Blackpool: what is it really like now?

[WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll]

We watched an old 'run' of episodes of Four In A Bed and one of the couples ran a Hotel/B&B in Blackpool. It looked a wonderful place and they seemed like excellent, accommodating hosts - I'd really love to stay there once we're able to travel freely again.

I used to absolutely love going to Blackpool. My family (when we were kids) went there every year and it holds so many fond memories. Obviously, it's never been intended to be the most sophisticated of places, but that doesn't bother us at all.

However, we haven't been there for over 20 years and I just hear an endless catalogue of woes about how unspeakably terrible it is now, full of addicts taking drugs in public, lots of crime, and that nobody in their right mind would ever consider going there now. Even when close family members who live in a rather nice county (not a posh one, though) went a few years ago, the taxi driver who picked them up from the station asked where they'd come from and, when they told him, asked, open-mouthed and genuinely shocked, "But why?!?!?!"

It's clearly still very popular and still sees a huge number of visitors every year, so what's the skinny on it? If you live there or nearby, have been recently or have other knowledge of the town, please tell me the honest truth as you see/know it - good and bad! Are there any particular places or aspects that you remember fondly (or still love) and/or anything that has well and truly been destroyed forever?

The zoo, the park, pleasure Beach and the tower are brilliant. The piers and some of the other attractions are a bit naff but kids love them. We live about 12 miles away and will occasionally nip for a tram ride and a wander on North pier (least garish).
The high Street will be dead after covid with stores announcing closure on a weekly basis atm, but assume it'll be the same in most places.
There are some amazing hotels and b&bs just pick carefully, and fantastic cafes/bistros just off the seafront around cedar Square. Yeah, there are some ropey ones but not everything is a greasy spoon or 30p cup of tea in a polystyrene cup...

@BatleyTownswomensGuild

I used to work for a charity that supported homeless people in the Blackpool area. It was grim beyond belief....

So the homeless areas were, unsurprisingly, grim and you've decided to tar the whole town with that brush.

I live in Blackpool. Originally brought up in nicer town next door. We moved here 6 years ago as house prices are much much cheaper. We live in South shore, just south of the pleasure beach. Yes Blackpool has the highest rate of looked after children in the country, very high drug rates etc but I have never felt in danger. We have amazing resources for children, youth clubs, baby groups, free training. The schools have so much community spirit. They have so much extra funding to help out. The council have been given enormous grants to improve the town and the next phase is starting soon, with new hotel, entertainment centre etc. It's got really rough bits but the council are trying to sort the problem. I've never seen anyone taking drugs in the street or violence.

Grim grim grim. I’m from Manchester (don’t live there anymore but will forever be a Mancunian) and it was obviously THE day trip destination of my childhood.

I’m 40 and I didn’t like it as a child, took my own DC about 10 years ago and it’s just totally depressing.

@ParadiseinMoscow

It’s a very divisive topic on mumsnet. Basically yes. Everything you heard is true. Blackpool has more social and drug problems than most places. The b&bs now house many criminals and unsavoury individuals. Also you can have a lot of fun there. Personally I love it. But I enjoy lurid slushies and booby lollies and flashing lights and chips. Those of a more Bodenesque persuasion may not like it quite so much. I see it through rose tinted spectacles of nostalgia, and I imagine if your childhood wasn’t filled with Blackpool memories from a better time, it’d be hard to see past it’s current (rather depressing) state. I bet it’s been ravaged economically by covid though . That said, when it reopens, I’ll be there!

Love this review - bodenesque 😬

We could do with a uk travel prog with reviews like this on it

I like the Pleasure Beach but that’s about it.

@trevthecat

I live in Blackpool. Originally brought up in nicer town next door. We moved here 6 years ago as house prices are much much cheaper. We live in South shore, just south of the pleasure beach. Yes Blackpool has the highest rate of looked after children in the country, very high drug rates etc but I have never felt in danger. We have amazing resources for children, youth clubs, baby groups, free training. The schools have so much community spirit. They have so much extra funding to help out. The council have been given enormous grants to improve the town and the next phase is starting soon, with new hotel, entertainment centre etc. It's got really rough bits but the council are trying to sort the problem. I've never seen anyone taking drugs in the street or violence.

This is lovely to hear

We live about an hour and a half away and used to go when we were kids. A few years ago I thought it would be nice to take the DC, it was bloody awful. It was just dirty and expensive and full of drunk people.
A friend of mine works in child protection and when the group both our DC went to said they were doing a trip to Blackpool she said there was no way her child was going as there were a lot of paedophiles there. She said she knew this from a professional perspective. I have no idea if this is true but she worked at a very high level and was generally quite relational and not over protective of her child.

Depressing. Get off of the prom, just one street back, and it’s bleak. It’s our closest large town for shopping but even before Covid, which has only increased the poverty, we never went in, rather drove twice the distance to Preston which isn’t as bad.

Didn’t a few young girls go missing about twenty years ago? Rumoured to have been murdered by takeaway owners? Very seedy place.

We live somewhere inland from Blackpool ... if we want to go to a beach we go to St Anne's. The zoo and Stanley Park are nice though. DD went to a party at the water park place once, that seemed ok and fun (that was quite a few years ago now).

I definitely think it’s been given a bad rep. Yes there is the seedier side of the town like every other tourist town. Especially out of season. But it’s still got a lot to offer. Blue badge beaches which are lovely in summer, even in winter they are nice to go for a windy walk on. There has been a lot of investment in the town over the years but unfortunately covid has definitely impacted it in the last 12 months.

The illuminations are still fantastic and attract visitors from all over, there is the zoo and Stanley park. And well hours of fun in the tipping point machines. There is the sandcastle (just avoid nudist days, or not, what ever floats your boat) ) and the pleasure beach. They also have events such as slimefest. My DCs love ride the lights each year. And they have great firework displays.

It’s towns like this that will need visitors and money put back into the economy to recover because of covid.

@saleboat

Like every city and town it has run down areas and also more affluent areas.

That's it really. Anyone visiting with a modicum of common sense can avoid greasy chips and instant coffee quite easily

Don't forget the benefit scroungers and the less desirable living in B&Bs "waiting for council houses" ( or as I like to think of them....People who are homeless and desperate for somewhere to live and have been shoved in a ropey B&B in order to get an actual flat or house to live in. Eurgh, who'd want to mix with that scum)

Persuaded DH to have a night there a few years ago as a halfway stop between home and holiday destination. Family used to go for illuminations when we were kids (40 years ago ) and we loved it - walk along the prom, look at the lights, £1 each for the amusements, fish and chips for supper and a toffee apple for pudding!

We were horrified - large groups of drunk people (drunk to the stage of vomiting), one couple shagging in a beach shelter - just miserable. Lots of the accommodation looked as if it should be condemned. Rank smell of weed in lots of places.

DH wondered wtf my parents had been thinking, bringing us to this hell hole every year - I don’t know if it was like this 40 years ago but as kids we didn’t notice or whether it’s changed beyond all comprehension.

Love it for short breaks. We stay in a nice hotel near the beach and Pleasure Beach.

The pleasure Beach is great for a day out. We love going up the tower and going to madame tussauds and deep sea world. The zoo and Stanley Park are good for a day out.

We went once for the illuminations and slime fest. We loved it. I have really fond memories of that trip.

Trevthecat, that sounds hopeful.

If you go to Blackpool with children you need to be on the prom side of the front once it gets dark. The pub side is just awash with stag and hen parties who've been drinking all day (I did it once and it was a lot of fun, admittedly!)

Blackpool is what it is. It doesn't claim to be anything other than a tacky seaside town.

It's not my favourite seaside town but the kids usually rope me in to a trip to see the illuminations and they love it.

I'm lucky enough to live in driving distance so don't stay over.

It would be worth doing a day at Blackpool if you were staying in Liverpool (for example), train there and back. I wouldn't stay there for a week.

Agree with others - the zoo is lovely (isn't as flashy and modern as Chester) and St Annes is quite pretty.

I once walked along the prom, every quarter mile or so, there was a pod style public wc.....the type where you put a coin in a slot, go in, a sliding door closes behind you - then after you've left, it hoses itself down.

There was a 'rent boy', standing sentry outside every one. Work it out !

Went for a hens about 12 years ago. It was grim. Like something from the 80s. Very depressing.

It depends what you want from a holiday. We went in October for the illuminations, simply to get away as we hadn't managed to in the summer. We stayed at Marton Mere, and you can either drive or get the bus into Blackpool. We were there 4 days so did all the piers, the lights, went up the tower which was far far better than I expected, went to Stanley Park, and did all the looking at the cheap tat in the shops. For us, it served it's purpose and the kids enjoyed it. And these are kids who have travelled a lot both home and abroad. Go with zero expectations and you might enjoy it. We hope to go back in the summer and stay again for a few nights, just so we can do the pleasure beach and the zoo. I have to say, St Anne's is lovely too. The kids loved running on the beach...even though it was raining and cold. There's a lovely kids play area too.

@trevthecat
I was feeling quite sad reading this thread until I read your post. I've seen programmes recently on some of the great work the schools in Blackpool are doing to help families. It looks like there's a great community spirit there.

We've stayed at Ribby Hall Holiday Village on outskirts of Blackpool, which I'd recommend. Great accommodation and facilities there (pool, playground, entertainment) and a short drive to visit Blackpool Zoo, Pleasure Beach etc for days out.

@maplemay11 the funding locally is massive. The school my daughter is at has (had, it's stopped because of covid) something on every eve after school, dance, football etc all free. Don't get me wrong, there are parts that are rougher than others, but that's the same everywhere. The bad bits are being changed, high rises ripped down, train station being improved and links with trams now. Poor shopping centre is going to be practically empty soon though. We have a massive team of volunteers cleaning rubbish up during the summer. The grand theatre gets loads of big names, lots of comedians, had Britney on the front a few years back too! The council are trying to pull away from the hens and stags and bring in more families. The sea is the cleanest it's ever been too! Like I said, it's got it's rough bits but Blackpool is up and coming, house prices are on the up and it's only getting better

We went May half term 2019 and stayed in a large self contained Air BnB house with two other families, so total 5 kids and 6 adults. We had a great time. I think the fact we had the self contained property helped and we had a few of our evenings in. We went to the pleasure beach, the water park, the pier and arcades, had fish and chips, went to look at the tower etc. The kids had donkey rides. The weather was great which probably helped and we found everyone really friendly. It was clearly very run down as you go inland but we found a nice 'locals' pub that did real ale and had a great pub quiz, we went to a few other pubs and restaurants and had no problems at all. We live in inner London so are possibly fairly resilient to urban grit but we managed to see past a lot of it.

@trevthecat I'm so pleased to hear this. I have lots of great memories of Blackpool as a child. I just remember families all out together having fun - a really happy place.