Dover is a rundown town with a depressing air of decay.

That is according to the latest Lonely Planet
Guide to Britain - out today, which reveals the best and the worst
places in the country.

Top of the hot spots, it seems, is the
Midlands, with Birmingham, Nottingham and Leicester rating highly
in the prestigious guide.

Bath and Edinburgh are also, not surprisingly,
high on the favourites list.

But, according to the authors, Dover is not
quite the tourist magnet.

It says: "Its depressing air of decay and
run-down, post-war architecture has

little to offer but has "stellar attractions"
such as its castle and the white

cliffs to redeem it."

According to an entry posted on the Lonely Planet website, Dover is, fact, "Dreary Dover".

You would only visit it, it says, "to pile on and off
its ponderous cross-channel ferries steering the narrow 20-mile
stretch to France, or else to make a dash for its premier
attractions and move quickly on."

However, the guide also highlights its "several humdingers" of
tourist attractions, including the castle and the cliffs.