Apryl, who has 42,500 followers on Instagram, where she is known as aprylwanders, listed three popular UK destinations she wouldn’t go back to – and three alternatives people should visit instead
The UK is full of beautiful places to visit – but one travel influencer says the most popular ones aren’t necessarily the best (stock image)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
You don’t have to travel to an exotic foreign destination to see some absolutely stunning sights, with so many amazing things to see right here in the UK. But one travel influencer has said some of UK’s best-known tourist sites might not be all they’re cracked up to be – and suggested some lesser-known alternatives that are just as good, if not better.
Apryl, who has 42,500 followers on Instagram, where she is known as aprylwanders, listed three popular UK destinations she wouldn’t go back to – and three alternatives people should visit instead.
Writing in the description of her post she said: “Unpopular opinion… some of England’s most famous spots aren’t actually the best ones. These are just based on my experience, and what I’d do differently if I planned my trip again.” She added: “England is full of beautiful places… but I’ve realised there’s almost always a better, quieter alternative.”
The first place she said she’d skip? Stonehenge. The prehistoric megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain is famous around the world and attracts more than one million visitors every year, drawn by the mystery of what exactly it was built for.
Apryl, from Manchester, said: “Looks iconic, but disappointing in person.” She added visitors “can’t get close”, tours and tickets are expensive, and there is “always a crowd”.
Instead, she recommended visitors should travel just 25 miles north to Avebury, home to the world’s largest stone circle. Apryl said the site is “older than Stonehenge”, and visitors can walk among the stones. She added it’s free to visit, and there are “no crowds”.
The second place Apryl said she’d avoid is the Cotswolds village of Bourton-on-the-Water. The chocolate box village is known around the world for its iconic architecture and beautiful Gloucestershire surroundings.
Apryl said: “Charming, but can feel overcrowded.” She added it’s the “busiest spot in the Cotswolds” and is “very touristy” and “hard to enjoy at slower pace”.
Instead, she suggested visitors to the Cotswolds should instead pay a visit to the nearby villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter. She described the villages as “quieter” and “just as scenic”. She added visitors can enjoy “a relaxing walk”.
Apryl’s third suggested location to skip is the stunning Seven Sisters and Beach Head cliffs in East Sussex, part of the iconic White Cliffs of Dover. Specifying the destination should be avoided in the spring, she warned it features “longer hikes than people expect”. She also said it is “very weather dependent” and “not the easiest to access”.
Instead, she suggested sightseers should travel just up the coast a little to the Birling Gap. She said this alternative offers views of the same cliffs, is “easier [to] access”, doesn’t require a hike, and is “just as stunning”. Writing in the post’s description, she added she would still recommend the Seven Sisters lighthouse walk “in calmer weather”.
People had a range of views in the comments. One said: “I thought Stonehenge was super cool!! Yes it’s crowded and you can’t walk up to them normally, but I thought the audio guide was really interesting and the museum and all the information was really cool, so I loved it!
“Also I did Seven Sisters both ways! Parked at Birling Gap and then walked to the lighthouse along the cliffs and loved it! I thought that’s what you were meant to do to reach it??”
Another said: “I loved Stonehenge. Yes there were a lot of people but honestly it never felt crowded. So awe inspiring.”
Another had an alternative suggestion. “I suggest you don’t skip these spots,” they said. “Just go off season. We had Bourton on the water to ourselves in December.”
