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?

We (me and dds who would have been about 13 and 15) had a very nice three nights in Blackpool a few years ago. Weather was great, it was term time so not too crowded, and can recommend the Big Blue Hotel by the Pleasure Beach. They loved the rides, the Tower, the swimming pool (think it’s called the Sandcastle water park) and the trams. The sea front had been done up nicely.
There were a few stag and hen parties but we just kept away from the pubs. The only problem we had was finding somewhere ok to eat - I think it was McDonald’s one night, and room service at the hotel another. If I went again, I’d drive out to a pub a few miles out or maybe try Lytham as we didn’t make it there.
There is a certain charm about Blackpool. I saw a stunning photo of it on Facebook a few days ago.

Kendodd

I'm really sorry but your post made me laugh out loud 😂

It is not like any other British seaside town - I love Scarborough and when I went to Blackpool (for work) for the first time, assumed it would be very similar. I was horrified, it is all run down, full of the most hopeless looking people I’ve ever seen, the poverty is evident and vast areas smell of piss. I only return when forced. It is beyond grim. I would NEVER take my family there - why would you when there are actually pleasant places to go?

One of my favourite places to take my son. Homeless people in B and Bs all over the country, not just there. You scratch the surface in places like Edinburgh you will find similar issues.

Ah I love blackpool and so do the kids.
We go for evenings for a paddle and donuts in nice weather and do the illuminations every year with tea at the bispham kitchen. We don't go in busy times though. Dh wants to stay for a weekend next time we go.

And THE TOWER BALLROOM should be on everyone's bucket list. It makes the Sistine Chapel....look like Grimsby bus station.

@tanguero

And THE TOWER BALLROOM should be on everyone's bucket list. It makes the Sistine Chapel....look like Grimsby bus station.

Hahahhaaa 😂

When the Berlin Wall came down, I was watching the ITN news interviewing an East Berlin couple. 'Now you can travel anywhere in the world, where would you like to go ?'......'The Tower Ballroom, Blackpool'.

I lasted for the first minute of that guy's video. I don't have the patience for slowness and idle chat!

I thought it was really grim and shitty, but then we went in the winter and other than the illuminations there really wasn’t a lot going for it. Our hotel was godawful. I’d never been as a child though so don’t have any nostalgic memories of the place.

I really don’t want to go back.

@tanguero

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 !

That’s not exclusive to Blackpool, that happens all over the world.

We went about 15 years ago and hated it. I'd been once as a child to see the illuminations and thought my DC may enjoy it. We were going to Manchester anyway and added on 2 nights in Blackpool to see the illuminations. It turned out to be 2 nights too many. I ended up getting flea bites from the hotel we stayed at, the fact it was the only hotel left with rooms should have been a warning...

@trevthecat and @itstheyearzero - I agree with everything you have both said.

I live the other side of Blackpool in Bispham. Yes, parts of Blackpool aren't the best and run down but you get places like that all over the country. And Covid really hasn't helped when tourism is the main income for central Blackpool.

But Blackpool isn't just central Blackpool. It's south shore, Stanley Park, Bispham. Then you have surrounding Wyre and Fylde. You have the parks, the beach, the zoo. We went for a walk yesterday along the prom at Cleveleys near the Vue Cinema and then took our toddler to kick a ball around in Jubilee Gardens and it was lovely.

Oh, and I've always lived on the Fylde Coast.

My job involves going inside people’s properties and I’d say some of the worst I’ve ever seen have been in Blackpool.

I honestly felt depressed as I was driving away having been inside probably ten residential and two commercial properties. There is a much higher than average level of social deprivation. Worse than the average seaside town.

The tower and the tram are possibly the only things I’d consider to be worth seeing. The pleasure beach and most of the main seafront area seem very tacky to me but might hold some appeal to kids.

I’d say you could find many less depressing alternatives. Such a shame but honestly I wouldn’t go back by choice.

Yes, if you “scratch the surface” in all big cities there are problems with homelessness etc. The point is in Blackpool you don’t have to scratch anything, it’s all there seems to be.

We went last year, for a day, as part of a holiday in Yorkshire - it was an hour away from where we were staying. It was fine - we did Seaworld, walk along the pier and went on a carousel, had an ice cream, saw the Tower...then had fish and chips at the Yorkshire Fisheries which I would definitely recommend, the food was lush and they were very covid safe (we were there in August so places were open). It rained, true to a classic British trip to the seaside!

It is very run down and shabby and has a definite vibe of being the shadow of its former self. I went a few times on day trips as a child and loved it. I’d go again for a day trip but no longer.

I mean I went to Brighton once in January 1994 and I wasent that impressed either and funnily enough being January nothing much was open there either 🙄

I hated Blackpool, when I went as a child it was disgusting!. Really dirty, dirty nappies on the beach and really run down and smelly. We didn’t stay long my parents took us home. I’ve never been back so it might of changed for all I know but I definitely wouldn’t take my DC there.

I live an hour from Blackpool so go fairly often.
If you want an old fashioned kid focused seaside holiday it is great. It obviously isn't Devon or Cornwall but you already know that.
There has been a lot of regeneration on the front and it is lovely to walk on the promenade on a sunny day. It doesn't stick of chip fat but you can smell fish and chips and donuts which is part of the experience.
It is best to go midweek to avoid the stag and hens.
The Cliffs and the Claremont are both excellent family hotels on the seafront.

The seafront has been cleaned up now, it actually looks nice.

I love Blackpool.

We live 25 mins away and we don’t go there. It’s an absolute shit hole. The only place we do go is the BMX track in Stanley park and even then, the last time we went there was a teenager smoking week on the starting hill, which is a shame as it’s and awesome, national level track.

My BIL was a policeman there and it really is the paedophile capital. He found a good number of dead bodies in the toilets along the prom too. There’s some really odd looking people in the town centre, not to mention all the seagulls, pigeons and rubbish. You only have to go one street back from the prom to find extreme levels of deprivation. The pubs are packed with wasted people and drug addicts.

Go to Lytham if you fancy coming up this way or Cleveleys at a push.

I love it but I wouldn't go for more than a day. I'd never stay there. Neither would I pay for attractions such as the Tower, madame tussauds etc. The pleasure Beach is great, especially Nickolodeon land. My 6 year old loves it. The zoo is brilliant and a really good price if you use tesco vouchers.

I have the best memories of visiting when I was younger. It was my favourite place. As a child you don't care if its scruffy or greasy. You care about rides, candy floss, 2p machines and trying to win a Teddy on the machines. I still like to go at least once a year especially when the illuminationd are on.

@figment Stanley park was voted best in the country last year too. I love Stanley park. So many comments on here from people that visited years and years ago, it's so different now. It's not filthy, there is no where near as much litter, in the summer it's so busy, great atmosphere. Oh and someone mentioned pedos in the sandcastle, I work in child safeguarding and the sandcastle is not the place to worry about at all in Blackpool, But there has never been a big problem with pedo strangers. Over 90% of abuse is someone you know.

I am SO chuffed to read your comments, trev. I'm really glad that people are caring enough to do something and not just write it off as a lost cause, just because of some of the more negative elements (not unique to Blackpool).

Re the paedophile issue mentioned upthread - YES! And the Sandcastle is the place that they like to hang out....nearly naked kids etc. No way would I take my DD there. Ever.

Paedophiles could be anywhere, though - possibly even more dangerous if in places where nobody would ever suspect them. Surely you accompany your children and don't just send them anywhere on their own, if there could be any risk to them, don't you?