Having lived in Devon and London, there were people in London who refused to entertain the notion that Devon could possibly have its share of problems because it didn't fit their idyllic perception of the place, fuelled by features in the Evening Standard of some generic 30-something couples who left the 'rat race' behind to open up some artisan bakery in Totnes or some other affluent place full of affluent ex-Londoners. But rural poverty and the crime that goes with it is a real issue. It was almost laughed off, as if the only crime that could ever occur was some cheeky youths apple scrumping. But there are serious issues beyond the undoubtedly picturesque scenery and this is never taken seriously on a national level nor is the chronic housing shortage that has led to an increase in homelessness that this video mentions.
that fits, becasue all the Londoners who have moved to the village I'm in don't exactly see the other side, they don't visit the poorer areas and certainly don't associate with the people there. I'm very rural and the only pauper in the village, which is mainly ex londoners and second home owners with a few farming families who've been here centuries, the londoners all drive to Waitrose or get swept up in schemes aimed at the wealthier like organic veg deliveries and they just don't really have a clue
@@primordialpouch565 I've lived in rural North Devon for most of my life. Another factor is the destruction of the communities which the Londoners take no part in, all the village pubs have been converted to housing for the Londoners. Very low wages and very high house prices have compounded these problems.
Ah, as a Devonian myself, it's sad to see how some of these lovely towns have changed over the years. Torquay, for instance, is a testament to how mismanagement by the council can really tarnish a place.
@@ladychatelaine697 Torquay used to be a magnificent place. You can still catch a glimpse of its former glory. But it needs a lot of work and a good vision to restore it. I hope they can find someone who can lead the way and make it happen.
@A.J. Wells pick on an easy target while continuing to doff your cap to the wealthy 1% that actually are responsible for the state of this country. It's what they (the wealthy elites) have always done, from Oswald Moseley to Nigel Farage, Trump and all their wealthy mates- screw over everyone beneath them and trick people into thinking that people who are even more poor and desperate are responsible, all while pretending to be 'on the side' of ordinary people. The fact people still fall for this is beyond depressing.
Are you sure you were in Brixham? We moved to Brixham because theres lots going on all year round (pirate festival, xmas fireworks, santa run, live music, theatre etc). We have some fabulous restaurants not just fish either including Thai, French, European, Pizza etc. Lots of choice and variety of places to have a drink and some gorgeous independent shops. Oh and we do have a beach!
I'm was born and raised in Plymouth, and you're right: the majority of Plymothians have brains that would make ants blush. The west end of the city centre is half-empty, the architect of Drake Circus mall refuses to list it on his website due to its potentially fatal flaws, building firms are falling like dominoes, the roads are more pothole than passable, the Parkway essentially gridlocks the city if someone eats it (or more likely, rubbernecks), the city centre renovations ran out of money about 4 months ago and aren't even half-finished, you can barely walk up a road without smelling pot, and the begging problem is beyond belief. The single biggest employer of the town - Devonport dockyard - now employs less than a tenth of the workforce it did back in its heyday, and there is so much priority given to student housing and businesses that the local economy shits itself three times a year. Utterly hopeless.
I've lived in torquay all my life, the place is so full of crack and heroin and now we have all the f immigrants staying in bloody hotels and homeless on the streets
My wife is from Plymouth and I visited the place quite frequently until two years ago when my in-laws moved closer to us. While I do have a soft spot for the place I am well aware of its flaws. What was an eye opener for me when I first visited the place was how poor the south west is. When people talk about the north south divide they seldom mention the south west and is probably one reason it misses out on a lot of funding.
You are so right, I’m from the South West Devon/Somerset, I now live up north in what has been described as forgotten, compared to where my siblings live in mid Devon, they are jealous of my location for basic amenities, NHS, Transport links, towns and scenery. Oh and cheaper Council Tax.
@@raypurchase801 Brixton is London, so pretty much better than provincial England in terms of facilities and amenities. Rotherham, at least has Sheffield near it and a railway line South. Telford , again, is close to the West Midlands, so could be worse there. And it has a railway line. Also a few businesses there.
@@Turdtowns Very true and alot of people dont realise how poor Cornwall is . probably to do with it's relative inaccessibility and fairly poor transport links . The nearest motorway is the end of the M5 at Exeter . The A road to Plymouth is OK but once you cross the River Tamar in to Cornwall you are mostly down to non dual carriageway A roads . I do have fond memories of childhood holidays there in the 70 s and 80s but it always seemed an epic long distance journey from the Midlands to get there .Great video btw
I'm American. I really think the 1960s ruined both of our countries. The UK lost some of its Victorian houses and we completely lost our minds. I still love the UK no matter how bad (some) of its neighborhoods look. You guys are awesome. ❤
When I first saw Plymouth I thought I was in Coventry, that was in the mid 1960s and the Luftwaffe had given both the same treatment...so had the post-war rebuilders.
I live in Bideford and it’s quickly following in Barnstaples footsteps. Run down derelict buildings and a high street full of empty shops and charity shops. We recently lost our Superdrug and New Look, and our last bank is hanging on by a thread.
I was surprised it wasn't on the list, my friends bought a house there by mistake and left pretty quickly once they realised what BIdeford was - a dying town, but then it's almost the same as Barnstaple in a lot of ways and so close, sometimes I'm forced to go to Bideford but generally avoid it, it's truly dire and if you drive a further 15 mins or so you can get to the 'big shops' of Barnstaple! I find both towns utterly depressing to be honest and around both towns more and more woodland and wildlife are trashed to build more and more low quality homes, the sheer ammount of dead animals that lie decimated in on the main road between the two towns is staggering, but the landscape is the only redeeming feature in both areas and soon that will all be swallowed up too, if I had the means I would leave North Devon for good, I lived in some crappy places before but generally if you drive for an hour or so you can somewhere a bit less run down, but North Devon is desolate and it doesn't matter which direction you pick it all ends in some grotty dying town
Thirty years ago, I put Torquay top of a list of place I would like to move to. It was sedate, peaceful, safe and upmarket - so much so that the proximity of Paignton almost seemed like an advantage, a bit of noise and light relief. The state of Paignton is no big surprise - it was only ever an overgrown chalet park for tourists - but the decline of Torquay is truly unbelievable. Only years of gross misrule can ruin a beautiful region to this extent.
Around 19 or so years ago, a friend of mine moved with his family from Birmingham to Torquay. After around 2 years of living there, he and his brother were the victims of a savage beating by a group of scratters after playing pool in a pub. They were followed and attacked in the street after having a night out. About 18 months before this I visited him. We went to a club in the centre. We spent an hour or so in there and then bought a couple of beers. We then danced , with a couple of girls for 10 minutes , having left our beers on a shelf. I drank some of my beer and after a while we were threatened , because this knucklehead said I'd "drank his pint". It got edgy and although I didn't want to back down, a couple more idiots turned upa nd it was threatening, so we left. So, no, not a place to ever visit. What a tip.
@@raypurchase801 Rotherham is awful, but nothing to do with Mosques. Central Government funding might have something to do with it. And, at least, it has Sheffield close by.
My dad lived in brixham and I absolutely love it there, it’s still a beautiful place and I love the pirate ship and the fishy smells 😂 my dad passed away not long ago and brixham has always and will always be my favourite place to visit ❤ the coastal walks and beaches are stunning too
100% ... Imagine visiting a tiny, working fishing community (bloody wealthy one too) and then complaining that it smelled of fish. The creator is a townie.
Yeh and he said there wasn’t a beach in Brixham! So he’s not done his research. The only thing wrong with Brixham is Fore St, which desperately needs some funding and decent shops.
The smells may be run off from the cities into the creeks that flow into the towns, raw Shit making it's way out to sea .killing and rotting the fish .No doubt the drains are as old as the houses . Volunteer groups have clean up days and tree planting in our coastal town .The beach is not safe to swim after storms due to pollution.over fishing can be a problem also .Should be kept more recreational.Wonderful places !
This series shows how much our politicians have let our country down. The other colour won't be any better but we need CHANGE. I come from Brixham. The smell used to be awful, but is now much better. I left in the 90s to join the forces. I love your sarcasm, and your assessment is bang on. Illfracome died years ago. We have even stopped going there on holiday. That THREE of the worst towns are in Torbay is comment on how the area has been let down by the people who are running it. (Ruining it?) That the govt and border force are taking over the hotels isnt helping. When I left Paignton and Torquay were thriving. Now they have inspired a project to photograph closed shops. With change home can be reinvigorated.
It's either vote Labour and get mild reform (especially considering what needs to be done and its absolute magnitude) and hopefully (fingers crossed wish upon a star) necessary political and economic reform (new voting system, a more federal less London-centric UK, Green New Deal) to get things back on the right track (being comparable to our neighbours at least). Or we could let it get worse and worse by doing nothing, and eventually it gets too bad for too many people that something bad happens. Everything is getting worse and we need to do something now. Even if it won't actually be the change we need at the speed we need it. None of this is normal, our European neighbours' small towns are still doing decent, ours are straight up rotting away. Yay, being a young person without a house to inherit makes me so optimistic.
@@dog-ez2nu You've got to be young if you think anything will improve under Labour. There is no left or right only Blairism and WEF (World Economic Forum).Starmer prefers Davos over Westminster, Schwarb over Parliament, Globalism over representative democracy. See the Emily Maitlis interview. Stir in Charles iii, the WEF phoney climate crisis devotee and there you have it.
Notes from a Small Island is a humorous travel book on Great Britain by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995 in which the author describes Britain as it was then...In a later book The Road to Little Dribbling 2015, he takes the same journey and it's quite striking the differences that have taken place, my favorite observation was that in every town he revisited there seemed to be 'One new cafe opening up, and One cafe closing down'.
Such a shame to see how these places have changed. I spent many, many hours happily as a child on the Devon Coast. My uncle lived in Somerset and we spent school holidays here. I took my own children there too. I can't believe the difference since we last visited over 10 years ago 😢
Look who has been in government the last 10 years it's no coincidence the country is full of places like these because of this sciopathic vermin in government.
This is interesting, I am a kiwi and I drove all around Devon back in 2004, went to pretty much all these places and spent a few nights in some of them. They were all clean and nice towns back then, was in summer though and every place seems a lot nicer on a warm summers day. My favorite town in all of Devon was Lynmouth, loved it and the locals were so friendly, could have seen myself living there.
Used to love holidays in Ilfracombe in the 70's/80's.. we'd have something nice in Pandora's and go via Variety Sports to get fishing bait and fish off the hexagonal pier for pouting and wrasse. I remeber the red ship Polar Bear always in the harbour and would sometimes go on one of the fishing boats 'Ventura' or 'Sturdy'.. and even on the trip to see Sammy the Seal (I suspect there were several seals now thinking back...)
Currently live in Torquay, have done for over a year! It's temporary as we wait for our house purchase! Been many places in the last 5 years and can tell you there are many places worse than Torquay! Yes, drugs is a problem, as is poverty, but there's some money in Torquay too and nice areas, nice restaurants and nice places to visit! It's a proper mix bag and I feel gets far too much bad press! If you want to blame anyone for Torquay or any other turd town.....the political class are the ones to blame, in particular the guys that have been drilling this country down into the floor for over 10 years!!!
Rubbish. You dont kniwxwgat you are talking about. If you dont like it go back up north or wherever you come from. You never hear of Devonians heading north do you.
@@Bob-kb5pv Try saying that in English! I've lived in Devon loads, been in the Bay for just over a year! Up North....wtf you on about! It sounds like your angry with 2nd home owners taking local properties,I ain't one of them! Calm down, chill out and cheer up is my advice!
I have very fond memories of the Torbay area from 40 years ago. Revisited about 5 years ago and was shocked by how rundown Torquay was, Paignton even worse. Brixham still looked OK.
Found this channel just yesterday and subscribed in anticipation of this video. I found myself simultaneously overjoyed and offended to see places I know so very well come up in this video! Axminster's my nearest town worth going to, and what you showed of it made it look like the most exciting place on earth when compared with the *really* bland parts.
I live in Plymouth and it's a great place, nice ferries to Cornwall, central park is nice. Nice local walks in the country. Ok the sea life centre feels a little dated and the town centre needs some work since the trees have been cut down. The main problem with Plymouth is it feels a little remote from the rest of country, especially if they is a crash on the a38 which happens daily. If you know the area it actually has alot to offer, great coffee at the barbican, a leading swimming school, water sports, a good theatre with a fantastic outreach program, lots of little nature groups for kids, or spotting military ships and submarines coming in and out of Davenport. Proud to live in britians Ocean city ❤
This is a good series! It would be interesting if you could try to do brief interviews with locals, ideally with a younger person and an older generation person so you get different perspectives on the location and how it's changed!
Negativity is favoured by Google's algorithm; I suspect because it gets more views and comments. If it was made apparent how manipulative these algorithms are then Google would be legislated against.
it would be even better if the young devonion listened to the older devonian telling how things were when devon was 90ppc devonian,we knew who we were these last few years have been so desttuctive
It breaks my heart to see the decline of these towns grew up in Paignton, now live in Brixham. I have to say it is not just the lack of investment it is the people, as look around there are more filthy looking houses and gardens, people years ago had standards, very sadly lacking today, feral gangs of kids roaming and causing trouble, some parents don’t give a 💩. I go to Exeter shopping as there are no decent shops left, hairdressers, nail bars and cafes I’m sad to say the rot has set in
Depression kills motivation. Depression sets in when people feel they have no purpose. Jobless people feel like they have no purpose. Stimulate industry and give people jobs and they would feel good about themselves again and the towns would flourish. Paignton needs much more investment in its photonics industry.
When I full route visualled the Hop12 from Brixham to Newton Abbot, I didn't seem too keen on Paignton and Newton Abbot either. But Torquay and Brixham were nice!
I've been visiting South Devon generally, and specifically Torbay in the last 15 years, for 50 years. I don't recognise much of this. I like Torquay. The first thing I always do on arrival is have a drink in the bar at the Imperial to take in the view of the bay, which is gorgeous. I like the marina, the riverside walk to Cockington, the walks to some of the little coves, the Agatha Christie connection, lunch at the Grand or when I was feeling flush The Elephant. I also love many of the nearby places, particularly the Dart estuary and the South Hams.
I lived in Ilfracombe for my most of my life and couldn’t wait to leave. It’s full of tourists half of the year and the other half it’s a boring ghost town. It’s a weird mix of rich and poor, you can literally go from an area of expensive houses and posh cars and five minutes later you’re among drug addicts and shoplifters. When I was young it always seemed to be an upgrade to move to Barnstaple because there was much more going on but I recently spent a few weeks there and it’s full of weirdos. In Ilfracombe you constantly feel like you’re going to get your pockets picked and in Barnstaple you get the feeling that you could get smacked. Very sad
As a resident of Torbay, Devon (comprising the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) I happily confirm that your assessment is accurate. English Riviera? My arse!
The ship in Brixham harbour Is not an old pirate ship!! Its a replica of the Golden Hind, the galleon captained by Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the world and a museum to that famous ship.
Me and 3 of my mates went to stay in Brixham back in 2012, 3 of us were 15 years of age, one of us was 14. The first day we were there, at around 10pm, we were walking to get some food from the highstreet, outside were about 20-25 men, all ranging from 18 to 30 years of age… hurling insults at us as we went into the shop for absolutely no reason, clearly all on drugs/alcohol. When we left the shop, all of us were then completely ganged up on… despite telling them we were kids, they refused to listen, they tried bundling all of us into a rather obscure alleyway in between the shop and the building next to it as well as throwing punches at us and all-sorts… I managed to scramble free, as did my friends, but it was pretty frightening especially as we didn’t expect such a situation to arise, we literally just walked into a shop, and walked out. As we we’re walking home (staying at one of my friends relatives places at the time) and rightfully confused as to why this had happened.. we noticed a character following us with his hat low, and with his arm inside his jacket. We all were not up for taking any chances at this point so we assumed he had a knife and we didn’t want to hang about to find out… we didn’t run but we walked swiftly to try and get away, but he caught up with us and asked what had happened, we explained, and the man went on his way after admitting he didn’t know what his friends’ problems were with us, he admitted we didn’t do anything wrong. Would love to know who they were… absolutely disgusting creatures. Aside from that situation, the town itself wasn’t so bad to us… friendly people etc. It’s a shame what’s happening to our (what once was a) beautiful country.
Wow you’ve really got it in for Torbay.Torquay has gone down hill tho I must admit.It was a beautiful place when I moved here in the nineties.All the cliffs and trees were lit up at night with lovely flower beds everywhere.Now the council mostly doesn’t bother.I think this running down is across the country though not just here in Devon.Everyone’s quality of life has gone down.
I love the series and concept. Can I suggest you include the average wage claimant counts to the stats - house prices, etc. have little meaning if everyone is on minimum wage.
Plymouth is actually a wonderful city, but like many cities you need to learn your way around it. You need to know where to go and where to avoid. At one time it was rated the 2nd best place to live in the whole of the UK and it hasn't gone down that much. A lot of the decay ran in parallel to the decline of the Royal Navy and areas like Devonport are now being rebuilt, albeit as dormitory areas. The University continues to grow, there is a plethora of historical sites, living is cheap, the sea is on the doorstep and the moors are a short bus-ride away. I live about 15miles out but I could easily live in the city. There is also a ferry connection to France and Spain and a railway station, BUT, we have lost our airport. You need to compare Plymouth with other cities, not with holiday resort villages......
Plymouth lost its reason to exist when the dockyard went into decline. A number of companies tried to set up, to take advantage of the skills. But I suppose its relative isolation didn't make it viable. Interestingly I read somewhere that Torbay was originally considered as the Naval dockyard in the southwest, but it was ruled out because of its exposure to Easterly winds.
Won't disagree with this, just a shame that the video mainly showed Mutley and not the rest of the city, because there are some wonderful and charming areas and as with all large population areas, some not so nice.
My whole entire family live in Plymouth... I luckily live in Exeter, Plymouth is a very poor version of Exeter, its got really run down, shops closing everywhere... relying on tourism instead of business, fantastic little football team though that just got promoted.... but even though it has a port and seaside, go to Exeter.... its a classier place that doesn't run on tourism.....
I love living in Plymouth but agree the shopping is poor, train service is good though so I just go to London or drive to Bristol/Cardiff…I can see Cornwall out my kitchen window and spend most of my summers in north Cornwall which is a short drive 😊
So sad to see the decline of places I visited with my late parents as a kid, Especially Paignton as my family and I had so many happy summers there and we took away many lovely memories of our times in Devon, In fact both of my parents wanted us to move there permanently but I don't think they would today and its certainly not on my holiday destination list anymore,
@@geoffallibone4026 tell me, in the three years that the U.K. has been out of the EU what prosperity do you think Paignton would of received from the EU if the U.K. had remained in the European Union? Because in the 40+ years that we were in the EU they did bugger all didn’t they.
@@Iamtilersscreeminganger Well said! Neither the Tories OR Labour are any good. It's easy, and lazy, to blame Brexit for many things, when that might not actually be true. Blame the councils, the druggies, the alcoholics, the chavs... the 'I want something for nothing' type of people.
Torquay lost its heartbeat when the college moved out. The students kept the town thriving whilst the tourists looked after the front. Now it solely relies on the seasons. Brixham will always struggle as no ones got any money, they resent the tourists that do bring it in and so fewer tourists (grocks) are returning… Paignton was and always will be an absolute hole…
I was really sad to see what had happened to the tech. I did O and A levels there in the late 60s/early 70s and it was a breath of fresh air after the wonders of Brixham County Secondary (as the community college was known back then). I owe the tech the chance it gave me to get the hell out of Torbay - I knew I was doomed if I got stuck there.
Exactly this. Torquay noticeably started going downhill in a lot of ways after that, especially the nightlife. A lot of the cooler student hangout spots like The Piazza shut down and most of the pubs and bars all started to turn into sports bars or cheesy nightclubs.
"What exactly did you expect to see looking out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window? Herds of wildebeest strolling majestically across the plain? The hanging gardens of Babylon, perhaps?"
I have lived in Paignton for 26 years and steadily seen it go downhill. It seemed wonderful compared to the town that I moved from, Lancing, a grotty hovel of a dump between Worthing and Shoreham by sea. I hope you make it that way someday and film the experience.
As a former Clovelly resident, your comments did make me chuckle. It’s a shame to see what’s become of the place. It used to feel like a badge of honour to be a resident and everyone took huge pride in making the place look and feel special. Not the place it once was. I will say though that the owner, John Rous, was always very good to me and a nice man indeed.
It's so shit know I walked back up the hill faster than I walked down it! I couldn't wait to go and that was boxing day last year! And the lion is an over priced shit hole.
@@Turdtowns not without its challenges but the reward is living in such a beautiful place. Fighting off damp is a constant battle but the same is true in any old, listed building. They need constant heating (usually using coal) all year round and even then a good deep clean is needed every few months. Sledging groceries down the hill is a novelty but can be tricky in the high season when full of tourists. Being able to park directly outside my house after I moved out was certainly something I under appreciated!
Illfracombe used to be our early teens holiday destination with family , it was a lovely little town, it had gift shops and cafes on the harbour , theres the harbour beach and tunnel beaches that are sandy, there usex to be lovely lit up gardens too but now thevwhole area, including combe martin is run down. It was a real disapointment .
Loved this video and series, funny, depressing but not surprising all at the same time I spent my teenage years (in the 1980s) growing up in Torquay and lived in the “posh areas” on the hill near Babbacombe which back then was a nice village and the beach was a popular place for the locals Even back then the town centre and waterfront areas were grim and not worth a visit for any reason. We went to out of town supermarkets and Exeter for shopping… Keep up the good work guys
Surprised to see no mention of South Molton in the comments. Looks to be an OK enough town on the outside, but man the people there are...interesting. I lived there for about 5 years, felt like I aged about 60 in that time! I think its the law that as soon as you're diagnosed with dementia, you have to live in South Molton. Oh, and good luck if you want to buy anything. Apart from the worst Sainsbury's in the country, the next nearest supermarket is 12 miles away! At least there's very few empty shops - mainly because there's very few shops full stop. Or takeaways. Or restaurants. Or pubs. Or anything to do. Absolutely hated the place.
Lived in Barnstaple for seven years, the council thought they ruled the world, the main housing association takes over your lives and their housing stock is abbissmal, I ended up working voluntarily for a local charity for recovering drink, drug and homeless people because they really did need help I got more thanks and appreciation than at any other time in my life, the main problem with Devon from my own experiences, is people moving out of the cities from across the country to retire in the very places you have shown, for heaven sakes they even have coach tours laid on in Seaton for potential house buyers where the estate agents tell people if you buy a house here you get preferential treatment from the NHS, I have heard this first hand, retirees exercise their right of free speech to protest and fight against planning proposals to develop and modernize, they usually end up getting their own way and what you get is what you have shown, they seem to object to everything except dumping their dog poo bags.
The council that had it's budget slashed by 35% since 2010 and is manned by volunteers who give their time for free? Those people? How much does a local councillor get paid? Councillors do not get paid a salary, however they do receive an annual allowance which reimburses them for time they have spent on council duties, as well as telephone and other office expenses.
Holiday homes, second homes ruin small towns. That combines with local poor wages and a seasoned economy makes for a toxic mix. Chuck in lack of affordable housing, social housing too and it's dreadful. These horrible escape to the country programs don't help
Ilfracombe is nice to visit for a few hours if you're staying in Woolacombe or nearby. There's a nice restaurant down by the harbour and the spoons has a roof garden with a good view. Also, the fishing trips are fun.
Excellent review I do reckon some of the mid-county places needed inclusion (top 12?) - Cornwall is similar, with the glitz reserved for the coast, but the beating heart & reality is just inland. For Devon, I'd say Cullompton, Crediton, Tiverton (I'll cut Honiton some slack) and on the coast - Westward Ho! Cheers for the view!
I'm Brixham born & bred. There's so much potential here but it'll probably gonna get worse before it get's better (if it get's better). The decline of Torquay though, that's the real shocker. 20 years ago I'd find any excuse to jump in the car and head over, it was like living on holiday! Paignton's always been the naff one though so hasn't had as far to fall. The whole country's going to shit in one way or another though, so we're all in it together!
I’d get teased at Torquay college for coming from Brixham. Now Brixham is the “Posh” town in Torbay as it’s the only one of the three where there’s a chance you’ll escape a visit without catching AIDS.
I live in Paignton and you really captured the essence of the town. I mean the first thing tourists see of the train is a rundown old building and a doggy pub. Most of the locals don't shop there we just drive else where
My hometown is Torquay and it was great several decades ago but prospects for people were bleak even back then. I left Torquay in 2007 and turned my life around....best decision of my life. The life I have today wouldnt have been possible in the UK.
Ive visited Brixham my whole life as my family own a cottage there overlooking the harbour. I have incredibly fond memories here and have spent countless idylic days enjoying the stunning nature in surrounding areas. I also developed a love for fishing in this town and spent some of the most beautiful evenings of my life catching sea bass off a dinghy in the dart estuary or on the remote beach of man sands a 20 minute drive away from the town centre. While this video initially irritated me due to my adoration of the town, its definitely true that the towns greatest asset is whats around it in the rolling fields and stretching coastlines which offered so much relief to me growing up as a born and bred inner city Londoner. The town itself is undoubtedly run down offering little to do particularly at night with just a couple of largely empty pubs and adequate fish and chip restuarants. Despite this i would suggest that londoners are NOT wasting there money here or on most places on this list, the town is nice enough and imo quite pretty, if a bit run down and staying here gives you access to some truly stunning British countryside :)
I've been to Torquay, never again. Half the shops are closed, it's mostly charity shops, coffee shops, and take-aways. There's homeless, drunks and junkies all over, and the hotels are filled with illegal migrants.
So you didnt have a coffee in a pavement cafe overlooking the harbour, or visit cockington, or bother to walk the coast path from the harbour to wellswood. Maybe you didnt bother to visit Babbacombe, a suburb of Torquay, there you could have gone on to Babbacombe downes and looked up the coast as far as Dorset on a clear day. From there you could have walked down to Babbacombe beach and had a drink in the award winning Cary Arms, then you could have walked the short distance along the bottom of the cliffs to Oddicombe beach and had lunch in the 3 Degrees West. Then if the walk back up the hill is a but much you could catch the cliff railway. If you wanted, you could then walk the short distance to St Marychurch, and at the end of the precinct take some time to visit the church that was rebuilt after being destroyed by a German bomb that killed over 20 children who were attending Sunday school. But if all you want to do is walk up and down a shopping street, one probably no different to hundreds of others throughout the country, then fine.
Two hotels are currently occupied by boat people. One some way off the beaten track. There are homeless and drug users, but they mostly congregate in an area at the top of the main street. So all in all you are talking out of your backside.
My parents retired to Brixham in the late 80s then it was quite a nice place to live great pubs etc.The wife and I visited in 2019 and were quite shocked at how it had become a shell of its former self.
@Geoff Allibone My parents moved to Cyprus in the mid 90s. Spain was never on their horizon. The wife and I looked at France Spain a few years back and decided when we retire properly it's going to be Devon, Dorset or Suffolk for us.
@MagentaBlock you wouldn't need to with an attitude like yours we would never be together. It's polite to call your partner "wife" when people your conversing with don't know her.
Twenty years ago, I would visit Barnstable for work. I was favorably impressed. The food was decent. Shopping was excellent. In fact, one year I did all my Christmas shopping there before heading back to the states. I hope this video 15:53 is an exaggeration.
This old Londoner spent the summer of '76 as a seasonal worker in Woolacombe which is when I fell in love with north Devon. It wasn't just the weather; Woolacombe, Saunton and Croyde are all gorgeous and the locals friendly. Even back then Ilfracombe was a bit of a dump but I was sad to see Barnstaple on this list. It was the place to go for shopping or a night out and even as a 5ft tall young female I never felt unsafe there at night. These days I live in Oz but if I ever came home Croyde would be top of my list of places to re-settle. Thanks for the upload - it was a real eye-opener, especially Torquay. What would Basil say???
Brixham is defo not as bad as you make it seem, it’s got breakwater beach with is very popular and many new restaurants and cocktail bars. The golden hind is also a big part of its history and draws in lots of tourists.. love it there
For the past 30 years I have wanted to go back and live in Devon. Thank you for pointing out to me the reasons to stay away. People who can afford £360.000 homes while the rest of the town looks as bad as this, well they are certainly NOT locals. Essential to drive if you want to spend any time living here because getting away to somewhere less dismal is paramount, sadly.
I'm surprised that my town, Bideford wasn't on your list and Barnstaple was. I agree with Barnstaple though it's gone downhill massively in the last 20years ago! Like most Devon towns. Great video though man 👏
Thanks brother. I didn’t feel like Bideford had a place on the list. It just wasn’t worse than anywhere else on here. And A lot of the narrative would be the same as Barnstaple.
Two reason why Torquay went to the dogs. One. It became a unitary council along with Paignton & Brixham (funny how the other 2 are also on the list) and separated from Devon Country Council as a whole. They simply could not get enough revenue to maintain standards as tourists don't pay taxes, locals do. They slowly ran out of money whereas DCC essentially subsidised Torbay to tart itself up in return to get the holiday makers in which would boost the counties economy overall. Torbay Council then started subcontracting serviced to private companies to save money who offerer a far inferior service. Refuse collection for example. It also doesn't help that Torbay has(or had) one of the most corrupt Councils in England. The elected Mayor didn't help who was an absolute twazzock. Second point South Devon College. Huge campus that used to be situated 10 min walk from the High Street. Gave steady incomes to shops all year round. Relocated to outside Paignton due to one of the buildings(the large 5 story) getting concrete cancer and require demolishing. Instead of rebuilding on the site, they put grotty housing mostly filled with low income households instead. That truly was the death blown for Torquay. Sadly college is really too far way from Paignton town center for it to benefit what Torquay used to have.
Was looking for this comment (well one that identifies the main problems). I think the council being too zealous with parking fees encouraged people to shop at other destinations such as Newton Abbot and Exeter, where payments were more reasonable. Drugs have always being a problem here (Castle Circus was bad when I went to the tech college before it moved), a documentary was made of the problem in the 90s, if I recall correctly. The bottom line is the sea front of Torquay is really quite good, just don't venture too far.
I grew up in Barnstaple and yeah it's honestly depressing seeing how dead it's become, I left about 10 years ago funny enough not long after I left lots of shops started shutting down. It used to be so busy and full of really nice shops which was great considering it's such a pain to get out of the town if you don't have a car.
I was in Devon recently and it really struck me how poor this place is and how the poverty has affected the people. It’s grim in places and yes homelessness that I wasn’t expecting! One of the things that really took me back is how little self respect people have for themselves and their homes, gardens and their towns! Is this possibly a generation thing that will swipe all over the country over time. The young adults of today have generally come out of families where both parents have been working full time, from families where the central hub of the home has been missing because parents have had no time to look after it properly. This generation have not been made to help around the home and now it’s showing; they have no skills, no respect, no pride, no self respect, no motivation. In the past many people were poor but they had all of these things. Life is going down the wrong path very fast …. God help us.
You need to read some history books. All the things you described were happening throughout the 19th and early 20th century. Then we got the post-war years and the birth of the Welfare State, which lifted many out of poverty, educated them, and gave them hope... And then Thatcher happened, and apart from a brief blip under New Labour, we're back to being dragged back a hundred years while the insanely rich laugh and get even richer.
Have you ever seen pictures of victorian slums? Or more recently, council estates in pit towns after the pits were shut? Poor people in the past were unable to keep things nice as well. Poverty has the same effects regardless of the century
my grandad was up the ladders clearing the gutters on his roof in his 80's even when he could hardly see! My dads the same.....can fix anything... My generation are useless, no morals...we've all got asthma and autism and allergies and health problems from all the processed junk foods, medications and vaxines we've been fed....bought up on TV/computers/trash education & perverted media rather than the bible and basic life/survival skills....God help us is spot on our only hope
We moved down to Devon when I was a teenager in the 80's and I would regularly go out in Torquay in my youth. It was a violent and scary place, certainly when the pubs closed, as I remember (and there was a lot of small-town violence in general in south Devon). I lived in New York for a time after that in my 20's, and Manhatten in the dead of the night felt a lot safer than Torquay on a Saturday night. You were certainly less likely to get your head kicked in for no reason. Great to see it hasn't changed...
BS 🤨 It's always nice to trash somewhere's reputation. All clubs across the UK are selling shots of cheap alcohol; consequentially people get really drunk fast. Then the fights start. I think this is common to most UK towns and cities. TH-cam is feeding you these videos to sell advertising. You are being gamed.
One of the most affluent parts of the city Manhattan and you’re comparing Torquay to it, try walking around the bronx late Saturday night see how safe you feel then.
I can assure you anywhere in the South West is paradise compared to my home town of Grays in Essex which I couldn't wait to leave!! Just being close to beaches, the Moors and nature and away from densely populated cities ticks all my boxes. Towns and cities wherever they are located all come with thier own problems. There's no better feeling riding my bike across Dartmoor or down to Cornwall without a care in the world. A million miles away from Essex in distance and pace of life.
I completely agree,.. I've lived in Lewisham and Dartford and both are utter dumps.. The Southwest is beautiful, nice beaches, fresh air, nice food, good for water sports, beautiful sunsets, what more could you want
My only experience of Barnstaple is a delightful night spent in the nick after a fight I didn't start. And that meant shlepping over there again to get two fines and a record months later. And the fight was in a place described as "nice" in this video!
Hey great video. Lived in Plymouth for many years, studied and worked there during mid 2000s, quite lively then, weekend nights would be packed across union street and Mutley, also University would attract a lot of young people and nightlife lived off it basically. Barbican is nice spot for some chilled drinks and live music on weekends or just hang around near the sea, but if you do get there then Capn' Jaspers burger stand is a must stop to grab a bite to eat next to the sea staring down the horizon. Walk up to the hoe is lovely. Interesting note, road upto hoe ended up having loads of speed bumps because of boy racers speeding... Nights many tuned up cars would gather. Honestly, back then it wasnt the greatest city but it had its charm and Uni kids did bulk it up a bit, night life is where it all was though... seems like now is gone down hill, shame, so many great memories. BTW min 10:51 - the Bonnie & Clyde tattoo just corner off Mutley is where i got some of my tats done and i was suprised to see the tattooist had photos with Robbie Williams, aparently he was a usual and would get tattoos done every so often...All this might be irrelevant but wanted to leave a few curiousities from my time in Plymouth. Thanks again for the video and bringing back some memories, great work!
Me and my Daughter had a brilliant holiday in IIfracombe in a rotting caravan.We spent a day leaping off the quay with the local Chav kids getting chased by the harbour master.The flower beds in the park were extravagant and the sea swimming pools were interesting.The cliff strolls are bracing and you can catch a boat to Lundy to see puffins.
I was born in Plymouth but only lived there until I was 5-6 years old but have visited a number of times over the last 20 years. The city does look quite run down now but there are some beautiful views, especially around the sea front. I’m in South Yorkshire now. Trust me, you’ll have a field day if you get this far North 😂😂😂 Those crime rates look like heaven compared to up here!
I used to work in Axminster, and when people asked what it was like, I always used to describe it as "Axminster is a one-horse town, but the horse hasn't been very well lately." In the 1980s, it was OK, but always clogged solid with traffic as the A35 went right through it, and there were a couple of narrow points where anything bigger than a couple of smallish cars couldn't pass. The town campaigned for a bypass, and it got it in the early 1990s; but then nobody passing stopped to shop any more, and bit by bit the place closed down. Most of the major employers have packed up, either gone bust, or closed by their parent corporations and the work moved elsewhere.
Axminster was famous for carpets,and very good carpets at that expensive but lasted forever. We joined the EU and suddenly the likes of carpetright bought cheaper in Belgium 😢sadly I don't think we make much at all now
Love this series, and as a Devonian, this video in particular. Just shocked to not see Newton Abbot (or the scabbot) on the list. Torquay without the beach 😂
Devon was my favourite holiday destination 30 years ago and I actually moved down there and lived in Brixham for a year. . I've visited most of the towns on your video including north Devon. The place was beautiful, especially Clovelly. The whole street was superbly well kept and is a shadow of it's former self.
I'm born and bred in Plymouth and couldn't wait to get out when I was younger. I love it here now but I always tell people that the best thing about living in Plymouth is that it's easy to get out of Plymouth.
Missed it completely dude. Exeter surely tops the list having once been a world heritage class city until being bombed in WWII, followed by a council that flattened everything damaged in the blitz and most of the mediaeval areas that had survived. They can't even be arsed to rebuild the Clarence Hotel and the adjacent mediaeval Well House on Cathedral Green and would clearly love to play the waiting game before they can build a Norman Foster style Kruschovka tower block on the site. Yet once upon a time this city rivalled York, Bruges, Florence, Edinburgh etc for culture.
You have a point. I would put Exeter on this list. My wife loves the place, but it's always left me a bit cold. Just soulless and bloody expensive. At least some of the rougher places have some character.
I really feel like Plymouth will become a new hot spot soon. Has a lot of the markers needed to be popular, just has been neglected and a lot of the post war, social housing blocks make it look run down in a lot of central areas.
I spent quite a few holidays in Ilfracombe when I was a kid, back in the 70's and 80's, and it was a lovely place back then, with lots to do. It also had a good bus service to take you to other places, such as Lee, Berrynarbor, Lynton & Lynmouth, Woolacombe, and Clovelly, which used to be really nice too. But its been quite a few years since I spent any time in Devon. I did stay near Looe, in Cornwall a few years back, at Tencreek holiday park, which was just GRIM! I had the trots after buying fish and chips from the on site chippy, and I was projectile vomiting from both ends for the emtire night. I actually had to clean the caravan before we settled in too, it was that bad. The beds weren't made, and the mattress on the bed must have been about 30 years old, one of those with the multi coloured blocky patterns. And supplied bedding was mismatched, and really poor quality, and looked like it hadn't been washed. The springs in the matteess had gone YEARS before, so the bed was not comfortable at all. So needless to say, they got a 1 star review on both Google and Trip advisor. But on the plus side, I did get to visit some old haunts whilst I was there, mainly in Devon. But to be honest, I couldn't care if I never visit the South West again, before I die. Cyprus is my destination of choice for late summer breaks around September time now. As that is the best time to go for moderate temperatures, and a lot of the tourists have already been and gone, so it aint so crowded. Its sad, but Devon and Cornwall have had their day imho. Accommodation standards are just too low, and prices for accommodation and eating out are just too high to make the South West a viable option anymore. And caravan parks should carry a health warming, unless you take your own. But even then, site facilities tend to be poorly maintained, and/or inadequate. Add to all of that the problems getting there on winding single carriageways during high season making just getting there a stressful ordeal, and its a big NO from me I'm afraid. There will be some lovely places to stay no doubt, but expect to pay through the nose for decent quality accommodation and surroundings.
I visited a friend in Devon, Paignton, Blagdon Court, Plymouth and Bristol in 1988 and it was so beautiful and nice and the people in the shops were so nice. Sad to hear about the problems.
I live in Torquay, born and bred. It’s is a lovely place, but the councils and police force have seriously let it down. I’ve lived here long enough to see the absolute decline over the years. Drink and drugs is a serious problem. So is crime. The night life is also very poor. I head to Newton Abbot on a night out now. My question is who let’s a place like this turn into the worst place to live in Devon!?
I'm from newton shabbot , must admit I don't go out much but newton dead, plus everyone's related😂to each other u get in a argument or pull a bird and their uncle or brother r in the pub. Devon more about the pace of life and safer environment for the kids . Used to work judy G's Torquay back in its heyday, used to love torgay 😮
i used to go out in Torquay quite regular, loved the hustle and bustle loved the clubs!. The town has been dumped on massively, especially if its worse than scabby abbott..... fortunately i live in mid Devon which is quite nice.
My family moved to Torquay about 40 years ago when I was 12 your assessment of the place is bang on I haven’t been back for over 32 years and never will what a shithole!!!
You could do feature Towns like Colchester. The people there are devoid of emotion, personality and fun. The traffic really sucks and there is nothing going on. Terrible place. Tilbury is the worst Town in Essex though. That place is bad.
It's a tricky one this; I feel a lot of how nice a place to live is perception. I have lived in Torquay for eleven years now, five of those years I've had children. As a parent with very young children Torquay is great, especially in summer with a multitude of beaches, Cockington, and also easy access to lush outdoor activities in surrounding areas. But in winter it feels like you are just holding on for Summer again and the place loses it's mojo. And yes, in many ways things feel much more tired and run down now but lets face it unless you are in london, manchester, liverpool, newcaslte etc high streets are generally more shit now.
The reason a lot of shops have closed is due to the rise of online purchases, yes it's cheaper, yes it's convenient, but shops close as a result and the heart and soul of towns and villages are torn out, and the rot sets in
Having lived in Devon and London, there were people in London who refused to entertain the notion that Devon could possibly have its share of problems because it didn't fit their idyllic perception of the place, fuelled by features in the Evening Standard of some generic 30-something couples who left the 'rat race' behind to open up some artisan bakery in Totnes or some other affluent place full of affluent ex-Londoners. But rural poverty and the crime that goes with it is a real issue. It was almost laughed off, as if the only crime that could ever occur was some cheeky youths apple scrumping. But there are serious issues beyond the undoubtedly picturesque scenery and this is never taken seriously on a national level nor is the chronic housing shortage that has led to an increase in homelessness that this video mentions.
that fits, becasue all the Londoners who have moved to the village I'm in don't exactly see the other side, they don't visit the poorer areas and certainly don't associate with the people there. I'm very rural and the only pauper in the village, which is mainly ex londoners and second home owners with a few farming families who've been here centuries, the londoners all drive to Waitrose or get swept up in schemes aimed at the wealthier like organic veg deliveries and they just don't really have a clue
You have a very narrow life if that's all you know about her area.
@@primordialpouch565 I've lived in rural North Devon for most of my life. Another factor is the destruction of the communities which the Londoners take no part in, all the village pubs have been converted to housing for the Londoners. Very low wages and very high house prices have compounded these problems.
You only really see the bad when you grow up somewhere
@@williamsimpson8115 that sounds like AI nonsense...
Ah, as a Devonian myself, it's sad to see how some of these lovely towns have changed over the years. Torquay, for instance, is a testament to how mismanagement by the council can really tarnish a place.
I was born in Torquay in 1948. It was a lovely place, then! Also lived in Saltash and Plymouth. Am now in Cumbria, which is lovely. 😊
@@ladychatelaine697 Torquay used to be a magnificent place. You can still catch a glimpse of its former glory. But it needs a lot of work and a good vision to restore it. I hope they can find someone who can lead the way and make it happen.
@@pholdway5801Tories.
@@amayastrata4629 The Heritage Party!!
@@pholdway5801Reform of course 😊😊😊
Great video and I agree as a Devonian. But the whole British Isles has gone to shit through greed and corruption.
And mass uncontrolled immigration.
@@Malabus73Correct,,, 🏴👍
@A.J. Wells pick on an easy target while continuing to doff your cap to the wealthy 1% that actually are responsible for the state of this country. It's what they (the wealthy elites) have always done, from Oswald Moseley to Nigel Farage, Trump and all their wealthy mates- screw over everyone beneath them and trick people into thinking that people who are even more poor and desperate are responsible, all while pretending to be 'on the side' of ordinary people. The fact people still fall for this is beyond depressing.
@mark Hamilton it's not as if migrants have force-fed your fellow Scots all those deep-fried Mars bars or heroin
Only if you live in a shthole.
Are you sure you were in Brixham? We moved to Brixham because theres lots going on all year round (pirate festival, xmas fireworks, santa run, live music, theatre etc). We have some fabulous restaurants not just fish either including Thai, French, European, Pizza etc. Lots of choice and variety of places to have a drink and some gorgeous independent shops. Oh and we do have a beach!
I'm was born and raised in Plymouth, and you're right: the majority of Plymothians have brains that would make ants blush. The west end of the city centre is half-empty, the architect of Drake Circus mall refuses to list it on his website due to its potentially fatal flaws, building firms are falling like dominoes, the roads are more pothole than passable, the Parkway essentially gridlocks the city if someone eats it (or more likely, rubbernecks), the city centre renovations ran out of money about 4 months ago and aren't even half-finished, you can barely walk up a road without smelling pot, and the begging problem is beyond belief. The single biggest employer of the town - Devonport dockyard - now employs less than a tenth of the workforce it did back in its heyday, and there is so much priority given to student housing and businesses that the local economy shits itself three times a year. Utterly hopeless.
Torquay has crashed and burned over the last 15 yrs, unrecognizable today from the splendor it had, Councils have a lot to answer for.
Really sad I loved Torquay as a kid
I've lived in torquay all my life, the place is so full of crack and heroin and now we have all the f immigrants staying in bloody hotels and homeless on the streets
In Victorian times it was called one of the most beautiful towns in Europe.
In 1990, my mates and I used to get the train most Saturdays in the summer to go to Torquay.
Great then. Many happy times!
What silly house prices for dump locations…
My wife is from Plymouth and I visited the place quite frequently until two years ago when my in-laws moved closer to us.
While I do have a soft spot for the place I am well aware of its flaws.
What was an eye opener for me when I first visited the place was how poor the south west is.
When people talk about the north south divide they seldom mention the south west and is probably one reason it misses out on a lot of funding.
South west is always forgotten about nail on the head my friend
yeh it's not a north south divide, it's a south east / not south east divide!
You are so right, I’m from the South West Devon/Somerset, I now live up north in what has been described as forgotten, compared to where my siblings live in mid Devon, they are jealous of my location for basic amenities, NHS, Transport links, towns and scenery. Oh and cheaper Council Tax.
@@raypurchase801 Brixton is London, so pretty much better than provincial England in terms of facilities and amenities. Rotherham, at least has Sheffield near it and a railway line South. Telford , again, is close to the West Midlands, so could be worse there. And it has a railway line. Also a few businesses there.
@@Turdtowns Very true and alot of people dont realise how poor Cornwall is . probably to do with it's relative inaccessibility and fairly poor transport links . The nearest motorway is the end of the M5 at Exeter . The A road to Plymouth is OK but once you cross the River Tamar in to Cornwall you are mostly down to non dual carriageway A roads . I do have fond memories of childhood holidays there in the 70 s and 80s but it always seemed an epic long distance journey from the Midlands to get there .Great video btw
I grew up near Crediton and am surprised it missed out. Also Newton Abbot, Tiverton and Okehampton.
when I was at school people used to call it newton scabbot because it was so bad 😭
@@sophiemichelle4964 the one we used was Mutants Armpit
Plymouth town centre was designed by the same single cell that designed Coventry Precinct.
I was told they got the design that Hull rejected.
I agree Plymouth town centre is an eye sore, but the nearby Plymouth Hoe and the Barbican are jewels, with amazing views.
I was born and bought up in Plymouth like every area there are good parts and bad parts PAFC
I'm American. I really think the 1960s ruined both of our countries. The UK lost some of its Victorian houses and we completely lost our minds. I still love the UK no matter how bad (some) of its neighborhoods look. You guys are awesome. ❤
You would like Axminster then.
If you don’t like America, come to my town Barnstaple in United Kingdom, you’d soon wanna go home
The UK lost a lot of its Victorian buildings due to the war and had to rebuild
I love Barnstaple. The reform is my favourite pub there. Plenty of problems of course but plenty of smooth with the rough
Now look at which party was in power in the U S . DEMOCRATS. Whether locally or at national level DEMOCRATS and their supporters XXXX things up
Q: Why does the River Tamar run through Plymouth?
A: Because if it walked, it'd get stabbed.
Safest place to be is on your boat in he river or the sound.
When I first saw Plymouth I thought I was in Coventry, that was in the mid 1960s and the Luftwaffe had given both the same treatment...so had the post-war rebuilders.
@@johnjephcote7636 Plymouth is known as ´Birmingham by the Sea´.
🤣
@@CelticSaint And ocean city, that is a laugh, the body of water outside the bay is the English channel.
I live in Bideford and it’s quickly following in Barnstaples footsteps. Run down derelict buildings and a high street full of empty shops and charity shops. We recently lost our Superdrug and New Look, and our last bank is hanging on by a thread.
I was surprised it wasn't on the list, my friends bought a house there by mistake and left pretty quickly once they realised what BIdeford was - a dying town, but then it's almost the same as Barnstaple in a lot of ways and so close, sometimes I'm forced to go to Bideford but generally avoid it, it's truly dire and if you drive a further 15 mins or so you can get to the 'big shops' of Barnstaple! I find both towns utterly depressing to be honest and around both towns more and more woodland and wildlife are trashed to build more and more low quality homes, the sheer ammount of dead animals that lie decimated in on the main road between the two towns is staggering, but the landscape is the only redeeming feature in both areas and soon that will all be swallowed up too, if I had the means I would leave North Devon for good, I lived in some crappy places before but generally if you drive for an hour or so you can somewhere a bit less run down, but North Devon is desolate and it doesn't matter which direction you pick it all ends in some grotty dying town
You ought to come to St Austell! Remember that old song by The Specials called ´Ghost Town´...
@@CelticSaint It's not called St Awful for nothing!
I'm Barnstaple as well and I agree
@@primordialpouch565 LOL Yes!!
Thirty years ago, I put Torquay top of a list of place I would like to move to. It was sedate, peaceful, safe and upmarket - so much so that the proximity of Paignton almost seemed like an advantage, a bit of noise and light relief. The state of Paignton is no big surprise - it was only ever an overgrown chalet park for tourists - but the decline of Torquay is truly unbelievable. Only years of gross misrule can ruin a beautiful region to this extent.
Shocking isn’t it. Can’t believe I actually used to get excited for my trips there.
Around 19 or so years ago, a friend of mine moved with his family from Birmingham to Torquay. After around 2 years of living there, he and his brother were the victims of a savage beating by a group of scratters after playing pool in a pub. They were followed and attacked in the street after having a night out. About 18 months before this I visited him. We went to a club in the centre. We spent an hour or so in there and then bought a couple of beers. We then danced , with a couple of girls for 10 minutes , having left our beers on a shelf. I drank some of my beer and after a while we were threatened , because this knucklehead said I'd "drank his pint". It got edgy and although I didn't want to back down, a couple more idiots turned upa nd it was threatening, so we left. So, no, not a place to ever visit. What a tip.
Still mostly white.
Not a lot of mosques yet.
Nice. Move to Rotherham, see if you prefer it.
Weve noticed the decline of Torquay.
@@raypurchase801 Rotherham is awful, but nothing to do with Mosques. Central Government funding might have something to do with it. And, at least, it has Sheffield close by.
My dad lived in brixham and I absolutely love it there, it’s still a beautiful place and I love the pirate ship and the fishy smells 😂
my dad passed away not long ago and brixham has always and will always be my favourite place to visit ❤ the coastal walks and beaches are stunning too
100% ... Imagine visiting a tiny, working fishing community (bloody wealthy one too) and then complaining that it smelled of fish. The creator is a townie.
Yes , I think Brixham is a lovely place & Torquay.
To be fair, Brixham, Paignton, and Torquay (like three districts of one city!) ain't half as bad as this geezer was making out!
Yeh and he said there wasn’t a beach in Brixham! So he’s not done his research. The only thing wrong with Brixham is Fore St, which desperately needs some funding and decent shops.
The smells may be run off from the cities into the creeks that flow into the towns, raw Shit making it's way out to sea .killing and rotting the fish .No doubt the drains are as old as the houses . Volunteer groups have clean up days and tree planting in our coastal town .The beach is not safe to swim after storms due to pollution.over fishing can be a problem also .Should be kept more recreational.Wonderful places !
Sad to see the whole country going through this ...... empty shops , sad worn out towns , lost souls wondering bored ...... etc etc 😮
A lot of them are seaside towns !
Inland and seaside towns so don’t start trying to be smart !
This series shows how much our politicians have let our country down. The other colour won't be any better but we need CHANGE. I come from Brixham. The smell used to be awful, but is now much better. I left in the 90s to join the forces. I love your sarcasm, and your assessment is bang on. Illfracome died years ago. We have even stopped going there on holiday. That THREE of the worst towns are in Torbay is comment on how the area has been let down by the people who are running it. (Ruining it?) That the govt and border force are taking over the hotels isnt helping. When I left Paignton and Torquay were thriving. Now they have inspired a project to photograph closed shops. With change home can be reinvigorated.
It's either vote Labour and get mild reform (especially considering what needs to be done and its absolute magnitude) and hopefully (fingers crossed wish upon a star) necessary political and economic reform (new voting system, a more federal less London-centric UK, Green New Deal) to get things back on the right track (being comparable to our neighbours at least).
Or we could let it get worse and worse by doing nothing, and eventually it gets too bad for too many people that something bad happens.
Everything is getting worse and we need to do something now. Even if it won't actually be the change we need at the speed we need it. None of this is normal, our European neighbours' small towns are still doing decent, ours are straight up rotting away.
Yay, being a young person without a house to inherit makes me so optimistic.
Another example of how the turkeys voted for Christmas given how much EU money was being pumped into Devon & Cornwall prior to Brexit.
I've gotta Like ANY comment left by somebody who loves Biggles.
I didn't bother reading your comment. I just Liked because of your name.
@@raypurchase801 Love it 🙂
@@dog-ez2nu You've got to be young if you think anything will improve under Labour. There is no left or right only Blairism and WEF (World Economic Forum).Starmer prefers Davos over Westminster, Schwarb over Parliament, Globalism over representative democracy. See the Emily Maitlis interview. Stir in Charles iii, the WEF phoney climate crisis devotee and there you have it.
Notes from a Small Island is a humorous travel book on Great Britain by American author Bill Bryson, first published in 1995 in which the author describes Britain as it was then...In a later book The Road to Little Dribbling 2015, he takes the same journey and it's quite striking the differences that have taken place, my favorite observation was that in every town he revisited there seemed to be 'One new cafe opening up, and One cafe closing down'.
He is a very good author imo and has the ability to summarise a place or situation very well .
Those books are an amazing time travel thru old England …brilliant author and very humorous too.
Such a shame to see how these places have changed. I spent many, many hours happily as a child on the Devon Coast. My uncle lived in Somerset and we spent school holidays here. I took my own children there too. I can't believe the difference since we last visited over 10 years ago 😢
Look who has been in government the last 10 years it's no coincidence the country is full of places like these because of this sciopathic vermin in government.
The Homeless people are the responsibility of the last 13 years of Tory government.
Agree and ditto. Heart breaking isn't it. Who on Earth was running these places!? I guess not a patriotic Brit.
the Tories with their 'austerity' cuts and corruption have been running the country into the ground for thirteen years @@vincenzo00
This is interesting, I am a kiwi and I drove all around Devon back in 2004, went to pretty much all these places and spent a few nights in some of them. They were all clean and nice towns back then, was in summer though and every place seems a lot nicer on a warm summers day. My favorite town in all of Devon was Lynmouth, loved it and the locals were so friendly, could have seen myself living there.
Lynton, Lynmouth, Porlock and coombe martin are all beautiful places. to be honest that part of Devon/ Somerset is stunning
Awesome. Thanks for the positive comment . From Bob Devon .
2004 pre-dates the financial scandal 2008 and austerity politics
Used to love holidays in Ilfracombe in the 70's/80's.. we'd have something nice in Pandora's and go via Variety Sports to get fishing bait and fish off the hexagonal pier for pouting and wrasse. I remeber the red ship Polar Bear always in the harbour and would sometimes go on one of the fishing boats 'Ventura' or 'Sturdy'.. and even on the trip to see Sammy the Seal (I suspect there were several seals now thinking back...)
Currently live in Torquay, have done for over a year! It's temporary as we wait for our house purchase! Been many places in the last 5 years and can tell you there are many places worse than Torquay! Yes, drugs is a problem, as is poverty, but there's some money in Torquay too and nice areas, nice restaurants and nice places to visit! It's a proper mix bag and I feel gets far too much bad press! If you want to blame anyone for Torquay or any other turd town.....the political class are the ones to blame, in particular the guys that have been drilling this country down into the floor for over 10 years!!!
Hatterbez. You are 100% right, but people keep voting for them.
Torquay's library is liberal woked go check it out ...completely changed for the woked worst. Nothing to read.
Rubbish. You dont kniwxwgat you are talking about. If you dont like it go back up north or wherever you come from. You never hear of Devonians heading north do you.
Torquay has so much potential - it's criminal the way it's been neglected
@@Bob-kb5pv Try saying that in English! I've lived in Devon loads, been in the Bay for just over a year! Up North....wtf you on about! It sounds like your angry with 2nd home owners taking local properties,I ain't one of them! Calm down, chill out and cheer up is my advice!
I have very fond memories of the Torbay area from 40 years ago. Revisited about 5 years ago and was shocked by how rundown Torquay was, Paignton even worse. Brixham still looked OK.
Paignton should be Number 1.
Found this channel just yesterday and subscribed in anticipation of this video. I found myself simultaneously overjoyed and offended to see places I know so very well come up in this video! Axminster's my nearest town worth going to, and what you showed of it made it look like the most exciting place on earth when compared with the *really* bland parts.
Extremely true. Ilfracombe is like living the movie Groundhog Day. Grey damp and a closed shop for drug dealers
I live in Plymouth and it's a great place, nice ferries to Cornwall, central park is nice. Nice local walks in the country. Ok the sea life centre feels a little dated and the town centre needs some work since the trees have been cut down. The main problem with Plymouth is it feels a little remote from the rest of country, especially if they is a crash on the a38 which happens daily. If you know the area it actually has alot to offer, great coffee at the barbican, a leading swimming school, water sports, a good theatre with a fantastic outreach program, lots of little nature groups for kids, or spotting military ships and submarines coming in and out of Davenport. Proud to live in britians Ocean city ❤
I used to live in Plymouth and agree with your post,it's a great city with great places!
This is a good series! It would be interesting if you could try to do brief interviews with locals, ideally with a younger person and an older generation person so you get different perspectives on the location and how it's changed!
Negativity is favoured by Google's algorithm; I suspect because it gets more views and comments. If it was made apparent how manipulative these algorithms are then Google would be legislated against.
The@@geoffallibone4026
it would be even better if the young devonion listened to the older devonian telling how things were when devon was 90ppc devonian,we knew who we were these last few years have been so desttuctive
Tiverton breathes a sigh of relief at missing the cut...
I spent a week there one weekend!
I've heard reports that some people there were found to have thumbs!
They've also got 'lectricity, and very interesting mushrooms👍
How did Tiverton miss out?!!
What 😂@@tommycoopersmagiccarpetwea817
It breaks my heart to see the decline of these towns grew up in Paignton, now live in Brixham. I have to say it is not just the lack of investment it is the people, as look around there are more filthy looking houses and gardens, people years ago had standards, very sadly lacking today, feral gangs of kids roaming and causing trouble, some parents don’t give a 💩. I go to Exeter shopping as there are no decent shops left, hairdressers, nail bars and cafes
I’m sad to say the rot has set in
I recently came back to Exeter after 20 plus. My old University town. It's crap now with the tell tale signs mentioned in this video...
Depression kills motivation. Depression sets in when people feel they have no purpose. Jobless people feel like they have no purpose. Stimulate industry and give people jobs and they would feel good about themselves again and the towns would flourish. Paignton needs much more investment in its photonics industry.
I'm from Devon and the fact the leveling up money meant for our crumbling town was spent on green Initiatives helping no one really boils my piss
Very nicely put!
Quite surprised Tiverton didn't make it here, seemed a very rough place when I booked a hotel there last year.
When I full route visualled the Hop12 from Brixham to Newton Abbot, I didn't seem too keen on Paignton and Newton Abbot either. But Torquay and Brixham were nice!
I've been visiting South Devon generally, and specifically Torbay in the last 15 years, for 50 years. I don't recognise much of this. I like Torquay. The first thing I always do on arrival is have a drink in the bar at the Imperial to take in the view of the bay, which is gorgeous. I like the marina, the riverside walk to Cockington, the walks to some of the little coves, the Agatha Christie connection, lunch at the Grand or when I was feeling flush The Elephant.
I also love many of the nearby places, particularly the Dart estuary and the South Hams.
Dartmouth is still nice
I lived in Ilfracombe for my most of my life and couldn’t wait to leave. It’s full of tourists half of the year and the other half it’s a boring ghost town. It’s a weird mix of rich and poor, you can literally go from an area of expensive houses and posh cars and five minutes later you’re among drug addicts and shoplifters. When I was young it always seemed to be an upgrade to move to Barnstaple because there was much more going on but I recently spent a few weeks there and it’s full of weirdos. In Ilfracombe you constantly feel like you’re going to get your pockets picked and in Barnstaple you get the feeling that you could get smacked. Very sad
As a resident of Torbay, Devon (comprising the towns of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham) I happily confirm that your assessment is accurate. English Riviera? My arse!
@@AllyPoo-ii7jior ellacombe 😂😂
Lol you 2, had so e fun times in ellacombe Park and Hele? I've spewed in the middle of the roundabout the amount of times I've gone round it 😅
Riviera was only invented by the GWR publicity department to promote their inter-war trains.
@@markstacey6082 I’d sooner be in Ella o be on a sunny Sunday afternoon that in Peterborough ,Luton, Grimsby or manchester
@@Havanacuba1985 oiiiii don’t be dissing Luton
The ship in Brixham harbour Is not an old pirate ship!! Its a replica of the Golden Hind, the galleon captained by Sir Francis Drake on his circumnavigation of the world and a museum to that famous ship.
Me and 3 of my mates went to stay in Brixham back in 2012, 3 of us were 15 years of age, one of us was 14.
The first day we were there, at around 10pm, we were walking to get some food from the highstreet, outside were about 20-25 men, all ranging from 18 to 30 years of age… hurling insults at us as we went into the shop for absolutely no reason, clearly all on drugs/alcohol.
When we left the shop, all of us were then completely ganged up on… despite telling them we were kids, they refused to listen, they tried bundling all of us into a rather obscure alleyway in between the shop and the building next to it as well as throwing punches at us and all-sorts… I managed to scramble free, as did my friends, but it was pretty frightening especially as we didn’t expect such a situation to arise, we literally just walked into a shop, and walked out.
As we we’re walking home (staying at one of my friends relatives places at the time) and rightfully confused as to why this had happened.. we noticed a character following us with his hat low, and with his arm inside his jacket. We all were not up for taking any chances at this point so we assumed he had a knife and we didn’t want to hang about to find out… we didn’t run but we walked swiftly to try and get away, but he caught up with us and asked what had happened, we explained, and the man went on his way after admitting he didn’t know what his friends’ problems were with us, he admitted we didn’t do anything wrong.
Would love to know who they were… absolutely disgusting creatures. Aside from that situation, the town itself wasn’t so bad to us… friendly people etc. It’s a shame what’s happening to our (what once was a) beautiful country.
Is there a more adjective enriched description of these men?
@@pholdway5801yes, but swearing is now not permitted in uk law because of our sensative PM
No identifying info on the louts. Do you work for the BEEB?
@@pholdway5801 no, just saying it how it is ... Starmer has a fatal case of Anglophobia
@@mishswb4950 Phobia means FEAR .... K S hates Britain. as did whoever named him KIER.. Leftist genes sucking up to that old fool Kier Hardy
Wow you’ve really got it in for Torbay.Torquay has gone down hill tho I must admit.It was a beautiful place when I moved here in the nineties.All the cliffs and trees were lit up at night with lovely flower beds everywhere.Now the council mostly doesn’t bother.I think this running down is across the country though not just here in Devon.Everyone’s quality of life has gone down.
I love the series and concept. Can I suggest you include the average wage claimant counts to the stats - house prices, etc. have little meaning if everyone is on minimum wage.
Yea I can certainly do that
Plymouth is actually a wonderful city, but like many cities you need to learn your way around it. You need to know where to go and where to avoid. At one time it was rated the 2nd best place to live in the whole of the UK and it hasn't gone down that much. A lot of the decay ran in parallel to the decline of the Royal Navy and areas like Devonport are now being rebuilt, albeit as dormitory areas. The University continues to grow, there is a plethora of historical sites, living is cheap, the sea is on the doorstep and the moors are a short bus-ride away. I live about 15miles out but I could easily live in the city. There is also a ferry connection to France and Spain and a railway station, BUT, we have lost our airport. You need to compare Plymouth with other cities, not with holiday resort villages......
Yea I don’t hate Plymouth it’s not boring
Plymouth lost its reason to exist when the dockyard went into decline. A number of companies tried to set up, to take advantage of the skills. But I suppose its relative isolation didn't make it viable. Interestingly I read somewhere that Torbay was originally considered as the Naval dockyard in the southwest, but it was ruled out because of its exposure to Easterly winds.
Won't disagree with this, just a shame that the video mainly showed Mutley and not the rest of the city, because there are some wonderful and charming areas and as with all large population areas, some not so nice.
My whole entire family live in Plymouth... I luckily live in Exeter, Plymouth is a very poor version of Exeter, its got really run down, shops closing everywhere... relying on tourism instead of business, fantastic little football team though that just got promoted.... but even though it has a port and seaside, go to Exeter.... its a classier place that doesn't run on tourism.....
I love living in Plymouth but agree the shopping is poor, train service is good though so I just go to London or drive to Bristol/Cardiff…I can see Cornwall out my kitchen window and spend most of my summers in north Cornwall which is a short drive 😊
As someone who moved from Liverpool to Devon. There are no bad parts of Devon lmfao. It's so beautiful.
I moved from Stoke-on-Trent and have to agree with you , so many beautiful areas
I'm surprised that Newton Abbot isn't on the list.
N’aaaabott!
So sad to see the decline of places I visited with my late parents as a kid, Especially Paignton as my family and I had so many happy summers there and we took away many lovely memories of our times in Devon, In fact both of my
parents wanted us to move there permanently but I don't think they would today and its certainly not on my holiday destination list anymore,
Paignton looks almost exactly the same, having lived here 25 years. 13 years of Tory austerity and Brexit have delivered no prosperity.
@@geoffallibone4026 tell me, in the three years that the U.K. has been out of the EU what prosperity do you think Paignton would of received from the EU if the U.K. had remained in the European Union?
Because in the 40+ years that we were in the EU they did bugger all didn’t they.
@@Iamtilersscreeminganger Well said! Neither the Tories OR Labour are any good. It's easy, and lazy, to blame Brexit for many things, when that might not actually be true. Blame the councils, the druggies, the alcoholics, the chavs... the 'I want something for nothing' type of people.
In the 60s this used to be lien Spain
I used to live in both Torquay and Paignton 30 odd years ago. Recently returned for an overnight work trip. Wow. The decline is staggering
Torquay lost its heartbeat when the college moved out. The students kept the town thriving whilst the tourists looked after the front. Now it solely relies on the seasons. Brixham will always struggle as no ones got any money, they resent the tourists that do bring it in and so fewer tourists (grocks) are returning… Paignton was and always will be an absolute hole…
The multi storey car park in Paignton needs special recognician. The steps smell so bad of pi.s that I even CARRY my dog down them...
I was really sad to see what had happened to the tech. I did O and A levels there in the late 60s/early 70s and it was a breath of fresh air after the wonders of Brixham County Secondary (as the community college was known back then). I owe the tech the chance it gave me to get the hell out of Torbay - I knew I was doomed if I got stuck there.
Thanks Ben. Looking forward to learning you've left. 😐
Exactly this. Torquay noticeably started going downhill in a lot of ways after that, especially the nightlife. A lot of the cooler student hangout spots like The Piazza shut down and most of the pubs and bars all started to turn into sports bars or cheesy nightclubs.
I used to stay with friends who worked at the college. I didn't know it had moved out. Where did it go?
"What exactly did you expect to see looking out of a Torquay hotel bedroom window?
Herds of wildebeest strolling majestically across the plain?
The hanging gardens of Babylon, perhaps?"
Well it’s not good enough!, I want another room, lol🤣
I have lived in Paignton for 26 years and steadily seen it go downhill. It seemed wonderful compared to the town that I moved from, Lancing, a grotty hovel of a dump between Worthing and Shoreham by sea. I hope you make it that way someday and film the experience.
Paignton In the 1960s was like Spain
As a former Clovelly resident, your comments did make me chuckle. It’s a shame to see what’s become of the place. It used to feel like a badge of honour to be a resident and everyone took huge pride in making the place look and feel special. Not the place it once was. I will say though that the owner, John Rous, was always very good to me and a nice man indeed.
That’s good to hear. I’ve read mostly negatives about him but it’s good to hear a different opinion. What was it like living in such an awkward place?
It's so shit know I walked back up the hill faster than I walked down it! I couldn't wait to go and that was boxing day last year! And the lion is an over priced shit hole.
@@Turdtowns not without its challenges but the reward is living in such a beautiful place. Fighting off damp is a constant battle but the same is true in any old, listed building. They need constant heating (usually using coal) all year round and even then a good deep clean is needed every few months. Sledging groceries down the hill is a novelty but can be tricky in the high season when full of tourists. Being able to park directly outside my house after I moved out was certainly something I under appreciated!
@@BradBrunsdon Sounds like a mouldy nightmare.
Lungs!
Nearly moved to clovelley dodged a bullet as it looked like a wicker man village
The people in the doorways in Barnstaple, begging are largely not homeless and professional beggars/addicts that live in bedsits
Same across the UK.
Exactly. It's the same in most places.
Illfracombe used to be our early teens holiday destination with family , it was a lovely little town, it had gift shops and cafes on the harbour , theres the harbour beach and tunnel beaches that are sandy, there usex to be lovely lit up gardens too but now thevwhole area, including combe martin is run down. It was a real disapointment .
Loved this video and series, funny, depressing but not surprising all at the same time
I spent my teenage years (in the 1980s) growing up in Torquay and lived in the “posh areas” on the hill near Babbacombe which back then was a nice village and the beach was a popular place for the locals
Even back then the town centre and waterfront areas were grim and not worth a visit for any reason. We went to out of town supermarkets and Exeter for shopping…
Keep up the good work guys
Back in the 60s it was like Spain
Surprised to see no mention of South Molton in the comments. Looks to be an OK enough town on the outside, but man the people there are...interesting. I lived there for about 5 years, felt like I aged about 60 in that time! I think its the law that as soon as you're diagnosed with dementia, you have to live in South Molton. Oh, and good luck if you want to buy anything. Apart from the worst Sainsbury's in the country, the next nearest supermarket is 12 miles away! At least there's very few empty shops - mainly because there's very few shops full stop. Or takeaways. Or restaurants. Or pubs. Or anything to do. Absolutely hated the place.
Spot on with this, I live in Torbay. The English Riviera.....god help us.
Lived in Barnstaple for seven years, the council thought they ruled the world, the main housing association takes over your lives and their housing stock is abbissmal, I ended up working voluntarily for a local charity for recovering drink, drug and homeless people because they really did need help I got more thanks and appreciation than at any other time in my life, the main problem with Devon from my own experiences, is people moving out of the cities from across the country to retire in the very places you have shown, for heaven sakes they even have coach tours laid on in Seaton for potential house buyers where the estate agents tell people if you buy a house here you get preferential treatment from the NHS, I have heard this first hand, retirees exercise their right of free speech to protest and fight against planning proposals to develop and modernize, they usually end up getting their own way and what you get is what you have shown, they seem to object to everything except dumping their dog poo bags.
That’s sickening
The council that had it's budget slashed by 35% since 2010 and is manned by volunteers who give their time for free? Those people?
How much does a local councillor get paid?
Councillors do not get paid a salary, however they do receive an annual allowance which reimburses them for time they have spent on council duties, as well as telephone and other office expenses.
Holiday homes, second homes ruin small towns. That combines with local poor wages and a seasoned economy makes for a toxic mix. Chuck in lack of affordable housing, social housing too and it's dreadful. These horrible escape to the country programs don't help
And they're probably the same people who complain about how ugly and run down everything is now.
Housing Associations are not the council. They’re a private company.
Ilfracombe is nice to visit for a few hours if you're staying in Woolacombe or nearby. There's a nice restaurant down by the harbour and the spoons has a roof garden with a good view. Also, the fishing trips are fun.
Excellent review
I do reckon some of the mid-county places needed inclusion (top 12?) - Cornwall is similar, with the glitz reserved for the coast, but the beating heart & reality is just inland. For Devon, I'd say Cullompton, Crediton, Tiverton (I'll cut Honiton some slack) and on the coast - Westward Ho!
Cheers for the view!
Best new channel on TH-cam can't wait to see you hit 100k subs 👊
Thanks my friend!
I'm Brixham born & bred. There's so much potential here but it'll probably gonna get worse before it get's better (if it get's better). The decline of Torquay though, that's the real shocker. 20 years ago I'd find any excuse to jump in the car and head over, it was like living on holiday! Paignton's always been the naff one though so hasn't had as far to fall.
The whole country's going to shit in one way or another though, so we're all in it together!
I’d get teased at Torquay college for coming from Brixham. Now Brixham is the “Posh” town in Torbay as it’s the only one of the three where there’s a chance you’ll escape a visit without catching AIDS.
Well if people hadn't voted the tories in repeatedly for the last 10+ years we wouldn't be so screwed.
I'm sure hotels full of illegal migrants instead of tourists will revive Torquay in no time
Totally agree. The whole country is going down. Remember Crossways back in the day. Now look at it
they will probably dump north africa there soon lol
I live in Paignton and you really captured the essence of the town. I mean the first thing tourists see of the train is a rundown old building and a doggy pub. Most of the locals don't shop there we just drive else where
Back in the 1960s this used to be like Spain
My hometown is Torquay and it was great several decades ago but prospects for people were bleak even back then. I left Torquay in 2007 and turned my life around....best decision of my life. The life I have today wouldnt have been possible in the UK.
Where did you go?
Ive visited Brixham my whole life as my family own a cottage there overlooking the harbour. I have incredibly fond memories here and have spent countless idylic days enjoying the stunning nature in surrounding areas. I also developed a love for fishing in this town and spent some of the most beautiful evenings of my life catching sea bass off a dinghy in the dart estuary or on the remote beach of man sands a 20 minute drive away from the town centre. While this video initially irritated me due to my adoration of the town, its definitely true that the towns greatest asset is whats around it in the rolling fields and stretching coastlines which offered so much relief to me growing up as a born and bred inner city Londoner. The town itself is undoubtedly run down offering little to do particularly at night with just a couple of largely empty pubs and adequate fish and chip restuarants. Despite this i would suggest that londoners are NOT wasting there money here or on most places on this list, the town is nice enough and imo quite pretty, if a bit run down and staying here gives you access to some truly stunning British countryside :)
I've been to Torquay, never again.
Half the shops are closed, it's mostly charity shops, coffee shops, and take-aways.
There's homeless, drunks and junkies all over, and the hotels are filled with illegal migrants.
At least the migrants could add some much-needed genetic diversity
So you didnt have a coffee in a pavement cafe overlooking the harbour, or visit cockington, or bother to walk the coast path from the harbour to wellswood. Maybe you didnt bother to visit Babbacombe, a suburb of Torquay, there you could have gone on to Babbacombe downes and looked up the coast as far as Dorset on a clear day. From there you could have walked down to Babbacombe beach and had a drink in the award winning Cary Arms, then you could have walked the short distance along the bottom of the cliffs to Oddicombe beach and had lunch in the 3 Degrees West. Then if the walk back up the hill is a but much you could catch the cliff railway. If you wanted, you could then walk the short distance to St Marychurch, and at the end of the precinct take some time to visit the church that was rebuilt after being destroyed by a German bomb that killed over 20 children who were attending Sunday school.
But if all you want to do is walk up and down a shopping street, one probably no different to hundreds of others throughout the country, then fine.
Two hotels are currently occupied by boat people. One some way off the beaten track. There are homeless and drug users, but they mostly congregate in an area at the top of the main street. So all in all you are talking out of your backside.
@@Bob-kb5pvYes of course and that's why it's a TURD TOWN 😂😂😂
@@tgmartin diversity!!!!!!!!!! Scum bags
Evidence that online shopping and services are killing these towns off. People in some way have themselves to blame. Sorry if I offend.
Never apologise for telling it how it really is .
My parents retired to Brixham in the late 80s then it was quite a nice place to live great pubs etc.The wife and I visited in 2019 and were quite shocked at how it had become a shell of its former self.
30s will change your memory. For that period all the money went to Benidorm. You should go there. It's lovely. It's certainly more proserous.
@Geoff Allibone My parents moved to Cyprus in the mid 90s. Spain was never on their horizon.
The wife and I looked at France Spain a few years back and decided when we retire properly it's going to be Devon, Dorset or Suffolk for us.
If I were married to you and you referred to me as 'the wife' I would divorce you
@MagentaBlock you wouldn't need to with an attitude like yours we would never be together.
It's polite to call your partner "wife" when people your conversing with don't know her.
@@110adventures7 but ‘my’ not ‘the’!
Where's Tiverton and Newton Abbot?
Who put Clovelly on the list? And at number 4! It’s gorgeous. I’ve never been there but now I want to!
Breathing a sigh of relief as a Newton Abbot resident 😂
Shoot and stab it would surely come in at No. 9
you just made me laugh = well done
Scabbott deffo needs to be on here
I used to love going to Barnstaple for a shopping trip,but these days it's all empty shops,I went last year and was shocked how bad it was
Twenty years ago, I would visit Barnstable for work. I was favorably impressed. The food was decent. Shopping was excellent. In fact, one year I did all my Christmas shopping there before heading back to the states. I hope this video 15:53 is an exaggeration.
@@cranwell5481 It is an exaduration
This old Londoner spent the summer of '76 as a seasonal worker in Woolacombe which is when I fell in love with north Devon. It wasn't just the weather; Woolacombe, Saunton and Croyde are all gorgeous and the locals friendly. Even back then Ilfracombe was a bit of a dump but I was sad to see Barnstaple on this list. It was the place to go for shopping or a night out and even as a 5ft tall young female I never felt unsafe there at night. These days I live in Oz but if I ever came home Croyde would be top of my list of places to re-settle. Thanks for the upload - it was a real eye-opener, especially Torquay. What would Basil say???
I also lived in Croyde Bay in the 80's , did the summer seasons , beautiful place 😍
Basil said it well about London and he was right. Shit hole.
Brixham is defo not as bad as you make it seem, it’s got breakwater beach with is very popular and many new restaurants and cocktail bars. The golden hind is also a big part of its history and draws in lots of tourists.. love it there
For the past 30 years I have wanted to go back and live in Devon. Thank you for pointing out to me the reasons to stay away.
People who can afford £360.000 homes while the rest of the town looks as bad as this, well they are certainly NOT locals.
Essential to drive if you want to spend any time living here because getting away to somewhere less dismal is paramount, sadly.
A guy I know went to Torquay and some kid spat on him, just spat on him. He found out later it was a thing in Torquay just to spit at eachother
Sounds like humanity’s going backwards ☹️
I'm surprised that my town, Bideford wasn't on your list and Barnstaple was. I agree with Barnstaple though it's gone downhill massively in the last 20years ago! Like most Devon towns. Great video though man 👏
Thanks brother. I didn’t feel like Bideford had a place on the list. It just wasn’t worse than anywhere else on here. And A lot of the narrative would be the same as Barnstaple.
Two reason why Torquay went to the dogs. One. It became a unitary council along with Paignton & Brixham (funny how the other 2 are also on the list) and separated from Devon Country Council as a whole. They simply could not get enough revenue to maintain standards as tourists don't pay taxes, locals do. They slowly ran out of money whereas DCC essentially subsidised Torbay to tart itself up in return to get the holiday makers in which would boost the counties economy overall. Torbay Council then started subcontracting serviced to private companies to save money who offerer a far inferior service. Refuse collection for example.
It also doesn't help that Torbay has(or had) one of the most corrupt Councils in England. The elected Mayor didn't help who was an absolute twazzock.
Second point South Devon College.
Huge campus that used to be situated 10 min walk from the High Street. Gave steady incomes to shops all year round. Relocated to outside Paignton due to one of the buildings(the large 5 story) getting concrete cancer and require demolishing. Instead of rebuilding on the site, they put grotty housing mostly filled with low income households instead. That truly was the death blown for Torquay. Sadly college is really too far way from Paignton town center for it to benefit what Torquay used to have.
Was looking for this comment (well one that identifies the main problems). I think the council being too zealous with parking fees encouraged people to shop at other destinations such as Newton Abbot and Exeter, where payments were more reasonable. Drugs have always being a problem here (Castle Circus was bad when I went to the tech college before it moved), a documentary was made of the problem in the 90s, if I recall correctly. The bottom line is the sea front of Torquay is really quite good, just don't venture too far.
I grew up in Barnstaple and yeah it's honestly depressing seeing how dead it's become, I left about 10 years ago funny enough not long after I left lots of shops started shutting down. It used to be so busy and full of really nice shops which was great considering it's such a pain to get out of the town if you don't have a car.
I was in Devon recently and it really struck me how poor this place is and how the poverty has affected the people. It’s grim in places and yes homelessness that I wasn’t expecting! One of the things that really took me back is how little self respect people have for themselves and their homes, gardens and their towns! Is this possibly a generation thing that will swipe all over the country over time. The young adults of today have generally come out of families where both parents have been working full time, from families where the central hub of the home has been missing because parents have had no time to look after it properly. This generation have not been made to help around the home and now it’s showing; they have no skills, no respect, no pride, no self respect, no motivation. In the past many people were poor but they had all of these things. Life is going down the wrong path very fast …. God help us.
You need to read some history books. All the things you described were happening throughout the 19th and early 20th century. Then we got the post-war years and the birth of the Welfare State, which lifted many out of poverty, educated them, and gave them hope...
And then Thatcher happened, and apart from a brief blip under New Labour, we're back to being dragged back a hundred years while the insanely rich laugh and get even richer.
Have you ever seen pictures of victorian slums? Or more recently, council estates in pit towns after the pits were shut? Poor people in the past were unable to keep things nice as well. Poverty has the same effects regardless of the century
It is a generation thing. The baby boomers stole everything 😊
my grandad was up the ladders clearing the gutters on his roof in his 80's even when he could hardly see! My dads the same.....can fix anything... My generation are useless, no morals...we've all got asthma and autism and allergies and health problems from all the processed junk foods, medications and vaxines we've been fed....bought up on TV/computers/trash education & perverted media rather than the bible and basic life/survival skills....God help us is spot on our only hope
@@hesterwright3674yea the world economic forum knows this while they indirectly have a huge influence on the world at large. Sleepy sheep sleeping.
We moved down to Devon when I was a teenager in the 80's and I would regularly go out in Torquay in my youth. It was a violent and scary place, certainly when the pubs closed, as I remember (and there was a lot of small-town violence in general in south Devon). I lived in New York for a time after that in my 20's, and Manhatten in the dead of the night felt a lot safer than Torquay on a Saturday night. You were certainly less likely to get your head kicked in for no reason. Great to see it hasn't changed...
BS 🤨 It's always nice to trash somewhere's reputation. All clubs across the UK are selling shots of cheap alcohol; consequentially people get really drunk fast. Then the fights start. I think this is common to most UK towns and cities.
TH-cam is feeding you these videos to sell advertising. You are being gamed.
haha yeah right! u chat shit bruh
One of the most affluent parts of the city Manhattan and you’re comparing Torquay to it, try walking around the bronx late Saturday night see how safe you feel then.
I can assure you anywhere in the South West is paradise compared to my home town of Grays in Essex which I couldn't wait to leave!! Just being close to beaches, the Moors and nature and away from densely populated cities ticks all my boxes. Towns and cities wherever they are located all come with thier own problems. There's no better feeling riding my bike across Dartmoor or down to Cornwall without a care in the world. A million miles away from Essex in distance and pace of life.
I completely agree,.. I've lived in Lewisham and Dartford and both are utter dumps.. The Southwest is beautiful, nice beaches, fresh air, nice food, good for water sports, beautiful sunsets, what more could you want
My neighbours who came here to North Devon from Medway, Kent say the same thing
I agree. I am Cornish born and bred and wake up every morning grateful that I live here. I don´t have jack sheet materially but feel rich.
Worse than Tilbury?
`100 percent the cities are turning in to islamic hell holes Devon has been largely left alone but sadly that is changing migrant hotels poping up
My only experience of Barnstaple is a delightful night spent in the nick after a fight I didn't start. And that meant shlepping over there again to get two fines and a record months later. And the fight was in a place described as "nice" in this video!
Hey great video. Lived in Plymouth for many years, studied and worked there during mid 2000s, quite lively then, weekend nights would be packed across union street and Mutley, also University would attract a lot of young people and nightlife lived off it basically. Barbican is nice spot for some chilled drinks and live music on weekends or just hang around near the sea, but if you do get there then Capn' Jaspers burger stand is a must stop to grab a bite to eat next to the sea staring down the horizon. Walk up to the hoe is lovely. Interesting note, road upto hoe ended up having loads of speed bumps because of boy racers speeding... Nights many tuned up cars would gather. Honestly, back then it wasnt the greatest city but it had its charm and Uni kids did bulk it up a bit, night life is where it all was though... seems like now is gone down hill, shame, so many great memories.
BTW min 10:51 - the Bonnie & Clyde tattoo just corner off Mutley is where i got some of my tats done and i was suprised to see the tattooist had photos with Robbie Williams, aparently he was a usual and would get tattoos done every so often...All this might be irrelevant but wanted to leave a few curiousities from my time in Plymouth. Thanks again for the video and bringing back some memories, great work!
Me and my Daughter had a brilliant holiday in IIfracombe in a rotting caravan.We spent a day leaping off the quay with the local Chav kids getting chased by the harbour master.The flower beds in the park were extravagant and the sea swimming pools were interesting.The cliff strolls are bracing and you can catch a boat to Lundy to see puffins.
Cant believe Oakhampton, Cullompton, Tiverton and Honiton didn't get on the list
They’re just a bit dull 😂
What about Budleigh Salterton? Not 'alf as nice as it sounds once Summer's leaving town for another year full of bleedin' grockles!!
I was born in Plymouth but only lived there until I was 5-6 years old but have visited a number of times over the last 20 years. The city does look quite run down now but there are some beautiful views, especially around the sea front.
I’m in South Yorkshire now. Trust me, you’ll have a field day if you get this far North 😂😂😂
Those crime rates look like heaven compared to up here!
Britain is devolving isn't it
I used to work in Axminster, and when people asked what it was like, I always used to describe it as "Axminster is a one-horse town, but the horse hasn't been very well lately."
In the 1980s, it was OK, but always clogged solid with traffic as the A35 went right through it, and there were a couple of narrow points where anything bigger than a couple of smallish cars couldn't pass. The town campaigned for a bypass, and it got it in the early 1990s; but then nobody passing stopped to shop any more, and bit by bit the place closed down. Most of the major employers have packed up, either gone bust, or closed by their parent corporations and the work moved elsewhere.
Axminster was famous for carpets,and very good carpets at that expensive but lasted forever.
We joined the EU and suddenly the likes of carpetright bought cheaper in Belgium 😢sadly I don't think we make much at all now
Love this series, and as a Devonian, this video in particular.
Just shocked to not see Newton Abbot (or the scabbot) on the list.
Torquay without the beach 😂
newton abbot gone right down hill
Devon was my favourite holiday destination 30 years ago and I actually moved down there and lived in Brixham for a year. . I've visited most of the towns on your video including north Devon. The place was beautiful, especially Clovelly. The whole street was superbly well kept and is a shadow of it's former self.
I'm born and bred in Plymouth and couldn't wait to get out when I was younger. I love it here now but I always tell people that the best thing about living in Plymouth is that it's easy to get out of Plymouth.
Missed it completely dude. Exeter surely tops the list having once been a world heritage class city until being bombed in WWII, followed by a council that flattened everything damaged in the blitz and most of the mediaeval areas that had survived. They can't even be arsed to rebuild the Clarence Hotel and the adjacent mediaeval Well House on Cathedral Green and would clearly love to play the waiting game before they can build a Norman Foster style Kruschovka tower block on the site. Yet once upon a time this city rivalled York, Bruges, Florence, Edinburgh etc for culture.
It's better than everything here, though.
Am with you Moriarty Exeter shitty has always topped my list!
They'll prob. rebuild the hotel, tax payers £, & fill it with you-know-what
You have a point. I would put Exeter on this list. My wife loves the place, but it's always left me a bit cold. Just soulless and bloody expensive. At least some of the rougher places have some character.
lol yeah it will probably be a Kruschovka knowing how left wing the council has always been
You nailed Clovely, the steep walk up the sharp cobbles to try and escape was a nightmare.
True its a few years ago 2016 but both Bideford and Great Torrington were sadly declining towns
I really feel like Plymouth will become a new hot spot soon. Has a lot of the markers needed to be popular, just has been neglected and a lot of the post war, social housing blocks make it look run down in a lot of central areas.
I spent quite a few holidays in Ilfracombe when I was a kid, back in the 70's and 80's, and it was a lovely place back then, with lots to do. It also had a good bus service to take you to other places, such as Lee, Berrynarbor, Lynton & Lynmouth, Woolacombe, and Clovelly, which used to be really nice too.
But its been quite a few years since I spent any time in Devon.
I did stay near Looe, in Cornwall a few years back, at Tencreek holiday park, which was just GRIM! I had the trots after buying fish and chips from the on site chippy, and I was projectile vomiting from both ends for the emtire night. I actually had to clean the caravan before we settled in too, it was that bad. The beds weren't made, and the mattress on the bed must have been about 30 years old, one of those with the multi coloured blocky patterns. And supplied bedding was mismatched, and really poor quality, and looked like it hadn't been washed. The springs in the matteess had gone YEARS before, so the bed was not comfortable at all. So needless to say, they got a 1 star review on both Google and Trip advisor.
But on the plus side, I did get to visit some old haunts whilst I was there, mainly in Devon. But to be honest, I couldn't care if I never visit the South West again, before I die. Cyprus is my destination of choice for late summer breaks around September time now. As that is the best time to go for moderate temperatures, and a lot of the tourists have already been and gone, so it aint so crowded.
Its sad, but Devon and Cornwall have had their day imho.
Accommodation standards are just too low, and prices for accommodation and eating out are just too high to make the South West a viable option anymore. And caravan parks should carry a health warming, unless you take your own. But even then, site facilities tend to be poorly maintained, and/or inadequate.
Add to all of that the problems getting there on winding single carriageways during high season making just getting there a stressful ordeal, and its a big NO from me I'm afraid.
There will be some lovely places to stay no doubt, but expect to pay through the nose for decent quality accommodation and surroundings.
I visited a friend in Devon, Paignton, Blagdon Court, Plymouth and Bristol in 1988 and it was so beautiful and nice and the people in the shops were so nice. Sad to hear about the problems.
No Bideford or South Molten? Part two needed me thinks!
I live in Torquay, born and bred. It’s is a lovely place, but the councils and police force have seriously let it down. I’ve lived here long enough to see the absolute decline over the years. Drink and drugs is a serious problem. So is crime. The night life is also very poor. I head to Newton Abbot on a night out now.
My question is who let’s a place like this turn into the worst place to live in Devon!?
Newton Armpit? That would be my 2nd worst place in Devon, Wow, things must have really got bad in Torquay for you to do that! You have my sympathy.
It was a great night out in the 90's. If you have to go to Newton for a night out, it must be bad 😂
Yeah it's all the council and police's fault. 😐
I'm from newton shabbot , must admit I don't go out much but newton dead, plus everyone's related😂to each other u get in a argument or pull a bird and their uncle or brother r in the pub. Devon more about the pace of life and safer environment for the kids . Used to work judy G's Torquay back in its heyday, used to love torgay 😮
i used to go out in Torquay quite regular, loved the hustle and bustle loved the clubs!. The town has been dumped on massively, especially if its worse than scabby abbott.....
fortunately i live in mid Devon which is quite nice.
Come on Paignton is not so bad. Where else would you find the worlds only reverse riding motorcyclist? 12:27 🏍
Love this as a channel idea. Do one on Posh/Poor town contrasts in Oxfordshire!
💯!!!!
My family moved to Torquay about 40 years ago when I was 12 your assessment of the place is bang on I haven’t been back for over 32 years and never will what a shithole!!!
You could do feature Towns like Colchester. The people there are devoid of emotion, personality and fun. The traffic really sucks and there is nothing going on. Terrible place. Tilbury is the worst Town in Essex though. That place is bad.
Colchester is nice. Try Luton, Bradford and Rochdale.
Classic! We were so disappointed when we visited Torquay. Anstey's cove was a small consolation. Can't wait for Dorset!
I've lived in Torquay since 2001 having moved here from where I was born and grew up being Coventry
It's a tricky one this; I feel a lot of how nice a place to live is perception. I have lived in Torquay for eleven years now, five of those years I've had children. As a parent with very young children Torquay is great, especially in summer with a multitude of beaches, Cockington, and also easy access to lush outdoor activities in surrounding areas. But in winter it feels like you are just holding on for Summer again and the place loses it's mojo. And yes, in many ways things feel much more tired and run down now but lets face it unless you are in london, manchester, liverpool, newcaslte etc high streets are generally more shit now.
The reason a lot of shops have closed is due to the rise of online purchases, yes it's cheaper, yes it's convenient, but shops close as a result and the heart and soul of towns and villages are torn out, and the rot sets in