Sometimes, you do things in life that make you wonder what on earth possessed you to do such a ridiculous thing. For me, September's trip was the perfect example of one of those moments. This month, I went to Blackpool. Now, I hasten to add that visiting Blackpool isn't in and of itself a particularly ridiculous thing to do. Although, wearing shorts on the front in a wet and windy week in September definitely could be described as such, and I learned a valuable lesson. No, what was rather wild was my absolute conviction that I was going to ride The Big One, come hell or high water. Riding a rollercoaster was another thing that I had on my list of 40 things that I want to try and achieve before I hit 40. No little piddly kid-friendly coaster was going to do it though. I decided that if I was going to ride a rollercoaster, it should be one that was, at one time, the tallest rollercoaster in the world. Someone should have had a word with me.
I could not tell you the last time I went to Blackpool, but it must have been a fair few years ago. The train journey there is fairly straightforward and certainly a damn sight cheaper than paying for parking for three days. When I arrived, I dropped my bags off at the hotel and headed straight for the front. My hotel was just behind the tower, so really handy and easy to get to the action. One thing that I do enjoy about travelling alone, is that there is no competition for the "who can see the sea first" game. Winner gets an ice cream, so I had no option but to treat myself to one to stroll along between the piers with. I don't make the rules. I was having a slow stroll down to the Pleasure Beach, where I had tickets to the Hot Ice Show. Incidentally, I have my Grandpa's old programme from when we all went in about 1992, and the ticket price was £4. 34 years later, I got in for £10, which doesn't seem anywhere near enough of an increase comparative to the inflation rate, but I'm not complaining about an evening's entertainment for a tenner. The ice show was fine, I wouldn't say that I was a skating afficionado, but I did feel slightly that once I'd seen one fast lap and a jump, I'd seen all I needed to see really.
The following morning, I was heading back down to The Pleasure Beach for a day of rides. I was there at opening time, and there was a small queue, but nothing like the heaving crowds I remember from my childhood. I started the day on the nostalgic ones that I used to go on as a kid. Alice in Wonderland slightly feels like a bad acid trip, the derby racer horses are always fun as they move at a considerably faster speed than any other horse ride I've ever come across, and I was left wondering why my dad used to take 8 year old me on The Grand National as I nearly had my head wobble clear off my neck at every turn. The charm of the older rides, is that they are a bit wild. The Grand National looks unassuming from the boarding area, but get up into the air on the old creaky wood, and you'll soon wonder how on earth the health and safety inspector gives it the thumbs up. I rode it three times......... My highlight when it comes to the tame rides, however, would have to be the Wallace and Gromit ride. I love Wallace and Gromit like you wouldn't believe. Feathers McGraw is the greatest movie villain of all time, and I won't be swayed on this argument. You get in a giant slipper, and meander through scenes that represent all of their adventures. They've even added Norbot from the newest film. Loved it.
Then, god help me, I went over to where the bigger rides are. Despite my face on the picture above, I did actually enjoy Avalanche (I'd learned to take my glasses off by this point after literally holding them onto my head on The Grand National). I thought that I'd better bite the bullet and head to The Big One. Joining the queue, there were kids heading in in front of me, and I was determined not to be outdone by people who hadn't even done their year 9 SATS yet, so I had no intention of backing down. One thing I didn't really know, because I'd failed in my research, was that there was only a lap bar and seatbelt holding you in place. I don't know why, but I'd presumed that there was going to be an over shoulder style harness given the height and steepness of the first drop. I was wrong. As the car was going up that first big hill, I kept thinking that we must be near the top, but the signs on the side of the track kept proving me wrong by saying helpful things like "half way there". By the time we got to the top, I was reassessing my life choices quite dramatically. 65m in the air, you really appreciate the ground. The first drop is a 62m fall, which is a hell of a lot, and feels further when you're already leaning slightly forward holding on to the handles for grim death. The lean made me feel like I was going to be falling out, and I was not a fan. The rest of the rollercoaster is fairly straightforward, a few turns, a few twists, a few smaller drops. Back on terra firma, I had a hot chocolate and went back to Wallace and Gromit.
After aa steady evening, I packed up and headed home the following morning on the train. Am I glad I braved The Big One? Yes I am. I am not known for having a love of heights, so I feel like getting on such a tall ride with such a big drop was quite brave. Would I want to go on it again? If I was with someone and they desperately wanted to give it a go, but not on their own, I would probably ride it again but make a very large fuss about it. It's certainly not something I would take upon myself to give another go just for the hell of it. Chalk this one up to "glad I did it, don't make me do it again"!
How long was I there?
I was there for 2 nights in total. I got there on Tuesday afternoon, and departed on Thursday morning. In terms of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, I arrived at opening time on Wednesday, which was 11am, and left the park at about 3:30pm when I decided that any further rides were likely to induce some sort of medical episode.
How much did I spend?
Train fare: £49.69
Hotel (2 nights): £55
Hot ice Show: £10
Blackpool Pleasure Beach: Nothing - used my Tesco club card vouchers.
Total spend: £114.69
Would I go back?
I can't see myself going back any time soon. It was all good, and I did enjoy myself, but I feel like I've done it now. The Pleasure Beach was great, but I think I felt that way because I didn't technically pay to get in there, so it felt like I got my money's worth. I wouldn't go to the Hot Ice show again, as it was impressive, but just not something I felt like I cared enough about to want to go back and see more of it. All in all, I would go see other seaside resorts and what they have to offer before I returned to Blackpool.
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