Skeg-sur-mer (Skegness in General)

Member Name: Trayo

Product:	Skegness in General
Date:	21/05/01 (256 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, loud, brash

Disadvantages: loud, brash...

In 1871, this seaside town on the East Coast of Lincolnshire had a population of fewer
than 500 people. "Sleepy", I believe is the term that would be used were it still the
same today!

The Great Northern Railway Company, however, saw the potential of Skegness as a
tourist area and, in 1873, a railway line was opened to the town and a large station
built. The faith of GNR was proven when, by 1907, Skegness was attracting 300,000
visitors a year to its sandy beaches. The majority of visitors, then and in more recent
times, came from the industrial towns of Yorkshire and the East Midlands.

Few people who know anything about seaside resorts are not familiar with the "Jolly
Fisherman" advertisement. This poster, and its accompanying slogan "Skegness is so
bracing!" is almost undoubtedly one of the most famous holiday advertisement ever
drawn. Indeed, many thousands of people have imitated the stance and attitude of the
Jolly Fisherman, and a bronze statue of the character, complete with trolley suitcase,
adorns the railway station at Skegness.

The poster was designed by a John Hassall in 1908. It was commisssioned by GNR,
and Hassall was paid the princly sum of twelve guineas for his masterpiece. The
slogan is thought to have been thought up by a member of the railway staff.

Amazingly, despite the success of this advertising campaign, Hassall visited Skegness just once - and that was when the honour of "Freedom of the Foreshore" was
bestowed upon him in 1936.

The original sketch of the Jolly Fisherman was presented to the town by British
Railways in 1966, along with the copyright. The sketch takes pride of place in the
Town Hall. What other town or product can boast of such incredible notoriety after
just one advertising campaign!

Hassall died in 1948 at the age of 80. he was found to be penniless.
>
Skegness boasts "something for everyone", and, to a degree, it is right to do so. Every year, hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers and day-trippers make the journey down, it has to be said, a terrible route, in order to enjoy an annual holiday on "the drier side of Britain" (tell that to the locals!).

Accessible by rail (the coastal line having commections to Nottingham and the
Midlands, as well as the East Coast main Line) and road (the main A52 road to
Skegness is notorious; each day, it seems, there are reports of deaths and injuries due
to accidents along this windy, single carriageway stretch of road. Most of these are due to driver impatience: passing opportunities are rare - and this area of Licolnshire is chiefly agricultural, with tractors aplenty on the roads!), Skegness remains a firm favourite with visitors from the North and North-East of England seeming to be the most frequent users.

One of Skegness' most popular attractions is the recently-refurbished Funcoast World
Butlins camp. With its all-weather pavillion, luxury self-catering and half/full-board accommodation, Funcoast World is still among the UK's most popular holiday parks.

The park boasts a fantastic indoor sub-tropical waterworld, with flumes, wave pools,
jacuzzis and tidal pools. Lifeguard supervision is excellent, and there are good
facilities for young children up to adults.

Funcoast World has its own self-contained funfair; cinema; live entertainment; all the
eateries you could wish for; and - of course - the world famous Butlins Redcoats!

Closer to the centre of town, there are more attractions to tickle anyone's fancy!

Natureland Seal Sanctuary is situated on the main Foreshore, and hosts a seal hospital
where orphaned or sick seals are cared for before being released back into the wild.
There are also "resident" seals, some of which were the
original babies that were
rescued and reared in 1966. These seals have become famous for being the only
trained Common Seals in the world. ("Trained" may be the wrong term to use here;
the seals' actions developed naturally, which highlights the close bond between seal and keeper.

There are other creatures at Natureland. A colony of Jackass penguins, native to
South Africa (my mother swam with some on a recent trip to Cape Town - lucky
so-and-so!) have their own pool in the park. They were brought to Natureland some
years ago as a precaution after an environmental incident off Cape Town, and have made quite a home for themselves, delighting many in the process.

A Tropical House in natureland houses scorpions, snakes, alligators, spiders and
african Land snails, as well as a rather adorable tank of baby turtles and terrapins.

Flamingoes and free-flight tropical birds inhabit the Tropical House. Despite efforts by the keepers, the flamingoes have so far failed to breed - although they are not prolific breeders even in the wild!

The Butterfly House contains some breathtaking species of butterflies, although those visitors who are wary of anything "creepy" are advised not to enter, in order to keep "swatting" to a minimum!

Native Marine tanks an Aquarium and Pets' Corner make up the remainder of
Natureland, which has excellent facilities for parents and babies, and disabled visitors, with ramps and ample toilets/changing areas. There is also a cafe and two gift shops - with goods ranging from a few pence to rather a lot more!

The beach stretches for what seems like miles and, even when it is high tide, there is ample room for everyone. The traditional donkeys make their summer living on the
beach (which is relatively clean, but watch out for debris such as nets and plastic
packaging left by holidaymakers). A "sand train"
runs along the edge of the beach in
high season.

Right on the edge of the ample beach you will find Botton's Pleasure Beach, with its
plethora of rides and side-shows. A word of warning - the Pirate Ship in this funfair is
particularly viscious, and remarkably frightening (this coming from a "scary ride
freak"!). There are rides to suit toddlers, adults or both, from the Big Wheel and
Ghost Train to the Dodgems and Storm Roller Coaster.

The Bottons family have been provding the thrills at this location since 1965, when
they took the site over from Billy Butlin.

The Pleasure Beach can be found on the Central Seafront and stretches from the Clock
Tower Esplanade to the Pier.

The Pier itself has plenty of amusements, many of which are indoor - which can be
handy, as Skegness really IS bracing at times! The Pier doesn't stretch out as far as one would hope: the original pier was "shortened" by a fire in the 1970s.

The Pier boasts a Laser Quest arena, ten pin bowling alley (with "Glo Bowling", which
can be fun at night!) and children's amusements, such as the excellent Kiddies
Adventure Play Area.

Although fun by day, it is at night when Skegness comes to life with a vengeance!
Locals and visitors alike flock to the many nightclubs, pubs and restaurants.

The Embassy Centre, a Theatre and Leisure complex, has recently been refurbished at
a cost of £3m. It is situated right on the seafront, and offers live entertainment by day and night. The massive auditorium has seating for up to 1158 people. Amongst the
many who have played to the Emabssy Centre are Gerry and the Pacemakers, Ken Dodd, David Essex, the Nolans, Roy "Chubby" Brown and Joe Pasquale, to name but a few. For the children, matinees and early evening shows have seen such visitors as
the Chuckle Brothers and the Teletubbies; there are
pantomimes produced by local
groups, Junior Showtime, the Janet Sutton Junior dancers and many more.

Also next to - and connected with - the Embassy Centre is a newly developed leisure
complex, which can proudly proclaim two swimming pools (1 indoor, 1 outdoor) a
sunbed centre and a gym.

Every year, from May to September, the town shows off its illuminations. Blackpool
they ain't, but they seem to be a source of attraction for the many visitors here.

Navigating Skegness is quite simple, even for the less-orientated person! At the top of the town, in front of the beach and situated in the middle of a roundabout, stands the Clocktower, a tall tower that houses - wait for it! - the town clock! Its conspicuous presence means that it is easily seen from many angles and, therefore, it is frequently used as a navigation aid!

Feeling peckish? You need never go hungry in Skegness! There are too many fish and
chip shops to mention (and they are, on the whole, rather good!), as well as the more
commercial fast food restaurants (KFC, Deep Pan Pizza; McDonalds, Pizza Hut at nearby Ingoldmells, just a short bus-ride up the road - see later!) For the more refined
eater, there are more upmarket restaurants availablen on the main shopping streets and
further into town, down the side roads. Needless to say, sweet stalls, rock shops and
ice-cream parlours abound.

Shopping in Skegness is a mixed experience. You will find the bigger stores, such as
Woolworths, Boots etc, as well as the cheap gift shops that litter every seaside town.
Kiss-me-quick hats are alive and well, and living in Skegness!

If you fancy a little more excitement, a short journey (approx 1 1/2 miles) along the
A52 will take you to Ingoldmells - a small village that somehow seems huge!
Ingoldmells has only a small beach, though sandy and clean, but it houses thousands of
static and touring carav
ans!

Ingoldmells' biggest attraction is Fantasy Island Theme Park. Not huge by Alton
Towers standards, it nevertheless sees coaches from all over the country taking the
journey to visit. Fantasy Island pulls in the "grey vote" (!) by hosting a large outdoor market with car-boot sales held daily. As in Skegness itself, those comical ol' hats are found with ease!

New attractions are always being added to Fantasy Island, such as the Millennium
Roller coaster, and this seems to be at the expense of parking facilities.

Accommodation is always easy to find in Skegness, from the expensive North Shore
Hotel to the tiny guest houses and caravan parks which are found down almost every
road. Be warned, however, that car parking can be an impossible mission during the
high season, despite the enormous car park on the main Foreshore. Side streets are
limited to 30 mins, no return within 2 hours, and a constant patrol by traffic wardens sees the law being upheld with no remorse!

A word of warning here - if you need the toilet (sorry to be so personal, but it has to be said!) try and time it with lunch/tea etc. Public toilets in Skeg are an absolute
disgrace, with only the strongest stomach being able to cope with the appalling hygiene
standards. Believe me, I live near the resort and am a frequent visitor with my
children; I actually quite like the place, but I'd sooner cross my legs and take the kids behind a bush than even venture near the public loos in Skegness!

All in all, Skegness doesn't talk to you so much as shout. It seems to say' "I'm here in all my splendour! Where the hell are you?!"

Whether young or old, looking for peace or a raucous time, Skegness seems to have it
covered! Indeed, you'll be singing, dancing and laughing all the way home!

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