Blackpool is Blackpool

Strange to say this was only my second ever visit to Blackpool. I am not sure the first one really counted as we were on a train excursion from Euston exploring lesser known rail lines which happened to end up in Blackpool as its final stop. Margaret on the other hand had visited Blackpool with colleagues when she lived and worked in Newcastle and I am sure had a much more exciting time!

In the past I have looked at when the illumination season was on and it seemed to end quite early but this year I saw that it ran until early November.  Which site to use was the next question? I was quite keen on Beechwood Stables as that was on a bus route. Unfortunately they were full. Initially I didn’t have much luck with the Club site Blackpool South as that seemed equally booked up. However I persevered and booked odd days as they became available and eventually managed to get the four days we needed. Just proves you can play the booking system to your advantage if you are prepared to play a waiting game!

We set off from home on 28th October and arrived on site at around three in the afternoon but it was a long journey from MK. The problem with Blackpool South is the lack of public transport anywhere near the site but as an alternative the site have arranged some fixed fare taxi rides to various parts on the town. On the Monday we put this to the test and a taxi duly arrived pretty quickly and took us to the Pleasure Beach. Not that we intended to partake in any of the rides but it was to be the starting point of our walk along the prom! The promenade by the way is wide and traffic free with plenty of space for walkers and cyclists. The tram system runs between the road and the promenade but we continued to walk. The call it the Golden Mile but it seemed longer to me! As we walked the Tower got gradually nearer but we had earnt a coffee by the time we got there. We found a coffee shop in the Tower and managed to find a couple of seats despite it being very busy. From our view point we could see just across the road the Square they have created using quotes from famous comedians and comedy shows. This was where we explored next, some of the quotes are very familiar, others not so.

Our next stop was the Winter Gardens where many famous acts have appeared. In the Concourse is a sculpture of Morecambe and Wise to commemorate their first appearance together in 1941. Apparently they  appeared in Blackpool about a thousand times. After a quick look around the town centre we went in search of a taxi. There was a long queue of taxis waiting so no problems there. The cost was very similar to the fixed fares.

On the Tuesday we went back into Blackpool but this time in the early afternoon as we wanted to see the illuminations. This time we took the taxi to the Tower. We had a bit more of an explore inside and actually got into the Ballroom, familiar to many Strictly Come Dancing Fans when they hold the latter stages of the show there. Blackpool Tower seems to be the only place along the seafront which has public toilets! We set off into town thinking we would have a meal before the lights came on. We marched into an almost empty Bella Italia only to be asked if we had a booking as it was fully booked. That didn’t work out well!!! We found space in a Pizza Express a bit further on. The service was pretty slow but at least it made sure it was dark by the time we had finished!

I suppose it was still twilight by the time we made our way down to the seafront. All the lights were on but I had a slight sense of disappointment as I didn’t find the display as over whelming as I thought they would be. Take away all the lights of the Arcades along the front and there was not so much of a display. The Tower had a projection onto the front of the building. Having said all that the place was heaving with people clearly enjoying themselves. Time for a taxi back to the site. Only trouble was that whilst yesterday they were queuing around the block there was not a taxi in sight! We made our way down to where the front of the queue should be and before long a taxi did appear to take us back to the site. This was our fourth taxi of our stay and I have to say all of the drivers have been chatty and cheerful so a good advertisement for Blackpool.

It was an interesting trip but with only four nights there was a lot we had not seen. Perhaps worth another trip to explore up the Fleetwood and down to Lytham?

More of this Blog and more pictures can be seen here http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/travels_in_the_uk_2018.html