The grockles are back !

[Woody girl]

I live in a national park. It's quite a large area, spanning areas of both Devon and Somerset .
This afternoon, I'm sat on a bench chatting to another local by the river, when a couple and teen approached, and asked where the park was.
Jokily I said perhaps the lad was a bit old for the stuff in the play park, but it seems they wanted to know where exmoor national park was.
You are in it! Said I.
Oh, can you tell me where the waterfall is? She asked.
What waterfall? I puzzled, knowing there isn't one for many many miles.
So she showed me a picture on her phone. It was obviously coastal, and i live at least 20 miles inland!
I've no idea where it is, but looking at the photo, I'd say it was in Devon around Hartland point or thereabouts. In fact it looked more like Cornwall!
Turns out, they had come to minehead on holiday from London, as their Greek idyll has gone west due to the fires.
Not realised they were actualy on exmoor, and had been since yesterday, and wanted to know where it was.
Really? Can anybody be that silly? I'm at a loss for words.

 

[saxonaxe]

I don't care what your SatNav shows, an 8 foot wide caravan may fit down a 10 foot Essex country lane, but not down a 7 foot 9 inch Welsh one.. ( Two lately)

Seen written under the warnings to parents from HM Coastguard on a board, about children using inflatable toys and air beds in the sea at a local beach.

In English and Welsh..." The nearest land that way (arrow) is America.

 

[Ozmundo]

Yarp.

I don’t live anywhere especially off the beaten track but the odd car transporter following a satnav into a lane with over hanging trees is always an interesting spectacle.

There is an oak tree near me that has had the roof from a Luton van embedded in it’s branches for some time.

 

[Wander]

Hmm...always in two minds about threads like this.
Try to keep some perspective.
As you smugly laugh at other people's stupidity just remember that many others could be looking at you and laughing at you with equal criticism.
This attitude reflects poorly on those displaying it.

 

[Woody girl]

Hmm...always in two minds about threads like this.
Try to keep some perspective.
As you smugly laugh at other people's stupidity just remember that many others could be looking at you and laughing at you with equal criticism.
This attitude reflects poorly on those displaying it.

I most certainly wasn't laughing at all, just perplexed, especially when we are a few yards from exmoor national park hq, a large building, that they hadn't twigged. They must have driven over 20 miles of moorland from minehead.
Mind you, they all had their heads buried in their phones one and all.
It's quite sad realy.
I think they were expecting a huge in your face sign above some grand gates, an obvious entrance to a park.. like Kew Gardens.
Still, I sent them on my favourite 4 mile hike into the woods along the river, and hope they enjoyed it, The path is wide enough not to get lost, and also recommended some places to visit.

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

With my work I've had a lot of interactions with holiday makers, there are a few types:
1. The ones that have everything planned to a T and are super efficient, need no help/guidance or otherwise. Require organisation to function and because they are skilled at it, things run smoothly.

2. The ones with no plan but are just happy to explore and enjoy the freedom of no plan - recognise they're not very organised, but frankly don't mind... they're just enjoying themselves.

3. The ones that think they have the organisational skills of number 1, in reality are even less organised than number 2, can't function without said organisation, but equally couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel.... they generally also have a common sense rating of 0 on a scale of 1-10... Amongst this group there is also a 50/50 split, some are never pleased, others are easily pleased.

 

[Paul_B]

Reminds me of the guy who set up a website for a fictitious cornish beach that was she best in the UK. Porth something. The something was a derogatory term for ppl not from Cornwall but not grockle. I thought it funny but tbh was divisive and not very nice. Imagine wasting a part of your holiday trying to find something that doesn't exist just for the amusement of a bored local.

Just remember we're all an incomer to somewhere else. We can't know everything about everywhere so perhaps we should not be ridiculing ppl for this.

i am due to be going to a few areas in Scotland I've never really been to. I've not had time to research these areas so I'm probably going to ask what locals might think are stupid questions. And I do believe I've asked for directions before now very close to a sign pointing to where I'm going but didn't see it. Probably a common mistake. I think you need to treat visitors to your area the way you'd like locals treat you when you holiday somewhere new to you. Respect not ridicule!

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

@Paul_B Porthemmet

Works both ways, visitors need to treat people how they'd equally like to be treated...something which is often ignored by a perhaps vocal minority of visitors to the southwest.

 

[Ozmundo]

Just remember how ever bad your day out there is someone who’s job it is, all day every day, to pack pop up tents into the bag.

Yes, I have just come back from the beach.