Blackpool

A day out in Blackpool in January!

Does the month you visit the Seaside really matter and does going out of season save you money?

Northern Rail had a sale on tickets and I was happy to take full advantage so I’ve been busy planning a few adventures with my family and just returned from a day trip to Blackpool!

None of my children have visited Blackpool probably out of habit we have always traveled to the East Coast but excited for a day out to visit Lancashire!

Ready with a packed lunch that will be eaten before we arrive we boarded the 7:12 Northern Train to Leeds followed by another Northern Train to Blackpool taking around 3hrs with connections arriving around 10am. We bought tickets in their sale for £26.80 for all 6 of us but would of cost us £111.60 or £58 with Family and Friends Rail Card (worth the investment £30 a year) if we bought on the day. Cheaper than if we were to drive and park up!

The walk from the Train Station to the North Pier takes around 15mins and once on the seafront you will find the Golden Mile! We walked the entire length from North to South and back and here’s our review on Blackpool!

We were blessed with great weather considering it was January at the coast. So happy to walk along the promenade taking in the scenery and fresh sea air stopping off at the Arcades and shops on the way.

Our first point of call was North Pier a little disappointed that the Pier was closed as it’s full of history and full of Victorian Charm one of the reasons why I love our Northern Coasts. I’m presuming due to the season but high tides would of made it unsafe to venture out anyway. The Arcade was still full of nostalgia including the seaside shootout that I used to play as a child it is nice to see somethings are timeless!

Blackpool Tower was closed for Winter I am sure it was always open all year round so we were unable to go inside but underneath you will find many attractions for the family owned by Merlin and include the Gruffalo Clubhouse (which I haven’t seen before) and Peter Rabbit Explore and Play. We didn’t visit these attractions as the point of today was Seaside on a budget (not to mention that our 13 year old wouldn’t have been impressed) they looked great fun and something to consider if the weather turned and you have young children to entertain.

One place I have always enjoyed in Blackpool is visiting Coral Island it’s a must and with Kids eat Free all year round it really does cater for the whole family. It still has all the charm from yester years and the best value rides for younger children mine loved the Pirate Flyer brilliant value at £2 each!

We walked all the way upto Pleasure Beach (we knew it wasn’t open but wanted to walk North to South) after the Arcades there’s nothing open bar some food retailers but we did enjoy reminiscing and telling the kids about our adventures when we were younger before heading back down the promenade watching the waves and watching trams!

Definelty on our list of things to visit next time is the Water Park it looks amazing! Don’t forget you also have Stanley Park and Zoo but catch a bus as it’s a fair walk and easily can get lost walking the back streets. If you are wanting to book a holiday there’s so much to do here you will find yourself running out of time to fit it all in!

On reflection we haven’t taken the children to Blackpool in Summer as can be really expensive; as a family of 6 other places we visit offer more value for money so kept away. Every attraction on the Golden Mile would of cost us £100-£200 and many have a 3hr time restriction your money can quickly disappear!

That been said it was a lovely day out and we didn’t skimp whilst we was there nor were we rockfella in the Arcades; it is okay to have a budget for the kids to spend (ours had £15 each for the day) The weather even though cold stayed dry all day and gutted Notarianni Ice Cream Parlour wasn’t open! I wanted the kids to decide who has the best Ice Creams East or West Coast! What do you think?