Readers sometimes ask whether the descriptive language in our guides, calling a viewpoint the best in a region, or a route the most rewarding way to see a coastline, constitutes a formal review or rating system. It does not, and this page explains what our editorial judgement is meant to represent instead.
Editorial judgement, not a scoring system
We do not operate a star rating, numeric score or ranked list system across the site. When a guide describes one route as more scenic than another, or one town as better suited to a short visit, that reflects the editorial judgement of the writer and editor based on research and, where relevant, the character of the place itself, not a standardised scoring methodology applied consistently across every entry.
- Descriptive language reflects editorial opinion, not a numeric score
- We do not rank destinations against each other in a formal league table
- Comparisons within a guide are meant to help with decision making, not to crown a winner
- Opinions can differ from traveller to traveller depending on interests and pace
- We revise language in a guide if reader feedback suggests it no longer holds true
Why we write this way
A guide that only listed neutral facts would be less useful than one willing to say plainly that one stretch of a route is more worthwhile than another, particularly for readers with limited time. Editorial judgement, applied carefully, helps prioritise a trip. The risk is treating that judgement as more objective or universal than it is, which is why we try to explain the reasoning behind an assessment rather than simply asserting it.
Where a claim rests on something changeable, such as a view being best at a particular time of day or season, we try to say so explicitly, since a static description can otherwise read as more definitive than it is meant to be.
An honest opinion, clearly labelled as one, is more useful than a neutral list that avoids taking a view.
No third party review aggregation
We do not aggregate or republish reviews submitted by third parties, and we do not host a reader review or comment system on individual guides. If you want to compare a place against a wide pool of visitor opinions, a dedicated review platform will serve that purpose better than an editorial guide, which is built to give a single considered perspective rather than an average of many.
If you disagree with an assessment in one of our guides, based on your own visit, we would genuinely like to hear about it through our feedback channel, since it may prompt us to revisit the language or add nuance for future readers.