Historic thrills and natural features in Blackpool

Blackpool – for many the name of the UK’s most famous seaside resort conjures up the historic Pleasure Beach. It’s one of Britain’s oldest amusement parks and still one of its most popular. Read how you can spend two days exploring places to go in Blackpool this summer.

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Yet the town’s original success was built on its expansive coastline and long, sandy beaches. These natural features in Blackpool are still present today.

Significant investments are being made to try and rejuvenate Blackpool’s seafront. How do the man-made attractions stack up against the natural features of Blackpool? And is either aspect enough to justify a visit? Our guest writer Nick Sims tells us more.

Natural features in Blackpool

The artificial aspects of the resort are hard to miss. The 65 metre tall roller coaster and 158 metre tall clone of the Eiffel Tower are never going to blend into the landscape. But, it was one of the Blackpool natural attractions that grabbed our attention immediately.

Blackpool’s extensive coastline stretches on for over seven miles. It’s easy to see why trainload after trainload of working class tourists headed to the town following the construction of the first rail link in 1846.

Few beaches could cope with the sheer number of visitors. Tens of thousands every summer weekend in the 1920s descended upon Blackpool beach, but these ones could.

Escaping the urban grime

It was perhaps inevitable that the urban grime the workers were seeking to escape from would eventually follow them to the coast. A multi-lane road runs in parallel to the seafront, although there is at least a large promenade and a tram line to separate it from the sand itself.

Row after row of bed and breakfasts and hotels clamour for the sea views on offer. Many are badly in need of restoration after years of battering from the sea breeze. There are some pretty buildings around, but Blackpool is never going to be famous for its architecture.

Does this detract from the seafront? I don’t think so. The lure of the seaside is as strong as ever. The natural features that have attracted tourists to the natural attractions in Blackpool for the last century-and-a-half are still very prominent.

Maybe it’s a family day out with bucket and spade in tow. Or, a just a relaxing stroll along sand that doesn’t seem to end, most people will find something to enjoy here. Even those most disapproving of the way the resort has evolved may not be able to resist a quick ice cream and a paddle in the surf.

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The best Blackpool Beaches

Top Blackpool natural features to visit include:

Central Beach

Central Beach is the heart and soul of the town. It is an expansive tract of golden sand located right in the heart of Blackpool. For families, this is the place to go for sunbathing, sand-castle building and donkey rides.

St Anne’s Beach

If you’re looking for a more relaxing spot away from the noise and bustle of Central Beach, St Anne’s offers a quieter alternative. Located a few miles down the coast, it’s a great place for a walk or a swim.

Man-made attractions in Blackpool

Of course, the variable weather conditions that ultimately led to British tourists heading to Spain and Portugal will still have a huge impact on your ability to linger outdoors. That’s where a range of man-made Blackpool tourist attractions and distractions come into play – and there are a huge number of them.

There’s the major attractions such as the iconic Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussaud’s waxworks and the Sea Life Centre. All are operated by a single firm, Merlin Entertainments Group. You’ll find dozens of arcades, tea rooms and pubs. Almost everywhere you look someone is trying to extract some of your hard-earned cash.

The Blackpool Pleasure Beach

I’ll be honest – for me, there is only one game in town. Having remained in family ownership for years, Blackpool Pleasure Beach still draws visitors to the South Shore like a magnet.

First opened in 1896, it has outlasted the vast majority of seaside parks from its era by continuing to invest and improve. Several major rides have been added in the past two decades.

2011 saw the opening of the £10 million Nickelodeon Land. The park is also home to the UK’s tallest roller coaster, the Pepsi Max Big One.

While I am an unapologetically huge fan of amusement parks, it is not Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s modern rides that interest me. Instead, it is the vast array of classic attractions on offer, some of which date back to the early 20th century.

This gives the park the feel of a living, working museum, rather than a simple tourist trap. The River Caves was the inspiration for Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean. The Big Dipper roller-coaster was among the forerunners to today’s major thrill rides.

It is the 1904 Flying Machines, though, that really caught my imagination. Still a great attraction today, it is difficult to comprehend how amazed visitors of that era must have been by this stunning piece of engineering.

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The Blackpool tower and other attractions

Outside of Pleasure Beach, some of the best man-made attractions in Blackpool’s bewildering line-up include:

Blackpool Tower

Visible from all over the town, the Tower has recently undergone a major renovation which added the somewhat out-of-place Blackpool Tower Dungeons walk-through horror exhibit. Besides the stunning views from the top, though, the biggest draw remains the famous Tower Ballroom. Dominated by enormous crystal chandeliers, it still plays host to ballroom dancing nights on a frequent basis.

Sandcastle Water Park

Kids will demand a visit to Britain’s most famous indoor water park. Highlights include the world’s first (and longest) water slide featuring an uphill section, the Master Blaster.

Grand Theatre

Having opened in 1894, the Grand Theatre has shown impressive staying power and now features the official title of Britain’s National Theatre of Variety. The performances won’t always be to everyone’s taste, but the building itself is still worth a look.

Blackpool Illuninations

Introduced in 1879 as a way of extending the holiday season, the Illuminations sees over a million lights used to decorate six miles of Blackpool promenade.

Overall, then, I would recommend a visit to Blackpool to a diverse range of people from lovers of the sea air, to casual history buffs, right through to hardened thrill-seekers. The town still has some way to go to fully clean itself up.

It’s hard to see it ever returning to its glory days. But as a nostalgia-inducing reminder of how the natural and artificial combined to offer fun-packed seaside holidays in years gone by, it still has plenty to offer.

Plan your visit to Blackpool

For more information to plan your visit to Blackpool, check out the Visit Blackpool website

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Thanks for this guest post to Nick Sim from Theme Park Tourist, your guide to theme parks and amusement parks , featuring news, guides and reviews for parks all over the world

Photo credits: Blackpool beach and tower by diamond geezer, The Pepsi Max Big One by Ingy The Wingy and Pier by stinksoup | Blackpool Tower by Barrie Taylor | Blackpool Beach by SnapHappyUK | Carousel by Amanda Smith-Mitchell | Donkey by Bill Kasman | Roller coaster at night by Tim Striker | Other photos by Nick Sim.

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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