Which seaside town doesn’t get the love it deserves?
Simon Calder answers your questions on underrated coastal spots, trips to Morocco and how to get the most out of your Spain-France cruise
Q What’s the most underrated seaside resort in the UK?
Megan
A The short answer is: almost anywhere in Northern Ireland. Far too few people from the other UK nations are aware of the fun, food and spectacular shoreline scenery along the country’s coast. I particularly like Portstewart and Ballycastle on the north coast, and Newcastle in the southeast has the bonus of easy access to Ulster’s highest mountains.
In Scotland, the answer is undoubtedly Aberdeen – in the sense that is a fine city whose long, wide beach is often overlooked. The very best beaches, though, are on the Atlantic shore of the Isle of Harris, though I don’t think there is anything that counts as an actual resort in that part of the Hebrides.
For Wales, I shall opt for Swansea – like Aberdeen, an excellent beach with a wealth of holiday fun infrastructure on the shore (plus great wet-weather activities, always an asset; the Waterfront Museum and the Dylan Thomas Centre are particularly worthwhile).
In England, it’s easy to name overrated seaside resorts: Brighton is probably top of the list. The city is marvellous but the beach is rubbish. At the other end of the country, I believe people need more faith in Morecambe; the epitome of a seaside resort fallen on hard times as the Mediterranean increases in allure and accessibility. When the Eden Project North opens, hopefully in 2024, Morecambe will be firmly back on the map; get there ahead of the masses.
Finally, a word in praise of Whitley Bay, easily accessible on the Newcastle Metro. Besides a fine beach, I come here to marvel at the exotic and opulent Spanish City: a homage to Andalucia that took root on the North Sea coast in 1910.
Q We have a flight on Christmas Eve from Glasgow to London Gatwick on easyJet with an onward flight on Wizz Air to Marrakech. We bought the tickets direct from each airline ourselves. We will be carrying cabin baggage only. There is a two-and-a-quarter-hour gap between the arrival from Glasgow and departure to Marrakech. With the UK Border Force strike, does this seem OK? Could we show our passports/boarding pass to Wizz Air staff in Glasgow to speed things up in Gatwick?
Kay M
A I am tempted to begin my response with a question: feeling lucky? I hope that does not sound harsh, and I am optimistic that it will all work out fine and that you can look forward to Christmas lunch in the main square. The likely upside to your decision to book two flights that are independent of each other is, presumably, a reasonable total fare and a decent journey time. In your position, I would make exactly the same choice for a festive journey from Scotland to England to Morocco in a couple of hops. The downside, as I probably don’t need to remind you, is that you risk missing the Wizz Air flight and being stranded at Gatwick on Christmas Eve with the prospect of spending 25 December at an airport hotel in the Crawley area and having lost, presumably, hundreds of pounds.
My optimism is based on experience that, generally, easyJet domestic links between Scotland and England are reasonably punctual; the longest delay I have experienced was 90 minutes on a Glasgow-Stansted flight earlier this summer, and most are usually much closer to schedule. There is a low risk that it could be as much as an hour late, and even in this case, you would have plenty of time to exit from domestic arrivals in the North Terminal and take the shuttle to the South Terminal in good time for the onward flight with Wizz Air. Even if time is ticking away, there is a far-from-zero chance that the onward flight to Marrakech could be delayed.
The strike by members of the PCS union who work for UK Border Force is unlikely to affect your journey; easyJet has a sub-fleet of aircraft that fly almost exclusively domestic routes, and you should not be caught up in any disruption linked to the walkout.
With respect, I don’t think Wizz Air (or easyJet) staff in Glasgow will be interested in your onward arrangements. And I need to add that if severe winter weather intervenes, you might be sunk. But in this case, travel insurance may possibly help to remedy the financial damage.
Q We have booked a seven-night MSC cruise from Southampton for next year. It calls at La Rochelle, Bilbao, La Coruna and Cherbourg. What would you advise we do in those destinations?
James
A A shrewd choice of cruise: the voyage calls at three great ports plus one interesting location (Cherbourg), and by starting and ending in Southampton you avoid all the airport stress.
First essential: do not sign up for a cruise-operated excursion; they tend to be fearfully expensive and, for the places you are going, unnecessary too. I am all in favour of engaging a local guide and/or joining an organised walking tour, but in general, I believe cruise excursions are priced at around twice what they are worth.
In La Rochelle, as soon as you dock make your way to the railway station and board a bus to the town of St-Martin on the Ile de Ré, reached by a spectacular curved bridge. The island is a joy, and St-Martin is its de facto capital: part wistful old port crowded with masts, part defensive enclave. The advantage of getting there early is that you will miss the summer crowds – and will also be able to relax about being back in time – you can head back into La Rochelle after lunch to explore the compact and lovely port area, including the imposing Porte de la Grosse Horloge and the cathedral of St-Louis.
Bilbao’s signature sight is the Guggenheim, but I recommend you admire it from many angles outside and then concentrate your time on the superb old town – hopefully with time to enjoy some pintxos (Basque tapas) before sailing off. La Coruna is a joy to explore because besides the obligatory and atmospheric old town, the headland that protrudes north from it is a pleasure to stroll – with the highlight being the Torre de Hércules, a Roman-built lighthouse.
Cherbourg is not my favourite French port or city; it was heavily bombed in the Second World War. But a one-hour €1 bus ride to Barfleur, about one mile east, takes you to a pretty port with impressive granite-built houses. Finally, Southampton is also well worth exploring; if you have not done so before, add it in as an extra day’s excursion on the day of sailing or return.
Q I have found out tonight that my Eurostar train to Paris on Boxing Day has been cancelled (along with all the others) at 10 days’ notice. What rights do I have to compensation and perhaps a flight instead?
Terry B
A Late yesterday afternoon, Eurostar announced it was cancelling all 43 of its Boxing Day trains linking London with Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. The reason: a strike from 6pm on 24 December to 6am on 27 December by members of the RMT union working for Network Rail. The High Speed One line between London and the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone is on track where Network Rail operates the signalling. It will be closed from 6pm on 24 December to 6am on 27 December.
During previous strikes (including the present one), the line from London has been kept open “by scrambling together enough contingency workers”, according to Network Rail. On 26 December, they have simply run out of staff.
Were this happening in aviation, the airline would be obliged to find an alternative means of getting you to Paris (which, ironically, could include Eurostar). But as it is, the train firm is obliged only to offer the choice between cancelling for a full refund or rebooking on another day. With (I estimate) 20,000 travellers booked on the now-cancelled trains, that is going to be tough.
In your position, though, I would wait and see. It is feasible that the strike will be called off – Network Rail and the RMT are not too far apart, and both sides are now very keen on a settlement. While there is no chance Eurostar would be able to uncancel the whole lot and reinstate all the capacity, it may well be that the firm could restore some of the links. But I agree that saying “wait and see” with barely a week remaining is possibly an annoying thing for me to say.
Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
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