Lovely Devon - strange welcome

[Elle's Garden]

Got back yesterday from a lovely week in Devon. We were fortunate enough to have at least some sun every day, no rain, and only a couple of days were really windy. We decided to forgo our normal Florida holiday this autumn and spend our few pennies - very hard earned this year - in Devon. So we/I was quite surprised at the lack of welcome from the locals (hubby lived there for a couple of years about 25 years ago and was not surprised). According to the few who would converse with us it has not been a brilliant summer tourism wise. The weather didn't help, and presumably the recession has taken a large chunk of business, so I would have thought people such as restaurant or pub owners, shop owners etc might be a bit happier to see us. How wrong I was. I have never felt so disliked and unwelcome for no reason (of my own control). I don't have a caravan to hold up their traffic, and my two children are very well behaved when out. In 2 pubs the staff couldn't even look at us while they took orders, and no-one conversed beyond the most basic, necessary exchanges (rarely with eye contact and even more rarely a smile). They don't know me, and didnt want to know me either. Just judge me straight away as a tourist who is not worthy of their manners.

We have always found that the Americans are a bit superficial with their 'Have a nice day' attitude, but I would take a little fake friendliness any day over the 'welcome' we had in Devon.

Rant over, the scenery was beautiful, and we had a very relaxing week, which was just what we needed. Happy to come back to my own runner beans and a few fresh carrots!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Elle's garden, i think this attitude is becoming more widespread, in shops, pubs and restaurants. I do like a friendly service when i'm out, and it costs them nothing.

Sorry you had to come across so much rudeness when you were on holiday though.

[Colin_M]

Sorry you had this experince.

We had a lovely holiday in N Devon this August and had no problems with the locals.

[glallotments]

We have just got back from North Devon too - we stayed in a thatched cottage near Exminster. Granted we didn't dine out etc but we were made most welcome by the cottage owners and the neighbours.

We had organic free range eggs and a bottle of wine waiting for us when we arrived and after settling in the owners brought us some currants buns (small cakes to you southern folk) fresh out of the oven.

Our walk along the canal tow path took longer than we thought as we kept having to stop and chat to people going the other way!

[pongeroon]

I think the lack of eye contact and any interest from shop/restaurant/pub staff tends to be the norm nowadays, unfortunately. I usually try to look at them and smile, and sometimes make a bit of conversation because I think maybe they get bored, but often I get little response.

Years ago I worked temporarily in a large toyshop chain. When I started the job, I decided I would not become like this, so I looked at the customers and smiled, but very rarely got a response. I guess it works both ways. And yes, after a few short weeks, I was a very surly checkout girl!

[FelixLeiter]

Got back yesterday from a lovely week in Devon.

Which bit of Devon, Elle's Garden? It's not like that everywhere. But it is like that around here. In a month I will be moving, and quite glad to be.

A few years ago we spent two weeks in Pembrokeshire. Bad service, poor food and high prices seemed to be a particular specialism of English-run pubs and restaurants. Those run by the natives were invariably lovely, but a rarity.

[Elle's Garden]

Hi all,

Maybe we were just unfortunate, or maybe with it being 'quiet season' the smiles were all worn out! We were in the Ilfracombe/Woolacombe/Combe Martin area Felix - stunning scenery and coastline I thought.

In my day job I write a newsletter for Brits who own holiday homes in Florida so I am well aware of the frictions and tensions between tourist and locals as well as the benefits and troubles brought by tourism. It was quite marked though, even our children commented on it and wondered what we had done wrong!

Funny story about our host; we had lovely accomodation and the electrity was included (according to the blurb) so we were quite surprised when we had a power cut on Thursday. We discovered there was a meter and popped a couple of pounds in. Having checked the blurb again I finally tracked down the host (took 3 attempts to get him to answer the door) and mentioned this occurance. He said he thought he had filled it up and popped around to top it up (no apology). He opened up the little drawer and drew out 5 pound coins - 2 of which were ours, and then proceeded to feed them in again. He had obviously only put £3 in to start with at the beginning of the week, and he didn't offer me back my £2. After talking to fellow holiday makers we found they had all had to stoke the meter and none thought to mention it to him - an easy way to make beer money!!

[Compo]

I have to agree that service in British, shops and restaraunts is way behind many of our international neighbours, we are bad mannered, we find it difficult to go out of our way and say things like, please don't bring your own food and eat it here, i.e. the table outside the pub.

Now to me that says two things, firstly some of the customers are so downright outrageously thick and ignorant taht they think it is ok to take their ASDA sausage rolls and eat them outside of someone else restaraunt. I mean the sign is one thing but what kind of person thinks that it is ok to do that?

I have been told to come back in ten minutes as the chef is in the loo, so therefore we cannot sit and order a drink?

I have been told that food will take 90 mins to come?

And it goes on

We are a losing nation and I am often embarassed to be British

However, there remains handful of isolated victuallers that are able to provide good reasonably priced food with great service, but they and the good customers like us who appreciate are rapidly becoming an extinct breed.

Rant over (for now)

CoMpO

[Gerry]

Hi all,
Before I retired and moved to West Cork I used to sail out of Porthmadog and most years, for our main holiday, we sailed to the South coast of Ireland.

We were introduced to a Porthmadog resident who originally came from Cork City. My wife asked him if people are as friendly in the City as they are out in the country.

"Oh no" he said. "Nothing like. If you go into a pub in the city it could be up to ten minutes before anyone struck up a conversation with you."

Regards, Gerry.

[PLUMPUDDING]

I'm sorry you found the natives less than friendly. At least you had good weather. We've just had a lovely week in Settle in the Yorkshire Dales and like you had some sunshine every day.

We did find everyone very friendly and helpful and ready for a chat, although I must say some of the meals out were a bit disappointing. I think when you're used to cooking your own veg fresh from the garden the stuff served in restaurants rarely tastes as good even if they manage to cook it properly. They also seem to serve up tons of meat and a few little spoonfuls of each vegetable. We did have some excellent fish and chips and mushy peas though as a treat after a challenging walk over Pen y Ghent.

[alan refail]

One of the main problems with living in a tourist area is that only a proportion of people benefit financially from tourists. Those people really owe it to their customers to be pleasant and welcoming. As for the rest, tourism brings higher property pices to areas where the average income is usually very low, increased traffic. That certainly applies here. Another local problem is that too many of calls in summer to the emergency services -lifeboat, air ambulance, air-sea rescue - are from visitors, often ill-prepared for the sea and the mountains.
Having said that, I suspect most people visiting Wales find us friendly and helpful, which of course we are, though we do have that annoying habit of speaking Welsh to each other, which I understand some visitors object to and interpret as rudeness or unfriendliness

[glallotments]

I suppose we weren't in a touristy area - just a cottage down a farm track owned by one of the three other house owners in the lane. We also chatted to the neighbours too though who were friendly and interested to know where we came from.

We often holiday in gites in France and also there we have always been warmly welcomed and treated to all sorts of welcome goodies. (Although Paris was a comletely difference experience!). Maybe going off the touristy track changes things

[PLUMPUDDING]

I've just thought, wasn't there something in the news a couple of weeks ago about a journalist who had bought a house in Devon (or may be Cornwall) slagging off and insulting all the locals, so may be you were getting some of the fall-out from that.

[Cider Boys]

The journalist to which you refer bought a house near Dulverton in Somerset in the heart of Exmoor, I wish that she would go back home.

Barney

[Elle's Garden]

Well dissing the locals is never going to endear one to anyone!!

I have lived in my village for nearly 40 years and I hope I extend a welcome to all whose paths cross mine, whether they are moving in or passing through. You never know what kindred spirits you can meet