I'm back!!!! Sorry I wasn't back exactly on schedule but yesterday was quite a tiring day being the first day back to normality.
However, I am back now and today is the first of two installments from 'A Mulie Trip to Blackpool'. It was a very busy, rainy and windy week but it was also a fun week and it was nice to spend some quality time with the other half.
So sit back, relax and enjoy part 1!
Day 1:
Me and Matthew set off on Monday morning after much faffing on Matthew's part. Ok, it was more super- level 1000 adulting organisation on his part; everything from washing up liquid to plastic cutlery were packed up and put in the car. We did end up bickering over whether I wanted miniature pots of nutella, which looking back was silly but I just wanted to get going! This holiday had been booked and planned for months and the day was finally here so you could understand why I was itching to go. However I will now officially, here on 'A Series of Unfortunate Irritations' say Matthew, I am very sorry.
Arguments aside and bags and boxes packed and in the boot, it was time to start our journey to Blackpool. It was going to take about 3 hours to get to the caravan site so we planned a stop off on the way. After dodging countless lorry dim-wits on the M40 and the M6, it was lunchtime and time for a stop off. A quick pee and £1.99 Burger King meal deal later, we were back on the M6 steaming for the North West.
Fast forward to 1:45 pm and we finally arrive at Marton Mere holiday park! Our check in was meant to be 3 however we thought we may as well ask if our caravan happened to be free yet and then we'd check out the entertainment if it wasn't. When we asked, we were immediately turned away and told to come back at later with us barely opening our mouths! Message loud and clear there! So, with that we headed to the entertainment and started on the 2p machines. As you could guess, our £1 contributions were soon gone and with that boredom soon set in. It was now half past 2, maybe we would be able to check in now? The short answer was: No. We were sent away again to find something to entertain ourselves. This time we decided to see what the on-site shop had to offer but after wandering round aimlessly and having only wasted 10 minutes we thought maybe exploring the rest of the park would help us waste some time. This however wasn't as fruitful as we thought. As it had been raining quite a lot and the weather was still looking bleak, the normally picturesque nature reserve was uhh...not so picturesque and I was nearly getting stuck in the mud.
10 to 3 now. Surely, we'll be allowed to check in now? We were initially told no, but after me and Matthew grumbling under our breath, they thought twice about that decision and after checking on their system, our caravan was indeed ready! Finally! We were given our welcome pack and sent on our way our new home for the week. We discovered after driving round that our caravan was not only right by the exit at the other end of the park, but it was a right pain to find initially!
We'd finally got to our caravan- Buckingham number 45- but the caravan conundrums were far from over. Matthew was first to the caravan door with the key eager to finally enter. However, he then turned round and said the fatal words- "the key doesn't work!" to which I replied "what do you mean it doesn't work?" We then set about ferociously trying to make the key work. The key went in the lock but it wouldn't turn. Typical!! We tried for a little while longer to no avail. Knowing that reception was all the way at the other end of the park, we didn't want to go all the way back and complain in their busiest time. There's something about us Brits that makes us keep trying the same thing a million times despite it proving fruitless. After we tried coaxing the key in some more, we thought maybe we should call someone and get them out to find a solution to the problem. Long story short, we were given the key for the back doors and not the front one! They very kindly swapped the locks over leaving us to unpack our stuff and settle in.
Apart from this lock-based hiccup, the caravan was very nice and reasonably well equipped. An en-suite in the main bedroom, a wider hallway, a freezer and all the storage space you could ask for as well as the main mod-cons you expect in a caravan. Oh and not forgetting the star of the show: central heating!
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| A wardrobe each?! Oh go on then! |
In our bedroom, we started unpacking and deciding what side the bed we were sleeping on. With storage being king here, we each got 2 drawers and a wardrobe each- no complaining there!
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| Our very modest living area |
The kitchen was lovely and we had a mini dining area as well. Having a freezer as well as a big spacious fridge offered us more flexibility in terms of our food options for the week and we set out to make full use of all the kitchen facilities while we were here.
With us fully acquainted with our caravan, we went in search of the weeks food supplies! The map that we were given with our welcome pack showed us the hilarious number of supermarkets across Blackpool. We counted various branches of all the major supermarkets so to say we were spoilt for choice was an understatement! We settled on Morrisons and Aldi.
Soon we were back at the van and making dinner. We'd picked up quite a few deals at the shops, including 8p cinnamon bagels! 8p!! Just goes to show what you can get your hands on in the reduced aisles if you leave your shopping til later in the day!
After dinner, we settled down to some Monday evening tele, watched GMM (when we eventually found a good signal spot) and then went to bed with our holiday starting in full swing tomorrow.
Day 2:
Today we woke up to a very bleak looking day weather-wise. This wasn't a great surprise, rumours of the bad weather for the North West was no secret leading up to the holiday and Matthew's mum confirmed our fears for awful weather, while boasting of the seemingly dry weather back at home. This happened with us for Somerset and it was set to happen again! Maybe we have a seaside curse or something?
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| Matthew on the Enterprise |
First on our agenda was the Star Trek exhibition. Definitely one for Matthew rather than me. I've never even seen Star Trek but I thought I'd be a nice girlfriend and indulge him for the morning. As I'm not a fan and I know zilch on Star Trek (I was asking Matthew lots of questions and I may have got Star Trek mixed up with Star Wars at some points. Don't kill me!) I don't feel like I can give a reliable review of the place but Matthew seemed to enjoy it and there were plenty of interactive bits, scripts, videos, mock sets and costumes to peruse and drool over if you were that way inclined.
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| View from the Central Pier as the sun set |
With Matthew's Star Trek craving fixed, it was now time to explore a bit more of what Blackpool had to offer. By going into the shopping centre. Ok, we didn't just go shopping, we also went to check out the Central Pier and arcades like true Blackpool tourists. We also planned to do something else very touristy for Blackpool at this time of the year: the illuminations. They had been on since September and the switch on was 7:15 pm. Our plan was then simple: wander round the arcades trying hopelessly to win our money back (it doesn't work guys; the machines are the only ones that truly win) go and get dinner and then get on the road to see the illuminations in all their glory.
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| Awwww...me and Matthew on our horse and cart ride |
We had just finished on the pier and was walking towards Harry Ramsden's for dinner when we were accosted by a horse and cart! Well, we weren't accosted, however we had slowed down to look at the horse and cart's intrigued and were then after a little persuaded to have a horse and cart ride down the promenade in a pumpkin carriage. We probably paid way too much for the privilege however we were on holiday and it was a little romantic treat. Well Matthew's romantic treat for me (he's so cute). The ride was lovely and the sun was just setting as well so we were able to see the lights just coming on as we rolled down the promenade. Must....resist...urge...to....do....royal...wave....at...passers...by!
After dinner, we walked around looking at the huge abundance of lights and action going on. The tower was lit up with a show projected on its side, flashing colourful trams were passing us by and music was playing. It sure was an all immersive experience and amongst this all I looked down and found none other than the comedy carpet. Iconic quotes and scenes from various infamous and influential comics including the Two Ronnies and Monty Python to name a few.
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| Blackpool Tower all lit up |
After our short walk, we went back to the car and then started our drive along the promenade to see the illuminations! I'd heard and read a lot about these illuminations and was excited to be able to see them with my own eyes. There was so much variety; big lights in the shape of cabaret dancers, sparkly white lights set to dazzle as you drove past and elaborate light displays of cartoon characters and fictional characters. There were also illuminations advertising McDonalds and the shopping centre but if you ignore that then the illuminations made for quite a spectacle.
We didn't get home til late that night but a good day was had by all.
So, that's the end of part one! I hope you enjoyed it. The second part will be up on Thursday evening. Expect some hilarious stories and tourist recommendations! See you all then.
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