To ask what's wrong with Blackpool?

[Allnostalgic]

There have been a few threads about Blackpool lately. I haven't been to Blackpool for at least 20 years. From what I can remember it was ok but then I was a teenager.

I have been tempted to go back to see what it's all about but always see it described as being hellish. I know it's a deprived part of the country but is it really that bad? What's actually bad about it?

You could be describing Margate or Ramsgate...
All traditional seaside towns have massively suffered from economic deprivation- it's not just Blackpool.
Ramsgate town centre is a no go area from 6pm due to druggies and don't even get me started on "Thirsty Thursday." Horrendous.

Saw a programme a few years ago. One of those police fly on the wall type things. The police were called to a prostitute giving blow jobs on the beach under the pier in broad daylight. While arresting her they were saying it’s a family resort (presumably suggesting why it was somewhat inappropriate) she said “no it’s not, it’s a shit hole.” Quite.

As a tourist place it is great for attractions, the Tower, Sea Life, Madame Tussauds, Pleasure Beach, Piers, Zoo. But I would never recommend people stay over there. Find accommodation in Lytham or St Annes but not Blackpool.

I’m from Blackpool - I moved away to London at 17. I didn’t go back for years not really because of blackpool itself just because I was running away from family problems.

now when I take me kids there to visit family, they adore it and it’s wonderful to see it through my childrens’ eyes. They love being wild and free on the beach each day.

it’s hard to read the negative opinions of it. What everyone is describing is literally just the one main part of it. The backstreets from the sea front and prom were really bad for many years but that’s just one part of it. There’s many lovely places in Blackpool that tourists will just never see because - well, why would you?

There's a certain something about working class, northern seaside towns. It’s not for everyone but those that have grown up there just get it. My tech start up CEO is from Scarborough and we just get each other, have so many shared cultural reference points. I spent so many years slightly embarrassed about being from Blackpool - trying to fit in in London and trying to be sophisticated. That I’m now working for this insanely clever start up with a CEO from the same background makes me feel some kind of way. A good kind of way.

How very middle class of you. Give me strength!

It’s much worse than those. I used to go to the illuminations every year as a child, had a fab time. Went with small kids a few year ago - run down but fine. Went a couple of years ago and DS (13 - but massive), was started on twice during daylight hours - we had to leave.

You have a career in smackheads and paedophiles? That's... niche?

I live about a 40 min drive from Blackpool I love it oh hates it, we only ever go for the day and there's plenty to do with the pleasure Beach sand castle, coral Island, the zoo, the piers and arcades, sometimes we just go to the velvet Coaster which is a wetherspoons and then go to coral Island, it did have a bit of a reputation for stag and hen nights but I dont think its as bad as it was a few years ago.

Blackpool is just awful.

Went once in 1979 aged twelve. I was horrified at how rough it was, vibrators in gift shop windows etc.
I am from an ex mining village in South Wales so definitely working class and not a snob.
Never again.

The stag and hen parties!

I've never been, but even the so-called positives people say about it on these threads make it sound grim. A small area of loud and tacky, stuck onto a larger area of poverty, drugs and misery. Great! You couldn't pay me enough to go there. Dityo any other tacky, run-down English seaside town. There are actual nice places to go in England .

I live less than an hour drive from Blackpool
DP was born and brought up there
I’ve worked at the sharp end of child protection there
I find it depressing and only visit occasionally - there are higher than average rates of everything negative you can think of
But it also has a certain brashy seaside charm! I’ve lived in Brighton too and still have friends there who are social workers or work with the homeless - the 2 places have a lot in common
Don’t let it put you off visiting Lancashire though stay elsewhere and have a day out in Blackpool - best of both worlds

*ditto

I've been a few times even after it started to get a reputation and always thought it was ok, bit rough round the edges but generally OK. The last time we went we went to McDonald's for food. My 9 year old at the time DS went to the toilet, luckily my teenager went with him. They quickly came back. There was someone sat on the floor not in a cubicle injecting drugs into a vein in their groin. We obviously reported it and tried to enjoy the rest of the day. Walking along the beach DH spotted a couple or more likely a prostitute and a punter having sex under a pier, luckily we did a quick about turn before the kids saw but we didn't stay long after that.

It's ok if you're willing to accept it for what it is. It's run down and tacky, but if you can look past that then you can have fun and make some great memories.

Nothing wrong with Blackpool imo.
A Working Class seaside resort,nothing more nothing less

And about 3 times more expensive with virtually nothing to do for kids 😚
I live in St Annes

Like most uk sea side resorts Blair's goverment funded a relocation project of moving people into already declining areas, there has been no investment and with nothing other than seasonal work the areas have declined, means even less and less investment so areas like Blackpool need to try and accomodate cheap day trips for the kids with weekends away for stag and hen do's, add onto that the neolib policies of cheap air travel and the classic MN middle class signifiers and there is a reason why they have been abandoned.

There is nothing 'wrong' with blackpool, Italians and Spanish residents have the same issue but they have better weather which is a bigger pull than the west coast of england which is renowned for rain, they genrally complain about winter and Russians, (I am not from the UK and live in the NW), it's all just relative.

I have a few people from London who regularly rent out my airbnb in formby openly looking down on people who go to blackpool and southport whilst not being totally honest as to why they have loads of tokens from blackppol pleasure beach left in the house

it’s not five star luxury

I went to Blackpool with exh not long after we met, he proposed to me on the North pier.

It’s the only place I’ve ever had to use naloxone outside of work.

It’s only just acceptable in the daytime ( daylight hours) up to 5 pm .

After 5 pm then unfortunately it becomes another world as all the Heroin and Crack Cocaine addicts wake up from their dirty disgusting bed sits and go out harassing anybody who they come across to get money for their next fix ( drug) so they can sit in a doorway or on the pier in a corner with a needle and start injecting.

I've not been since I was a child but everyone I know who has in the last 5 or so years have gone in groups for birthdays/hen dos and all have said they wouldn't take their dc

We've always gone to Mablethorpe, my grandad had a caravan there until about 6 years ago. Slightly run down in some areas but never seen hoards of drunk people or people taking drugs

We went during the jubilee bank holiday weekend,
I agree with PP that I was shocked by the deprivation so close to the main strip.
The kids loved it though and are desperate to go back. We went to the water park, the tower, the piers, the pleasure beach, Stanley Park and the zoo which were all good fun.