BLACKPOOL STILL ROCKS FOR FAMILIES
AS the safety restraint clicked shut and the roller-coaster lurched out of the station, a dream was about to be realised. Decades ago, I watched the Blue Peter team take on the Grand National, a wooden coaster built in the 1930s and the pride of Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach. It stayed with me.
Forget the steel colossuses, I wanted the real deal, something built before the Second World War which promised a seat-ofthe-pants adrenaline rush. The fact that it didn’t look too extreme probably had something to do with it.
So, as the carriage slowly clacked its way to the top of the first hill, there was nothing at all to suggest the next minute-anda-bit would be anything but fun. how wrong I was.
At several points, I thought I’d got on the wrong ride. This wasn’t a gentle excursion on a gentleman’s plaything, it was a terrifying, 40mph white-knuckle ride. At the finish line a fellow passenger wore a 1,000-yard stare, the kind only those who have taken on the Grand National and won can boast.
Aged 40, it was my first trip to Blackpool, quite an achievement for someone from the West Central Belt of Scotland, but what a glorious trip it was.
Our home for the week was a wonderful cottage in the ribby hall resort, a family-owned holiday village in the Lancashire countryside that offers cottage and lodge accommodation, sport and leisure facilities, restaurants, cafes, bars and even its own spa hotel.
It’s perfect for kids. Our little ones could enjoy themselves running about in the back green, and there were three different outside playparks for them to enjoy. They loved it.
While you don’t need to leave ribby hall to enjoy the perfect break, it would be remiss to ignore Blackpool, less than ten miles away.
Make sure you take advantage of the resort pass, which allows you access to either six or nine different attractions for a set fee, saving up to £69.
The theme park is phenomenal and there’s an entire area devoted to the little ones in Nickelodeon Land.
And no visit would be complete without a visit to the resort’s crowning glory, Blackpool Tower (theblackpooltower.com), which opened in 1894 and is still as much of a draw as it ever was. From there, it’s a quick stroll to the other attractions. Madame Tussauds (madametussauds.com/blackpool/en) is captivating, the Tower Dungeon (thedungeons.com/blackpool/
en) is thrilling – although perhaps not for little ones – and the hands-on experiences and sharks at the Sea Life Centre (visitsealife.com/blackpool) will always get – and keep – their attention. This was our first visit to Blackpool, but it certainly won’t be our last. I might leave the Grand National to the kids next time, though.