SKI-er or Sk-ater. We know how to enjoy ourselves

nearlyrich

Don't stay in Blackpool though it's horrible lots of lovely places outside the town centre to stay and just drive through the lights.

donny-gal

If you decide to go to Blackpool, go mid-week in late September or October, much quieter, but plenty of shows, etc.,
Yes the lights should be seen at least once. DG

seven-day-weekend

I've been to Blackpool and seen the lights. Once.

Spent hours sitting on the Pleasure Beach in the pouring rain, whilst M &F-in-law-did whatever else there is to do in Blackpool.

Later on we saw the lights. IMHO, tawdry and a disappointment. M-i-law loved them though. In fact she loved the whole day.

Never again.

Have a great time, Tanith and husband!

tanith

Thanks all for the input and 7DW I'll do my darnedest to enjoy..lol

pollypenny

Took the kids and my mother to Blackpool once - we sat in a traffic jam from 5pm until we could turn round at about 11pm.

I was even able to get out, go to a chip shop for fish and chips and stroll up to the car.

Never again!

NAR

Tanith, Blackpool has been going through an extensive regeneration over the last few years. Was there for the day last year and was pleasantly suprised because I was expecting it to be very run down, which it wasn't. There is more to do, but Rome wasn't (re)built in a day. The lights are a wonderful experience, especially with a glass or two of wine in you.

I have stayed in a few B&B's over the years and never been disappointed yet. Just hope you get the weather to make it a better experience. Enjoy your break and I look forward to next week's report!

tanith

Thanks Nar , we'll enjoy the sights and the lights I'm sure , the b & b I've picked has great reviews on Trip Advisor and I just rang them to confirm the booking , sounded very friendly and only a few minutes walk from the Station...
We decided to let the train take the strain so no sitting in traffic for us, we'll use our Freedom Passes on the bus to get around I'm quite looking forward to that part.. we also like to walk so on the beach or Prom will be fine.. I'm taking my Kindle so DH can enjoy a flutter in the arcades while I sit and watch the world go by, I'm happiest when I'm near the sea , so watching the waves is a favourite past time, might even get in a paddle if the weather allows.. I'll report back next week.

margaretclare

We got back late on Friday evening from our 4-night break in Picardy. We stayed at the Novotel in the Amiens suburb of Boves. This was the 'short break' we'd planned for the week before Easter, paid for the hotel and the ferry, couldn't get the money back when we couldn't go that week so we put it back as late in the summer as possible to allow for DH to recover from spinal surgery. I think we picked the best week! Weather was gorgeous. This short break was not meant to be a 'tour of WW1 battlefields' but what struck us most forcibly was that this whole area, the Somme/Ancre valleys, must have all been a battlefield. We like to get right off the beaten track as far as the car will go, and every tiny little village has its cemetery of our war dead. We visited the Basilica at Albert as well as Amiens Cathedral, said a prayer and gave our thanks. It's an absolute pleasure to travel with someone who is so organised - of course he did used to travel all the time on business in his career - and it still shows. We wanted to see some wildlife in the Bay of the Somme area and we went on a boat trip, huge numbers of birds but if there were any seals they kept well out of the way! We had a nice lunch outside a restaurant close to where William's invasion fleet sailed from. There's a statue to Joan of Arc in the little town of Le Crotoy - she was imprisoned there 500 years ago before being taken to Rouen. We also visited the Samara archaeological project - that area of the Somme valley has been inhabited for at least 10,000 years. Life getting back to normal now. Our local builder is about to start work on rebuilding brick walls in the back garden and I get an annuity payment next week - guess where it will go? DH and I will share the cost between us. I usually spend that annuity on some form of home improvements, that's how I got the place rewired, the roof done etc. It's nice to see something solid and concrete rather than just frittering it away.

pollypenny

Glad you enjoyed it, MC. This time last year we were in Ypres again; very moving. I found myself thinking about how the inhabitants manged to rebuild their lives.

donny-gal

Yes, they are very moving.
Just look what Albert looked like then
http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/somme/albert.html
We have been there several times as my Grandad won a DCM near there, just down from the Thiepval Memorial.
DG