A travel writer from a national newspaper has given Preston a warm, and very witty, thumbs up after spending a weekend exploring what he dubs “the UK’s rainiest city”.
‘Rainiest city’ with a sense of humour
Ben Aitken, an award‑winning author of Sh*tty Breaks, writing for Metro’s B‑List Britain series, set out to see whether Preston deserves more love than it gets sandwiched between Manchester, Liverpool and Blackpool.
He leant into the city’s soggy reputation, noting research that puts Preston among the places with the most rainy days in the UK, but found plenty of charm behind the clouds.
Impressed by The Harris and bus station
Aitken’s first stop was The Harris, which he describes as Preston’s cultural “centrepiece” following its multi‑million‑pound transformation into a combined museum, gallery and library.
He also made a beeline for the famously brutalist bus station, comparing the vast concrete structure to a battleship and admitting it is the sort of place where you almost don’t want your bus to arrive because the building is so striking.
Wallace and Gromit, Winckley Square and nights out
The Metro piece lingers on the Wallace and Gromit statue by Preston’s market, calling it a “cracking” addition and highlighting recent queues for an exhibition celebrating the characters created by Preston‑born animator Nick Park.
Aitken stayed just off Winckley Square, praising the Georgian square as the equal of more famous city addresses and joked that his chic room is the hotel equivalent of Claudia Winkleman, classy but with a “common touch”.
Evening entertainment took him from a low‑key Cantonese restaurant, name‑checking national critic Jay Rayner’s positive review, to bingo at Club 3000 on New Hall Lane, where he’s helped through the rules by friendly regulars.
Later he popped into craft beer bar Plug and Taps, where a photo of Preston North End legend Sir Tom Finney prompts a nod to the city’s footballing heritage.
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Cycling the Guild Wheel and a £2.80 chip barm
The following morning he hired an e‑bike to sample the Guild Wheel, picking up the route from Avenham Park, which he ranked among the best‑looking parks in the country, and followed the River Ribble towards historic Walton Bridge and nature reserve Brockholes.
Even being warned about cutting back through the Moor Nook estate becomes part of the story; he made it through without incident and ended his trip on a very Preston note: a “lush” chip barm from a Pope Lane chippy for £2.80, which he said was pound‑for‑pound one of the best things he has eaten in months.
Find the full piece using the following link: metro.co.uk/2026/02/09/strange-weekend-uks-rainiest-city-b-list-britain-26283562/
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