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Scotland’s best and worst places to visit as ‘dirty’ town least favourite in UK

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6 months ago

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Scotland’s best and worst places to visit as ‘dirty’ town least favourite in UK

With summer finally in sight, households all over the country will be busy making holiday plans. While some might be jetting off for a trip abroad, there are plenty of places closer to home to head for a short break that won’t burn a hole in your wallet.

However, a recent study might help you make the decision on where to go – and where to avoid. Which? named the best and worst destinations across Scotland and the UK for a staycation.




The consumer watchdog surveyed 3,967 of its members to ask them to rate the UK cities and towns they had visited for leisure purposes and stayed in for at least one night over the past two years. Based on reports of 7,187 experiences, Which? then ranked all of the destinations from best to worst for a holiday.

According to the consumer magazine, the English cathedral city and civil parish of Wells is the number one staycation spot in the nation. Situated in Somerset, the picturesque destination received an overall customer score of 86 per cent and ratings of four out of five for accommodation, cultural sights, ease of getting around, lack of crowds, and value for money.

On the other hand, the UK destinations at the bottom of the ranking include Fort William, Torquay, and Derby — with customer scores of 58 per cent for the first two and 56 per cent for the latter. Torquay in particular was described as “rundown”, “dirty”, and “shabby” according to Which?.


The Daily Record has rounded up all of the Scottish locations featured in the new study and arranged them in order of their customer satisfaction score. From bustling cities to quiet towns, they all have something to offer for those looking for a staycation spot.

Read on for a roundup of all of the Scottish towns and cities featured on Which?’s list, ranked from best to worst. Meanwhile, the full research can be found on the Which? website.

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Topping Which?’s list for Scotland with a customer score of 83 per cent is Edinburgh. The Scottish capital, famed for its Georgian architecture and cobblestone streets, received five stars for its cultural sights and four stars for its food and drink, shopping, ease of getting around, and value for money. Meanwhile, the average price of an overnight stay at a hotel in the city was found to be £152.

(Image: Tibor Bognar / Getty Images)

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Following in second place is the scenic resort town and golf capital of St Andrews with a customer score of 78 per cent. The seaside destination received four stars for its accomodation and lack of crowds, three stars for its cultural sights, ease of getting around, and value for money, and two stars for its parking, shopping, and food and drink. According to Which?, a one-night stay at a St Andrews hotel will set you back around £159.

(Image: JonnyJim / Getty Images)

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In third place is Glasgow, which has a customer score of 76 per cent. Scotland’s biggest city was given ratings of four out of five for its food and drink, accommodation, cultural slights, shopping, lack of crowds, and value for money. However, it also received a one-out-of-five score for its parking. A hotel in Glasgow was found to cost £103 on average.

(Image: Emad Aljumah / Getty Images)

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With a customer score of 75 per cent, just one per cent lower than Glasgow, Stirling places fourth on Which?’s list. According to the consumer watchdog, its members gave the city four stars for accommodation, cultural sights, lack of crowds, and value for money. However, they were less impressed with Stirling’s shopping, food and drink, and ease of getting around — with all getting two stars. Spending a night in a Stirling hotel will cost you £101 on average.

(Image: joe daniel price / Getty Images)

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Rounding out the top five with a customer score of 69 per cent is Inverness — the largest city and the cultural capital of the Scottish Highlands. Which? members were impressed with the city’s lack of crowds, assigning it a rating of four out of five, but were less enthused by its food and drink, shopping, and ease of getting around, which all received scores of two. If you are looking to head to Inverness for a staycation, expect to pay around £121 for a hotel.

(Image: Faba-Photograhpy / Getty Images)

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With a score of 69 per cent as well, Oban also squeaks into the top five. The coastal resort town in Argyll and Bute scored highly amongst Which? members for its accommodation and lack of crowds — both of which got four stars — though its parking received a dismal one star. Hotels here are priced at £117 per night on average according to the consumer watchdog.

(Image: VWB photos / Getty Images)

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Moving down to seventh place, we find Perth. With an overall customer score of 65 per cent, the city’s lack of crowds was its most popular feature amongst survey respondents — receiving a four-out-of-five rating. On the other hand, Perth’s food and drink, shopping, and ease of getting around were all given just two stars. The average hotel price was found to be £88 for one night.

(Image: joe daniel price / Getty Images)

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Dundee comes in eighth place, receiving a customer score of 62 per cent. The coastal city on the Firth of Tay estuary was given two stars by Which? members for its food and drink, accommodation, shopping, and ease of getting around, though its lack of crowds earned it four stars. According to Which?, a stay in a hotel here will cost you approximately £90.

(Image: Ronnie Fleming / 500px / Getty Images)

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Approaching the bottom of Which?’s list, we find Aberdeen with its customer score of 60 per cent. The consumer watchdog’s members were not impressed with the city’s parking, food and drink, or ease of getting around — all of which got two stars. Aberdeen’s lack of crowds did earn it four stars, however. Anyone looking to spend a night in the Granite City will be paying an average of £78 for a hotel.

(Image: Natalie Hood / Getty Images)

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Finally, we come to Fort William. The West Highlands town, which is often referred to as a gateway to Ben Nevis, is the only Scottish destination on Which?’s list to have a customer score below 60 per cent — with 58. Survey respondents gave Fort William two stars for its food and drink, accommodation, shopping, and ease of getting around. Its lack of crowds did earn it some fans, however, with a rating of four out of five. If you are looking to head to Fort William for a Highlands staycation, hotel prices are £135 on average according to Which?.

(Image: Margalliver / Getty Images)

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