…CHEESY SEASIDE FUN!
I have just returned from a fabulously fun weekend in Blackpool, catching up with family and seeing a few of the sights.
Technically we were staying in Lytham St Anne’s which is just outside Blackpool, but we had to venture into the famous town whilst we were there.
I used to spend time with my Nan in Lytham when we visited the UK from Bahrain. It’s been a long time since I have visited that part of the world and the sights and sounds of the area brought memories flooding back to me.
It was a bit of a family outing, so whilst there we decided to do some of the touristy things – when in Rome and all that!
Going up the Blackpool Tower was number one on our list, as despite all of the visits we’d made, we had never actually been up it.
So, up we went!
After queueing for 45 minutes, through a system where they try to take your photo in ‘fun’ situations every 5 seconds and you immerse yourself in a 4D cinema experience, we finally reached the lifts. They are small… and they have windows!
I don’t like heights… I probably should’ve pointed that out earlier!
So, I close my eyes as we ascend to the top of the tower…yes, I am that much of a scaredy-cat!
As we tumble out of the lifts, we are immediately met with big floor to ceiling windows, accompanied by a glass floor with views of the streets below…add to that the gentle sway of the tower in the wind and I was ready to jump straight back in the lift again!!
I had a bit of a wobble as I clung to a wall, convinced that would save me from plunging to my death. My partner came over and slowly prised me away from said wall, and guided me over to the glass floor.
Everytime I looked down at it, I felt sick. There were so many people milling around, walking on this glass without any worries at all…how were they doing it??!
At one point a small boy came running out of the lift, launching himself at the floor, where he happily lay, face down, enjoying the view!!
I physically couldn’t move my body to stand on it, no matter how hard I tried.
Failing at that, my partner suggested we go and see what was on the next level up…yes up… higher…!
Still, as much as some of these things freak me out, I’m not one for missing out, so off we went. How bad could it be?
In fact it was ok, but I still clung to the centre of the tower as we moved around the space.
But wow, it was worth it for those views!! There is mesh over the upper levels, so photos don’t come out too well, but hopefully you can get a feel for what we saw.
There was another level above, so we moved up there – more amazing views.
We were so blessed with the weather throughout the whole weekend, which meant that we could see for miles from the top of the tower, from the lake district in east, to the Isle of Man out to sea in the west.
As we descended, I made my way to the glass floor again, determined that I would walk on it. But once again, when faced with it, my courage faded.
However, a very nice man who worked there took pity on me and after some encouragement, managed to coax me out…literally, a step at a time! I managed to stand on the glass for about two seconds but that was it!! Oh well.
It was good fun though and to be able to do it on such a gorgeous day was a bonus. It was definitely worth the wobbles!
Next up – the Blackpool Illuminations!
mydustyflipflops.com 
That’s great you had some encouragement from the gentleman who worked there. Good on you for giving it a go 😉
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Thanks, you’ve got to at least try haven’t you! Yes, he was lovely 🙂
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Great post 😁
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Thank you!
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No problem 😁 check out my blog when you get the chance 🙂
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Well done for stepping out on to the glass floor, Dusty! Even for two seconds. You’ve got to start somewhere right?
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Definitely! I wish I could’ve been more like the kid who was lying on it, but hey ho!
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If you are scared of heights, you were very brave to keep going up and up.
I grew up about 30-40 minutes from Blackpool (depending on the traffic). Behind our house was a beacon where we would regularly go and play. We could see Blackpool Tower and beyond.
One of my first school trips was to see Blackpool Lights – the illuminated displays along the promenade. It was so exciting for me at the age of five! It was always a treat when someone could take us to see them.
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Oh how brilliant!! I used to go and stay in Blackpool sometimes with my nan when I was a kid and I remember the excitement of seeing the lights too! We took a ride down there this time as well – they weren’t quite as magical as I remember but it was still good fun!! Blackpool has its reputation but there’s also nostalgia there for me 🙂
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You did so well even lasting 2 seconds. If you’re scared of heights then it’s tough to get over that, people don’t seem to get it. You did brilliantly going up every floor. Nice photos too.
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Thank you! I know, I was envious of all the people who were wandering around without a care up there!! Still, I’m glad I did it 🙂
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OH!!! That sounds like a place I’d wanna visit! Views AND the sea?!!! (I have a fascination with light-houses, so …). Re: the glass floor aversion thing–think of it as evolution doing its job. One should not assume they could stand on air so high up, and in some people, biology overrides technology. So there … 😉 Nothing to be ashamed of. 🙂 Na’ama
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Haha, I like that, it’s so true!! I was finding it physically impossible to step foot on the floor to begin with!
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Well, I’d say, respect it. Unless your life truly depends on it, why do you need to disregard your body’s very reasonable foreboding?
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Hahaha, that’s true! I get the same feeling about skydiving – just watching people do that makes me very anxious indeed!!! I know that I’d never be able to throw myself out of a plane for sure 🙂
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Call yourself sensible … 😉
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PS — I think you might find my entry for Sammi’s weekend writing prompt … um … relevant? Funny how synchronicity works, eh? 😉
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Oh yes!! How strange eh 🙂
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You have a knack for making me laugh at your descriptions of yourself. I guess you have a healthy amount of self-confidence and you can laugh at yourself.
I’m always weary of those glass floors, but end up enjoying myself on them.
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It’s definitely a heights thing for me, vertigo kicks in and my brain starts screaming that it’s all wrong to be up there!
Hahaha, thanks! I’m not sure about the self-confidence but I can definitely laugh at myself 🙂
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Looks great; I’m a Brit too, but have never been to Blackpool – on day hopefully. I empathise with your challenges, I had similar experiences when visiting Cardiff Castle a few years back, we climbed stairs to the top of a tower, but then i couldn’t pull myself away from the walls! In the end, my wife had to guide me back down, I was such a wuss! Glad your fears didn’t stop you from enjoying the experience
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Hahaha, at least you did it though! There’s a lot to be said for just getting up there in the first place.
Blackpool is definitely an experience!! It has the reputation for being a typical British seaside resort…and it is I guess, but the front has been done up now, which has improved the look of it a lot. You know what you are getting there and it’s fun to embrace it 🙂
Thanks very much for reading and commenting!
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