the worst though. It gets dark around 3pm in December, there's literally nothing for miles to the north except slate collieries, there's hardly any greenery around within the town itself, it has some really ugly estates, it's desolate, deprived, dirty and dangerous, the terraced houses are charmless compared to others even in the immediate vicinity, and it's full of neanderthals and other miscellaneous thickoes. It may be handy if you want to go abseiling off a bridge or potholing, but there are still nicer places to do that, too.

 

Though even the sh0itest bits of South Wales are within 45 minutes of some awesome beaches (as are Sotonians), you can't get much further from the beach than Merthyr in South Wales without getting shot at by low-flying planes or uzi-toting drug security nutters.

 

Also, if you can't have a decent night out in Southampton, you're going to all the wrong places, it's got something for chavs, students, skint 20-somethings, the mainstream lot, aspirational tvvats, and old farts too. The best thing about LagerWorld is that all the bellends go there and leave the rest of us alone - admittedly I wouldn't bother with anything much within the, ahem, "QE2 Mile", other than a couple of places, but that's because it's mainly shops, right?

Edited 9 October, 2013 by The9

[The9]

Incidentally, this is what a "place with no culture" looks like and acts like. It may have been created in 1978, but it was unique in depicting about the only thing the area is known for, historically : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-24400028

[Lord Duckhunter]

I'm not particularly keen on Southampton, but anyone who thinks its anywhere near the bottom of the pile of UK towns/cities has either never visited many or is on a wind up. Personally I think the city lacks decent pubs, but other than that its pretty decent. Its not Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff or London, but not many towns/ cities are. Liverpool is my fav, bit wouldn't want to live there as I might bump into Bazza.

[pap]

My advice to every Sotonian is travel with an open mind, bring some of the best of those places back with you, and try to do something positive in the city as a result, even if it's as simple as learning the simple lesson of having a good fkn time. North Carolina is like heaven to me. Everyone is friendly. People like to know who you are. Everyone's got weed, and no-one really gives a f*ck what you look like as long as you're not an arsehole.

 

The one thing I will say about my hometown brethren is that most people are capable of showing a bit of class. However, that changes very quickly when some are confronted by new ideas. ms pap, who is pretty much the polar opposite of me - i.e. considerate and leads with her heart, and genuinely one of the nicest people you'll ever meet, was treated disgracefully by my fellow Sotonians on account of her Liverpudlian accent. That's either a failure of imagination or a slavish subscription to well-worn stereotypes. I'm not singling Southampton out for that; much of the south is the same. Our city is special though, one of the few places in the South to turn red during a general election. It's a blooming shame that culturally, many of us still have such an insular attitude. We're supposed to look out, not in. It's no accident that my best friends are cool with all that sh!t, but a little disappointing that so many other people aren't.

 

I bet the people in Merthyr don't think they're the dogs bollocks.

[SaintNeil90]

To be honest, unless you come to go shopping or watch football, there is nothing to attract 'outsiders' to the city...

 

However, that 'survey/report' is a farce... York is one of the nicest looking cities in the country.

 

Anyone know what the criteria of 'crappiest' actually was?

[Whitey Grandad]

To be honest, unless you come to go shopping or watch football, there is nothing to attract 'outsiders' to the city...

 

However, that 'survey/report' is a farce... York is one of the nicest looking cities in the country.

 

Anyone know what the criteria of 'crappiest' actually was?

 

It's very subjective.

[Barry Sanchez]

I agree with Pap which is strange, Sotonians are my blood on one side for many generations but we and I say we think the City and area is actually far better than it is, its my hometown and I will always call it home but I left and stayed away for a reason, I would however move back but it would not be to Southampton, it would be Curdridge way as I would live a quiet life but not as quiet as if I was in town.

[Sour Mash]

If you're having to justify Southampton by including what's near it, you've lost the argument.

 

I ended up in Liverpool because of Uni. I wanted to get as far away from the South as was possible. Even then, when it was a much grottier city, Liverpool yanked my pants down and gave me a good seeing to. For me, it's an attitude thing. I prefer the southern US states to the northern ones, where the north/south rudeness thing is very much flipped. I don't like the introduction culture down there. Average looking women think they're f*cking stunnas, and they're really not. The pubs used to close on time, even most of the local pubs I drank in. Not sure how long ago that was, but certainly not the case anymore.

I like the Hobbit and Bevois Valley, although my favourite pub would actually be the Bent Brief. I also loved living in the Polygon, because apart from Bevois Valley, it was the only place that had a bit of life in it. The South is not good at cities. Not good at cities? London, Bristol, Brighton, Bath, compared to Hull, Bradford, Stoke and Derby? Most of the other total sh!tholes are down that way too. I don't think Southampton is as bad as some of those, but it's expensive, How is it anymore expensive than anywhere else? got a crappy night club culture, an out of town shopping centre in the middle of f**king town Much different to Liverpool 1? . As for all these nice areas? You don't see a soul in most of them. Highfield's alright - the Crown is a good pub - but seriously - what is there to do in the posh end of Bassett? What would you expect there to be? How many cities have something like the Common so central and easily accesible?

 

I'm always happy when I get back, but as I said earlier, it's because of friends ( most of my best mates live outside the city now ) and family, which you can't really get anywhere else. Southampton's got nothing going for it (for me). I'm unconvinced by the arguments in its favour. Give me a good Northern city with friendly people, decent music and a city centre that inspires you, rather than f**king LeisureWorld I've been in out in Southampton hundreds of times and had no problems avoiding Leisureworld. Of course, Centenary Square is a classy, cultural night out?

Points in red. But Liverpool is twice the size of Southampton (give or take), surely a fairer comparison would be to compare it not to Liverpool, but to a similar sized city, say Derby or Hull if we're comparing how great northern cities are compared to southern ones.