Best and worst seaside resorts

[denshaw 2,871]

It's great if you like chips and bingo.

[nonnaB 4,895]

Only been to skegness once and that wasn't from choice. It was the decision of a group. 

[philmayfield 6,115]

We've sailed into St. Mawes harbour a few times back in the days when we used to tow a boat down to St. Anthony in Menage, next to the Helford River. It was a lovely voyage across Falmouth Bay.

[philmayfield 6,115]

I've had some good day trips to Skeggie many, many years ago. I was much younger then and didn't appreciate the finer things in life!

[Beekay 5,134]

When I worked for NCB xray services, we did some private work down there for 3 months, every 4 years. We xrayed the China clay workers and tin miners (that were still open then). First time, it rained every day though not all day. But still a beautiful area. I couldn't get over the colour of the water when crossing the Fal.

The thing that struck me was that in Cornwall you could look in the sea and see 2 or 3 metres down, whereas at Skegness you lost your feet when only ankle deep !

[radfordred 6,284]

Don’t seem much love for poor owd Cleethorpes? 

[MargieH 7,599]

I STILL LOVE SKEGNESS, INGOLDMELLS AND CHAPEL ST LEONARDS!   Wonderful memories from the first twenty years of my life as a single girl,  then another 10 - 15 years with Paul and our children.  I still get a rush of nostalgia when we visit .    

[Beekay 5,134]

I'm not knocking that part of the coast mind. But time was, a few years ago ,you couldn't go to the east coast without bumping into some bugger you worked with back in Nottingham. 

[Oztalgian 3,271]

Going back to the sixties/seventies.

Cleethorpes should be at the bottom of that list by miles, went there once, never again!

Not over keen on Skeg either, far too commercial. Jinglebells was sort of OK. By far the best was Golden Sands at Mablethorpe in those days it was not too developed, a great beach for playing cricket on, if only the sea had been blue and not cocoa coloured. Often used to have one of the beach huts and still got the scar on my thumb from a tin of Fray Bentos corned beef for the sarnies.

 

[trogg 2,014]

About 10 years ago I went to Cleethorpes, I knew I had been there as a child but I could not remember it, arrived parked and went for fish and chips. Sat on a bench, the chips were revolting, straight into a bin after 15 minutes walking around back to the car and went home, never to go back again, at least at Skegness you can buy decent fish and chips.

 

 

 

[carni 10,094]

Skegness, as most of you know, is where I met my future husband in July 1964. A holiday romance followed by  two and a half years courtship via train and coach, back and forth Nottingham/Wolverhampton (Kept us skint, all our meagre wages went on fares). .Until we wed in Dec 1966

 

We both loved Skeggy, and in later years had a Static caravan on Skegness Sands, on the grounds of the old 'Derbyshire Miners Camp'. It got to be more than we could afford as it was owners and close family members only, so reluctantly had to let it go.

 

Skeggy is still the place we choose to visit in Spring and late Autumn, when it is quieter and we can cycle the lanes and prom in peace.

 

There is no doubt about it, the place has changed and not for the better. I believe that has happened everywhere, Skegness architecture over the years has disappeared and has been replaced with the ugly buildings, that are in so many of our towns and cities now. The holiday makers seem to have changed as well (Not all though). There does seem to be a lack of respect for each other, Swearing and Shouting, in front of children and elderly does seem to be the normality for a few people.

 

Lastly. 'The Brown Sea.' Yes it would be good to see our feet when paddling, but it is clay not muck, (Or so we were told? )To get to the sea, we mustn't forget the beautiful 'Golden Sand' which goes on for miles and miles.  We just love the place and until someone or something upsets us, we will go to 'Good Old Skeggy' for as long as we can.

Skeggy For Ever.

[benjamin1945 16,139]

Got to admit Cleethorpes is the worst..........As a teenager went on dayBus trips with all my  school mates...organised by a lady who lived on Bestwood estate Elsie Wyers,,,us kids didnt really enjoy it,,,but we felt obligated...lol...,,

                      Then over the next 40 odd years did much work there,,,for Gibsons and the Coop.......Whilst working for Gibsons stayed every week for one or two nights,,at the Dolphin hotel,,until i turned up one week  and was told ''no room at the inn'' because Kenny Ball and his Jazz-men had taken it over,,,so stayed on a caravan site called 'Fitties''...........bleddy nightmare middle of winter,,no heating or nothing,,.......As luck would have it the next night i scored at the 'Winter Gardens'' on Grab a Granny night,,,she was no beauty Queen'' but kept me nice and warm,,,her husband was a fisherman,,bless him,,, Often away at Sea....

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

You weren't wearing your vest, liberty bodice and long johns, were you? No wonder you were cold! 

[Mess 616]

55 minutes ago, carni said:

Skegness, as most of you know, is where I met my future husband in July 1964. A holiday romance followed by  two and a half years courtship via train and coach, back and forth Nottingham/Wolverhampton (Kept us skint, all our meagre wages went on fares). .Until we wed in Dec 1966

 

We both loved Skeggy, and in later years had a Static caravan on Skegness Sands, on the grounds of the old 'Derbyshire Miners Camp'. It got to be more than we could afford as it was owners and close family members only, so reluctantly had to let it go.

 

Skeggy is still the place we choose to visit in Spring and late Autumn, when it is quieter and we can cycle the lanes and prom in peace.

 

There is no doubt about it, the place has changed and not for the better. I believe that has happened everywhere, Skegness architecture over the years has disappeared and has been replaced with the ugly buildings, that are in so many of our towns and cities now. The holiday makers seem to have changed as well (Not all though). There does seem to be a lack of respect for each other, Swearing and Shouting, in front of children and elderly does seem to be the normality for a few people.

 

Lastly. 'The Brown Sea.' Yes it would be good to see our feet when paddling, but it is clay not muck, (Or so we were told? )To get to the sea, we mustn't forget the beautiful 'Golden Sand' which goes on for miles and miles.  We just love the place and until someone or something upsets us, we will go to 'Good Old Skeggy' for as long as we can.

Skeggy For Ever.

Well said Carni.

I haven't been to Skeggy for a while but have some wonderful memories of the place from the 50s and 60s.

I was born in 1950 and all my pals had their summer hols (if they could afford one) in Skegness, Blackpool, Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes. In 1958 when my dad had a bit more money he took the family on the train down to St Ives. It was quiet and beautiful. Certainly not what I was used to. The beaches were lovely as was the ice cream but the lack of amusement arcades made me yearn for Skegness. The  train journey through the night from Nottingham into GWR territory was memorable.

In 1961 my dad and I went back to Skegness for a week and it was brilliant. There was everything an 11 year old lad wanted from a seaside holiday.

Later in the 60s on a school camping holiday I discovered the Isle of Wight and in the late 70s and 80s Newquay and Weymouth all of which were wonderful but having been back recently seem to have gone downhill a bit.

I've holidayed abroad but much prefer a good old fashioned English seaside destination and this year my dear wife used her inheritance to buy a modest holiday home in Southbourne. We're currently renovating it and expect to be able to enjoy it very shortly. It's a world apart from Skegness, but I love them both.

I would never reject Skegness it was part of my childhood. I would happily revisit it for a weekend it is still dear to my heart.

I would remind everyone not to forget where they came from. Your past made you what you are today. If you chose to throw it in the bin then you are displaying massive disloyalty to your parents who worked hard to provide you with the best they could afford.

[Beekay 5,134]

An addition to my post above, we decided to have fish n chips. We went in the chippie on the corner opposite to the clock tower, (can't remember the road name). We said we would eat inside, but it still came in a polystyrene tray and the cheeky bugger wanted to charge us 10p for a wooden spoon thing ! Have you ever tried eating chips and mushy peas with your fingers? 

In reply to Mess in the above post. He were lucky! my parents never took us on holiday, for reasons I'm definitely not going into on here. I was 15/16 years old before I saw the sea and that was when my older brother's mate took me on his motor bike. Skegness is the only place where you catch a bus to the waters edge, wonder if the dune ducks are still working.

My first holiday was when my future in-laws took me with them to Cliftonville, ( I had a little bedroom tacked on to the kitchen). This would be back in 1963 ish, so I was coming up to twenty years old before I had a holiday. No regrets though, that's all in the past when where we lived it was a case of " not brought up but dragged up". Survival of the fittest.

[carni 10,094]

BK. We have been in there ONCE. Never to be repeated. I agree with every thing you have written.

 

Ask Catfan, he will point you in the direction of a good Chippy in Skeggy. Our favourite at the moment is right up the end of the promenade, turn left at

Seaview pub and a few yards down is 'The proper little chippy' used by the locals. Gotta be good.

[philmayfield 6,115]

I think we tend to think of Skegness as it was in the past. We were kids and it was exciting. We knew no better. As we got older and went further afield we realised that there were much better places to go to. I still think Blackpool, which I visited out of curiosity recently, is much worse and on a much grander scale.

[Jill Sparrow 10,304]

My mum, born in 1926, went with her family to Skegness throughout the war years. Her older sisters, born 1915 and 1919, went on their bicycles and my mum travelled on the train with her parents, often needing to change several times before arriving at Skeggy!  Luggage was sent ahead and had always arrived and was waiting for them.

 

I have many lovely photos of my grandparents walking on the pier and along the streets of Skeggy. Mum loved it.

 

In 1976, she persuaded my father to go and spend a weekend there as she hadn't seen the place since childhood.  She was horrified and that's 44 years ago.  She didn't recognise the place at all.

[Beekay 5,134]

When staying at Chapel St. Leonards,  our friends came to visit us and they told of a really good chippy, the "Linga  Longa", on the jinglebells road. They were the worst chips I've ever tasted ! more like sticks of soap cooked in stale fat or oil.

[radfordred 6,284]

I have always loved my trips to any seaside town, think it's the sea air, thousands & thousands of regular visitors would disagree with you? 

If you don't like it stay away, your along time dead.

[philmayfield 6,115]

I was curious to drive to Skegness today to have another look but I was told ‘your can go by yourself, I’m not going to that dreadful place!’ I think I’ll give it a miss then. 

[radfordred 6,284]

I was going to put in my original post  "Maybe its the people you are going to these places with?" but thought that's cruel & possibly bit near the knuckle, then I see the post above  All your questions answered. 

 

Why do we now have two seaside topics?  Where do we post in both? What plonker started another one?

[radfordred 6,284]

Wonder how many where conceived in some seaside caravan? 

 

Why do we now have two seaside topics?  Where do we post in both? 

[carni 10,094]

No idea about myself but......

I know my son was definitely conceived in a seaside caravan at Chapel?????

[jonab 1,644]

My lasting memory of Cleethorpes is when I was about 10, going there on a day trip organised by the company my mother worked for.

We arrived and there was little me all excited about going into the sea. I didn't notice the dark deposits all along the tideline as I ran towards the water. There was an awful squelching noise as my feet sank into a deep mass of stinking black goo. It was crude oil jettisoned from oil tankers which had washed up on the beach. Apparently it was normal at that time for these ships to clean their tanks in (and with) the North Sea with little (NO) thought as to the environmental consequences.

I wasn't the only one to have been caught out like this. There were loads of mothers cleaning this revolting material from their children's body and clothing. The bus smelled disgusting on the way back as crude oil is far from easy to remove from anything, especially kids legs.

 

I wonder if Troggs' chips were fried in the same stuff?