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?

I’ve been to Paris a few times. I don’t really like it but I’d rather be there than Blackpool.

Went once a few years ago. Absolutely hideous. Everyone seemed to have tattoos on their necks, hollow eyes and look like crack addicts. Ok, not everyone, but a lot of people. Completely filthy, tacky, over priced nonsense, utterly child unfriendly (the drunks/addicts/sexualised stuff).

we went to Lytham for the night instead! It was just for a night on the way south anyway. But urgh. No.

Yes, you have to accept it for what it is, absolutely awash with drugs and drug addicts and dire poverty and shit.

But the pretty lights and the cheap drinks......no. Just no.

I can only assume you have never been to Paris or Blackpool....

@GorgeousLadyofWrestling yes, but most of the people commenting here aren’t planning to move to Blackpool. I’m sure there are lovely areas and people. But it’s still hot high levels of deprecation and the locals/council have not made changes to prevent the stag/hen/chaos.

I’m a fully paid up Waitrose, Home Counties Labrador loving person so Blackpool for me was properly horrific. Couldn’t get my head around so much open drug use and people being plastered in the day time.

Depravation. Sorry. Phone typos.

*Shit hole full of scummy people, I feel sorry for anyone decent living there who would like to get away

I love it here. No desire to leave. I am every inch a decent person and don’t need anyone to feel sorry for me. I guess that makes me, and thousands like me, scummy. Hey ho, good job the opinion of us doesn’t matter, eh?!

It's such a lovely place that you moved as soon as you became an adult

of course. There’s no university. People leave to train as doctors and lawyers and teachers and nurses and social workers and every other profession under the sun. Like every other town across the country. Much of the industry here is tourism related which is not for everyone, is it? A lot of my cohort have ended up doing a stint in London, myself included. We think it’s because you have an awful long way to go before you can find something to match it - multiple theatres, a theme park, zoo, award winning park, a plethora of clubs, bars and restaurants, cinemas, the Tower, 2 ballrooms, conference centres, constant events, competitions etc, spitting distance of the Lake District, major cities Liverpool and Manchester for days out, shopping and walking. It is very hard to beat from that perspective.

No, I moved in my mid-twenties for a job opportunity and now live elsewhere mainly due to DH's job. If my working life hadn't taken me in the direction it did, I'd still be living in the area.

Also, neither I nor the pp I was quoting said it was a 'lovely place'. Don't put words in people's mouths. The pp acknowledged Blackpool's problems and I endorsed her comments.

But hey, obviously people who have been there for the odd day or two every now and then are going to know far more about the place than people who actually grew up in the area, eh?

@Givenuptotally and @bringincrazyback

I live close to a town v popular with tourists but they get an accurate impression of it when they stay. The town centre does normally present the best and worst of what the town really is like.

The list of attractions that Blackpool has don’t interest me (apart from proximity to the Lake District). We did like the trams though. And the sea itself is always good (with your back to Blackpool!)

The town I live in has a world class university, museums, plenty of green spaces, theatres, cinemas, excellent restaurants, cafes and bars (nice ones, not greasy spoons and dodgy pubs), etc etc.

What a bizarre response.

I grew up near Blackpool and went to school there. Its always been deprived. The shopping has got worse over the last 30 years. Some of the attractions are good such as the sandcastle and the zoo. My dc love the amusement arcades and the prom. Theres actually quite alot to do. On a sunny day the beach is good, especially at Clevelys or Fleetwood. My cousin tells me Stanley Park is more run down now. That used to be great.

Bispham is a lovely little seaside place with restaurants and amusements. Lytham St Ann's and Poulton are also nicer parts.

I wouldn't travel hours to visit but it's good if you are nearby. I'm Manchester and it's a good day trip for us but I have family there.

I find it really depressing, it just has really bad vibes

I love it here. No desire to leave. I am every inch a decent person and don’t need anyone to feel sorry for me. I guess that makes me, and thousands like me, scummy. Hey ho, good job the opinion of us doesn’t matter, eh?!

I said it’s full of scummy people and I feel sorry for decent people THAT WANT TO LEAVE. If you’re a nice person, love it and don’t want to leave then I don’t feel sorry for you and I’m not calling you scummy. But drunk people, off their face on drugs that shout and swear at toddlers and urinate in the street, yes, they’re scummy and Blackpool is full of them.

God it’s horrendous, tacky and very rough. I’d rather poke my own eyes out with a shitty stick then step foot in Blackpool ever again.

Its the worst place we ever visited. DH and i went about 1999. He book a hotel (sunday paper, no internet then) and it was the worst hotel there. He’s never been allowed to book a hotel since,

then we had kids and he wanted to take them, so we did and stayed in the big blue hotel. It was ok. Nice but ok, nothing special.

returning there confirmed that it was still a shitshow.

We drove through the centre a few weeks ago as we were passing and I was very surprised to see so many run down buildings right in the centre and 99% of the places seemed to be accommodation. Like B&Bs next door to other B&Bs, next door to a hotel etc.
Surely that's over saturated? They can't ever reach capacity can they??

Anyways, I went about 15 years ago and had a great time on the rides etc, I'd definitely go back but I'm now on the fence after seeing it

Last time I drove through at 2 in the afternoon I had to drive at 10mph to avoid hitting the drunks randomly walking into the road 😞😞

It is what it is i live about an hour ,s drive from blackpool so gi sometimes for the afternoon yes its tacky on the sea front but nio worse than other sea side towns ( i thought rhyl was worse imo) unfortunatley it atteacts a lot of hen/ stag do,s in the summer months ,so thre is going to be undesrible behaviour ,but thats not the fault of the residents of blackpool

We went last weekend with DD 5 and baby DS. It was awful and had quite a sinister feel to me. I am born and bred Mancunian and we always went as children and teens, it is not what it once was. It's always been kitschy and glitzy and over the top, now sadly it's run down, dirty.

Illuminations are sad now too!

It's a stag and hen party destination now, try Lytham St. Anne's instead which is lovely and not far from Blackpool.

There are whole streets full of B&B,s and some display no vacancies signs ,before kids ,me and dh would deceide to have a drive too blackpool dometimes and sometimes deceide to stsy over and jt pick a random B&B ,i thnk somecB&B ,s house homeless people/ families .

there's a reason it was so bloody popular in the 40s and 50s

Because people couldn’t afford to go anywhere else?

It's funny cos I live here and I absolutely never see these alleged "fights, spitting, junkies" im not saying they don't happy but as a Blackpool resident I've never seen them and never felt anything other than safe walking about.

@ivfbabymomma1

Just came back after two nights there with the kids. Didn’t see any druggies or fights. We were back in our hotel though at around 9ish. It was absolutely rammed though I must say so clearly a lot of people still like to see the lights etc.

We will not return now as we have been a few times during Oct half term and the kids are getting older. Done all the attractions (they loved the dungeon yesterday for a Halloween treat). Doughnuts, chips, a bit of fun and a few lights. Nice view as well out our window on North prom.