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The Deep (Hull)
by vickijohn2012
I went to The Deep at Hull with my boyfriend, his mum and his dad, we also had to take the guide dog as my boyfriends dad is partially blind, they were very accommodating considering stan is a big golden retriver but they were more than welcoming to him coming along. There are ample parking spaces at The Deep, with a whole line dedicated ... to disabled parking. There is a large statue outside the building which is of a shark, it totally sets you up for what is ahead.
To get to the main display you have to go up in a lift to the top floor, where you can get a great view of the river Humber from the windows, you also get a great view of Hull and Lincolnshire across the river. Once you enter the display it is amazing, it has many windows where you can see a various array of different fish, jellyfish and creatures with shells. One of the tanks is a circular rounded tank up to the ceiling with jellyfish swimming all around, the lights in the tank make the jellyfish look a pink and purple colour. There are also many small displays which you can learn and play with whilst walking around, they are mostly aimed at children.
There are many small tanks with smaller fish and creatures in, some of which I can remember are a big blue lobster and small worms which were coming out of holes in the ground, these two were the two most interesting things on display in the smaller tanks. Another small tank had a conga eel in, these fish scare me as they look horrible. It was slithering around the rocks and looks generally horrible but that is my own personal opinion.
One exhibit looks like a giant paddling pool, or so it looks from one side, until you walk around the exhibit and you come face to face with a big wall of glass. The smaller end of this exhibit has a lot of smaller fish in, they are all multicoloured, with lots that look like nemo, yellows, blacks, purples, blues and reds. The other side has the more deep water fish in, they are huge, one of the stingrays has a span of about 5 metres or so, they also have a lot of sharks which are also very big, they swim around a lot more than the other fish.
The Deep also has exhibits with smaller ants, spiders and frogs in, they are very interesting, it is a nice break seeing these animals as well as the fish and lobsters. These tanks make it harder to see these animals and insects as they are a lot smaller and camouflage themselves a lot better. The Deep also has attractions such as a winter attraction where there is a giant ice wall, where me and my boyfriend liked a bit of competition of who could hold their hand on the longest. The dog even started to lick it which was quite funny.
The Deep also has a small cafe where you can buy snacks, crisps and drinks, they are very expensive and I would advise taking your own food if you want to make a day of it. The gift shop is located on the way out, it has a lot of profucts and has toys of most of the fish that are on display, there is also a huge tank in the gift shop with smaller fish swimming around.
Overall this is a great day out with lots of fun things to see and do! The Deep has lots of interesting and different fish on lots of its displays. It is well worth the admission fee!
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Blackpool Illuminations (Blackpool)
by Callee
We decided to take our little ones to Blackpool again as living in Liverpool it is only an hours drive away and somewhere we have been to so many times. We had booked a hotel as a surprise for the girls but our main reason to go was so our three year old could see the lights as she loves anything that sparkles.
As we got ... there early we decided to take the girls for something to eat as the lights didn't go on until 7pm so we walked up the prom and looked around until it went dark.
I have seen the illuminations over the years but this year they seemed to look even more magical, there have been times I have thought they looked a little tatty, tacky even but you go for the fun of it anyway but this year I'm not sure why but they really did look amazing. There was a lot of familiar designs up there but I think since the nickelodeon land upgrade, a lot of the lights have also been upgraded because there was quite a few I had not seen before.
There was a huge crown light at the south end and there is a large glitter ball which reflects the lights onto the buildings and it really does look amazing, my three year old was delighted because she said it was a princess crown.
As it was raining pretty bad we decided to get a taxi to take us back down the prom from central pier to south pier and the traffic was terrible, queues all the way but this is to be expected and it didn't detract at all from looking at the lights - other than an expensive fare, but as I say it was worth it as we got a lovely view all the way, the only downside we had was my eight year old left her mobile phone in the taxi and we tried ringing all the taxi company's but no one had handed it in (it was a Friday night and there were a lot of drunken stag and hens walking around) so I was told I practically had no chance of getting it back :( so I spent the time in our hotel consoling a sobbing child but she did say at least she had enjoyed the illuminations just a shame all the pics she had taken of them were now gone.
The lights are on until I believe the first weekend in November and they go on at different times, they were switched on at 7pm when we visited however some weekends they go on as early as 6.15pm and they normally stay on until midnight at weekends.
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SS Great Britain (Bristol)
by giantrobot42
Like a lot of folk around the Bristol area, I suspect many are aware of the SS Great Britain but only a few have actually visited. So to help rectify this, the wife and I decided to go along.
It's well signposted on the way into Bristol with the usual brown 'tourist' signs, so it's relatively easy to find. If you are driving ... alongside the harbour it's hard to miss and you'll soon know if you're on the wrong side of the water! There is pay and display parking nearby so be sure to have some change with you. There is also a ferry for foot passengers from the other side of the harbour but I'm not sure when this runs.
The entrance to the museum is through the gift shop and from here you purchase tickets for entry to the ship and surrounding area. The tickets are printed to look like the original boarding pass which is a nice touch, you are asked to sign yours and then it can be used for a return visit any time for a year afterwards. You are also given a guide to the ship which is handy as it's divided into distinct areas which can be easy to get lost in the first time you go inside.
As you step out from the gift shop, the area around the ship is made up to look like a harbour, the ship itself sits in a dry dock with glass covering the gap between the hull and the harbourside. With a shallow layer of water sitting on the top, this gives the impression that the ship is floating. This looks especially impressive when you descend into the area below the hull. You can take the stairs, or a lift if you are mobility impaired, down the to base of the dry dock. From here you can walk around the hull and view the restoration that's been carried out as well as some of the corrosion which remains. This area is specially air conditioned to help keep the hull rust-free. It does look impressive to view the bulk of the ship towering above you through the glass ceiling.
Going back up to the dockside again, there's a separate building which houses a plethora of exhibits from the ship itself including a huge section of mast which spans the entire length. There's a ships wheel complete with computer simulation for the kids to have a play with and a photo exhibit showing the steps taken to retrieve the ship from where it was abandoned to it's new home in Bristol. From here there's a walkway to the ship itself.
The ship is divided into sections as it would have been back in the day when used for passenger transport. There's the rough and ready third class, slightly better second class and the luxurious first class section. All these sections have been restored with authentic furnishings and it really helps bring the era to life. You can also see where the cargo hold was situated and how it would have been used as well as a view of the impressive engine room. You can also walk around the upper deck but the steps to get there are quite steep. Again, provision has been made for a lift in the ship itself if you need help to get about. There are also loos on board, in authentic style but with modern additions.
There's another walkway leading off the ship which takes you around the other side of the dry dock and back to the shop again. There is a cafe and tearoom which did lovely jacket potatos and cake when we stopped there. Weather permitting, you can sit outside directly overlooking the harbourside and enjoy the views of Bristol.
In summary, I think anyone would enjoy this piece of British history. It appeals to young and old and thanks to investment in access, everyone can get in and out easily. I heartily recommend it!
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