Inside the once-thriving UK holiday hotspot slammed by visitors for ‘sea of concrete’ and locals who ‘spit on the floor’
ONE OF Britain’s leading holiday resorts has been condemned as a “sea of concrete” whose best days have long since vanished.
The Isle of Wight has been slammed on a popular YouTube account dedicated to the UK‘s most disappointing destinations.
Yet locals have rallied to the defence of England’s largest island – while its beaches have just been handed an array of awards.
The flak came from a much-shared YouTuber called Turdtowns, whose latest video lists what he deems the six worst places on the island.
He highlights a lack of investment and a proliferation of derelict buildings across a resort which used to be a favourite base for Queen Victoria and attracted literary giants such as novelist Charles Dickens and poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Rock stars who have played at the annual Isle Of Wight Festival include Jimi Hendrix in 1970 shortly before his death, Bob Dylan and Sir Paul McCartney – while more recently the island has produced Grammy and Brit award-winners Wet Leg.
Scheduled headliners when the festival returns next month include Pulp, OneRepublic, George Ezra, the Chemical Brothers and Robbie Williams.
But the new Turdtowns video – already watched by more than 182,000 people – lays into an island the YouTuber labels as “depressing, bleak and sad”.
He singles out individual districts across the Isle of Wight – describing Ryde as “shabby”, with “grimy terraced houses that line the street covered in seagull faeces”.
The film-maker meanwhile “can’t imagine any person ever having a reason to visit” Shanklin, adding how “the high street is one of the blandest places I’ve ever been”.
He also calls the county town of Newport “dreary and expressionless”, while Wroxall “sounds like a weeping wart” – “an appropriate way to describe the place”, viewers are told.
And he writes off local residents as “unwelcoming”, telling how they “spat on the floor” as he walked by.
Yet he does conclude: “What we found out was that on the whole it’s a pretty nice place to live but it’s an expensive place to live.”
Various commenters on the video agreed with his criticisms of the island, with one blaming ferry operators for over-charging and deterring people from visiting.
They added: “It never used to be like that – when I was young it was rammed during the summer.
“All the shops would stay open until 9 or 10pm, the guest houses were thriving, and there were far more arcades and way fewer boarded-up buildings.”
Another said: “All those towns look the same: just sea of concrete with little life other than cars honking around – certainly not nice places to live or visit.”
A commenter also wrote: “Been visiting the island since childhood in the 1970s and witnessed the decline in some places. It’s very sad because it is a special place but nothing is forever.”
Others were more cautiously supportive of the Isle of Wight, however, such as the remark: “The island does have its beautiful bits though the rough bits need sorting out.”
And Ben Murray-Holmes insisted: “Ventnor is my home town and it’s definitely improved over the years.
“There’s so many beautiful views, a nice park, decent beach. It hosts the Ventnor Fringe Festival, has some great bars and is a place with lots of quirky and weird shops.
“Come during the summer and it’s a lovely place to hang.”
Online travel website TripAdvisor describes the Isle of Wight as “the perfect place to enjoy some peace, quiet and natural beauty”.
The site continues: “The island is also known for its world-famous sailing and lovely resorts, where people have been holiday-making since Victorian times.”
Recent visitor reviews include: “I love the island. Went for a week’s holiday in early July – very relaxing, fairly quiet and the most wonderful walks, none of which were busy.”
Another holiday-maker pinpoints the town of Ventnor for its “great restaurants, nice promenade, quirky shops and nice walks”.
The organisation Keep Britain Tidy also appears impressed by the Isle of Wight, this week awarding 14 of the region’s beaches Blue Flag status in its latest annual announcement of 76 across the UK.
And the island’s ferry firm Wightlink was last December given a Silver prize in the Best Ferry Company category at the British Travel Awards 2021/22.
In contrast to predecessor George IV who favoured Brighton – building the Royal Pavilion there – Queen Victoria much preferred the Isle of Wight, often staying at Osborne House in East Cowes which is where she died in 1901 aged 81.
Sandown beach has a score of 4.5/5 from more than 270 reviews on TripAdvisor, with more than 250 people rating it either “excellent” or “very good”.
One person said: “Beautiful beach and good car parking. Idea for a good day out with the children. Nice café for lunches. Would go back.”
Another wrote: “Great for walking, swimming and fossil hunting. Lovely clean sand and sea, perfect for swimming and enjoying the sun.”
Yet a letter-writer to the island’s Isle Of Wight County Press earlier this year complained the town had become run down and one of the “saddest places to live”.
The Sun has contacted tourist board Visit Isle of Wight for a response to the new criticisms.