A Telegraph travel writer says a visit to Hull left her 'reeling with optimism'

Lottie Gross mentioned Hull's charms in a review of a recent city break in similarly-maligned Stoke-on-Trent.

She admits to having a soft spot for 'mockable' places without major draws for tourists and which are likely to appear in the Crap Towns books.

Gross includes Hull among the 'grittier, grimy' alternatives to Bath and Oxford, and says she visited before it became City of Culture in 2017.

"I found a place with excellent old real ale pubs, some brilliant free museums and an immense civic pride that left me reeling with optimism."

Hull is known for its large selection of museums, many of which are dedicated to its maritime heritage.

The Museums Quarter in the Old Town is home to Wilberforce House, the Hull and East Riding Museum, Streetlife and the Arctic Corsair fishing trawler's berth, alongside the old warehouses, merchants' houses and sailors' pubs that tell the story of the port city.

There's also Hull Maritime Museum and the Ferens Art Gallery in the city centre, The Deep aquarium and the Spurn Lightship.

All of Hull Council's museums are free to enter.