Is Holyhead a nice place?

TheOtherBloke

I was thinking of going there on these Stena Line Christmas deals..

somefeen

No

Highflyer13

Absolute s**thole. The best thing about Holyhead is the road out of it. (or the ferry)

Yamanoto

You should suggest it as a quality destination to this loon...

“Loved It, Would Love To Go Back”
Reviewed 1 September 2011

After booking a week off work to both recover from a trip to a music festival and celebrate my birthday, I decided I may as well spend the week somewhere a bit different. So I booked four nights in Travelodge in Ballymun

http://www.tripadvisor.ie/ShowUserReviews-g186605-d634898-r117525957-Travelodge_Dublin_Airport_Ballymun-Dublin_County_Dublin.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

Pinch Flat

It's a kip.

newmug

Nothing wrong with it. Its like a Welch Sligo. Wales is nice.

Slicemeister

Unless you're a Nolans driver, keep the foot down.

fleet_admiral

Its like Dolphins Barn on Dublins southside, only worse. Which is quite a feat

TheOtherBloke

Highflyer13 wrote: »

Absolute s**thole. The best thing about Holyhead is the road out of it. (or the ferry)

Ah it cant be that bad surely?

WesternZulu

I live in Wales, Holyhead is a hole...the definition of a port town.

Whosthis

Absolute kip, you'd be lucky to entertain yourself there for 20 minutes. Chester is about an hour and a half away on the train, nice town and a few things to do, feasible for a day trip.

There's a 'Village Of The Damned' quality about Holyhead.

It's like Cavan but worse and Welsh.

TheOtherBloke

WesternZulu wrote: »

I live in Wales, Holyhead is a hole...the definition of a port town.

I heard the folks arw quite friendly and some scenery?

Omackeral

I had a Wale of a time.

Tail Docker

There's a pound shop, a chippers and fifty pubs. Kip. There's a reason they put two exits - sea and road. It was a demand led decision.

Day Lewin

Its not QUITE that bad, but it's pretty grim in winter. I mean, it is a tiny remote country town.

In summer it can be an attractive little place with some nice scenery around and a couple of excellent beaches nearby. For a few days. In sunshine. Christmas in Holyhead sounds like a nightmare.

pebbles21

DON'T....EVEN...THINK..ABOUT..IT

Highflyer13

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Ah it cant be that bad surely?

Ive known countless people who have gone there with expectations of it being some kind of seaside oasis and been bitterly disappointed. Get the train to Bangor if your going which is a decent town about 30 mins away. All in all not a huge fan of North Wales. It has a grim feeling about it and feels like its stuck in the 60s:pac:

TheOtherBloke

Highflyer13 wrote: »

Absolute s**thole. The best thing about Holyhead is the road out of it. (or the ferry)

Ah it cant be that bad surely?

Whosthis

Tail Docker wrote: »

There's a pound shop, a chippers and fifty pubs. Kip. There's a reason they put two exits - sea and road. It was a demand led decision.

Don't forget the Santander with the ATM that smells like piss.

Cookie_Monster

save yourself the trip and just go to Dun Laoghaire, it's even slightly nicer tbh, not much but slightly.

Highflyer13

Tail Docker wrote: »

There's a pound shop, a chippers and fifty pubs. Kip. There's a reason they put two exits - sea and road. It was a demand led decision.

And they have a Lidl now too outside the ferryport. Great for the cheap cans to temporarily drown out the depression of being in such a kip and pass the time;)

TheOtherBloke

Whosthis wrote: »

Don't forget the Santander with the ATM that smells like piss.

Not many positive words so far :v

poisonated

I would not recommend. I have been in the port for about 2 or 3 hours at a time and even that is too much!

TheOtherBloke

Whosthis wrote: »

Don't forget the Santander with the ATM that smells like piss.

Not many positive words so far :v

Go to Chester, a place I know very well (used to live there for a year and a bit)!

wendell borton

Highflyer13 wrote: »

Ive known countless people who have gone there with expectations of it being some kind of seaside oasis and been bitterly disappointed. Get the train to Bangor if your going which is a decent town about 30 mins away. All in all not a huge fan of North Wales. It has a grim feeling about it and feels like its stuck in the 60s:pac:

Thanks to Maggie thatcher.:pac:

P. Breathnach

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

Ah it cant be that bad surely?

I like North Wales. Except for Holyhead.

WesternZulu

Highflyer13 wrote:

Ive known countless people who have gone there with expectations of it being some kind of seaside oasis and been bitterly disappointed. Get the train to Bangor if your going which is a decent town about 30 mins away. All in all not a huge fan of North Wales. It has a grim feeling about it and feels like its stuck in the 60s

You're know you're scrapping the barrel when Bangor is described as a decent town in comparison.

Very accurate description of N Wales too...the abandoned slate mines and grey houses do nothing for the place.

somefeen

poisonated wrote: »

I would not recommend. I have been in the port for about 2 or 3 hours at a time and even that is too much!

I was stranded there for 30 hours in the middle of winter with nowhere to stay. I haven't been the same since.

Whosthis

Grim, this was probably snapped at lunchtime on a Saturday, even managed to get the ATM in.

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.3100884,-4.6333324,3a,75y,357.55h,89.83t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s8d_6HIz_AqCyxWoWdYGUmw!2e0?hl=en

Tail Docker

somefeen wrote: »

I was stranded there for 30 hours in the middle of winter with nowhere to stay. I haven't been the same since.

Same. Hotel Transit in the port and had to venture out to explore...I was bored witless after an hour.

TheOtherBloke

You all are being helpful.. not a good idea then? Any of yas know what the locals are like?

Highflyer13

WesternZulu wrote: »

You're know you're scrapping the barrel when Bangor is described as a decent town in comparison.

Very accurate description of N Wales too...the abandoned slate mines and grey houses do nothing for the place.

My exact thought the first time I passed through in 2006 was get me back to the red bricked houses of Dublin. I just glanced at Holyhead on google maps there and scarily enough its momentarily depressed the life out of me.

Tail Docker

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

You all are being helpful.. not a good idea then? Any of yas know what the locals are like?

They are ALL lovely. ALL of them.

lufties

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

I was thinking of going there on these Stena Line Christmas deals..

Just to holyhead? Or as a connection to somewhere in the uk?

Highflyer13

TheOtherBloke wrote: »

You all are being helpful.. not a good idea then? Any of yas know what the locals are like?

Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch is just down the road and on Anglesey. You could visit there. I had great fun getting all the locals to say it for a while then I got bored again:(

EB_2013

The only interesting places to see there are the mountain and lighthouse but this wouldn't be the best time of year to venture up there.

Wouldn't be bothered with the town, very run down and loads of chavs hanging around.

TheOtherBloke

Tail Docker wrote: »

They are ALL lovely. ALL of them.

Sarcasm?

somefeen

Tail Docker wrote: »

Same. Hotel Transit in the port and had to venture out to explore...I was bored witless after an hour.

"I suppose I could have another look around lidl...."

wing52

Went ONCE.

The sky and the ground were the same shade of drizzle:(

Got a cheese burger, the cheese was INSIDE the burger!

The pub i was killing time in sold whiskey flavoured condoms

Highflyer13

EB_2013 wrote: »

The only interesting places to see there are the mountain and lighthouse but this wouldn't be the best time of year to venture up there.

Wouldn't be bothered with the town, very run down and loads of chavs hanging around.

It could actually be a decent spot if they got their act together and targeted the Irish day trip, weekend break market. And bring in serious revenue to the town.

TheOtherBloke

lufties wrote: »

Just to holyhead? Or as a connection to somewhere in the uk?

Connection after reading this thread haha

The Backwards Man

The wee chipshop just up to the left before you go down into the port used to do great fish, don't know if it's still there or not.

Tail Docker

somefeen wrote: »

"I suppose I could have another look around lidl...."

Lol. I feckin did too..many times...then it shut..Oh the excitement when it opened again in the morning.

EB_2013

Highflyer13 wrote: »

It could actually be a decent spot if they got their act together and targeted the Irish day trip, weekend break market. And bring in serious revenue to the town.

Yeah, I agree. There are plenty of outdoor activities to do around the island but most people don't seem to stay in the local area, just pass through.

The Backwards Man

Highflyer13 wrote: »

It could actually be a decent spot if they got their act together and targeted the Irish day trip, weekend break market. And bring in serious revenue to the town.

They need a slogan

'Holyhead - there's more here than there is in Cairnryan'

Mr_Spaceman

I've had a few jars in the pub adjacent to the ferryport to pass the time.

It's called, for some bizarre reason, the Edinburgh Castle. Open late, too, for the nocturnal wayfarer.

And there's always the Lidl for cheap supplies to sustain you for the ferry trip.

So that's Holyhead.

DivingDuck

Whosthis wrote: »

Grim, this was probably snapped at lunchtime on a Saturday, even managed to get the ATM in.

<snipped googlemaps link>

Further up the road by the cross monument, there is also the "Soft Play Cafe". I don't know what that is, and frankly I'm afraid to Google it, but it's something else to see, anyway...

Was here a few times in the 90s, and found it uninspiring. I didn't think that opinion would still be relevant, but after scooting around on street view, I'm astonished by how little had changed. I'm sure the people who live there like it well enough, but I wouldn't consider it a destination.

Nunu

We had a few hours to kill many moons ago. Went to the local cinema and had a local chav throw pennies at us from a few rows back. Marvellous place.

suicide_circus

If Hitler was a small costal Welsh town, he would be Holyhead.