Blackpool
With all this horrid grey weather we’ve been having for what seems like forever (please come back blue skies!), I decided to make a trip to Blackpool. I’m not going to try and make this into a ‘where to go and what to do in Blackpool’ because I feel like there’s only one thing you’d go here for – and thats for some good old fashioned British beach side fun and games! – and thats EXACTLY why we decided to pay it a visit.
Straight off the train, we grabbed some chips, and ate them while walking along the beachfront, trying to stop the chips from being blown out of our hands. In the shadow of the Blackpool Tower on the esplanade lies the Comedy Carpet, an area of 2,200m² filled with quotes from over 1,000 comedians.
I had no idea but Blackpool has 3 piers?! AMAZING. North Pier offers beautiful views along the coast, even on a grey cloudy day, we could still see the hills from the Lake District. North Pier also had speakers attached to every lamppost, playing classic 80s tunes – always a winner in my books.
Along to Central Pier, which was as you would expect a pier to be – an arcade, rides and stalls. In an unlikely turn of events, both my friend and I ended up winning toys, and so we spent the rest of the day carrying them around (thank goodness we didn’t win anything huge). I love this about British seaside towns, that you can go with £10 in your pocket, and have a great day of fun with it!
We found the Winter Gardens, and had a look inside which felt like being teleported back in time – the architecture was beautiful, and you could just imagine how it would have been years ago. The gallery area was filled with young dancers getting their hair done, some walking around in their dresses. The bar area was ambiently lit, and filled with people of all ages, all enjoying a cup of tea or a pint, and watching a live band on stage. It was all very English, perhaps verging on the tacky side of things, but you can’t help but love and respect our sometimes kitsch heritage.
We wandered past the shops selling rock, all along the beachfront to the South Pier, right beside Blackpool Pleasure Beach, before heading back to get our train home.
The sun didn’t come out to play with us, but we had a great time in our own little world, throwing darts, playing snooker, rolling balls and generally getting blown around! I was surprised by how beautiful some of the architecture and painted typography was. I wouldn’t go to Blackpool in the hope to find 2019s answer to Shoreditch, but if you want a fun day out, and a bit of an English laugh, then its perfect. Original, raw British fun, and I think that is what we all need sometimes.
See you next weekend…
Every Weekend Away 