This week, we were lucky enough to enjoy a family/work trip to, erm, Blackpool. The accommodation was definitely not as posh as we had assumed, however the owner was exceedingly nice, albeit in a slightly aggressive way. The next morning, we went down to the breakfast room where the stencilled wall encouraged us to "Wake up and smell the coffee". Presumably this was an attempt to distract us from the actual smell (mould). The breakfast was actually quite nice though and had some excellent gluten- free options : )
Exploring the sea front felt like some sort of fitness test - this place is even windier than Brighton! Luckily, our hair stayed put - just. Venturing into one of the many gambling dens in the town, we were quickly passed by an adult shouting "I need to go toilet", which sort of set the tone really. We soon realised that the whole establishment smelt disconcertingly of sweat and chips (the kind you eat, obviously).
In Blackpool Tower, we tried out the coffee shop on the 5th floor, which proudly invites customers to "visit us for free". This tells you all you need to know about the level of exploitation elsewhere in the building, which is stacked full of expensive attractions advertised at last year's prices. Seemingly, the gnome heads who work there are incapable of pressing a few buttons to change the scrolling digital display. However, we still bought a family ticket to the circus, as we had heard great things about it and it seemed far better value for money than me clinging to the door frame at the top of the tower, wailing in terror while my family frolick on the glass floor. Even with the potential of watching some 4d film at the top, the circus was still the better choice. This is bearing in mind that I don't even like circuses. However, it was amazing and totally worth the extortionate entrance fee, even if they did take liberties with their Hollywood theme (I am fairly sure the Stormtroopers were never this comely, and they definitely never wore thongs). Staying with the Star Wars theme, the Skywalkers had us enthralled and terrified as they bravely jumped, skipped with ropes, walked blind-folded and occasionally stumbled (accidentally?) in and, worse, on big spinning wheels on either end of a spinning pylon. Our eldest daughter and I were on the edge of our seats but loved it.
No seaside town visit is complete without candy floss, so we purchased ours from an dodgy-looking local shop. Rather than being a charmingly old-fashioned-looking small business, this shop's steps were emblazoned with slightly threatening stickers saying things like "We sell fags" and "We sell BB guns". Nothing to be proud of, surely? But definitely in keeping with the local market, which boasted a stall featuring a large toy gun section as well as a stall devoted entirely to smoking accessories.
We also drove to the nearby town of Fleetwood, as my husband had to work there that afternoon. The town welcomes its visitors by promising that "we always welcome breast feeding". A, ahem, rather leche slogan, if you will excuse the milky pun. Its tourist office had relocated, presumably because there seems to be nothing to do there, other than enjoy the sea view. After flailing around on a windy field with some students for a while, he was free to go and we returned to Blackpool for a lovely evening meal before enjoying a good audio book in the car on the drive home. We should do that more often : )
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