Blackpool – Where else has this much to do and see?

Forget what you’ve heard – Blackpool is one of Britain’s best holiday destinations, especially if you’re looking for entertainment and amusement.

Hello and welcome to the Great British Biking Adventures Coast Series. In this series we are travelling around the coast on our motorcycle, a Honda VFR1200X Crosstourer.

A lot of our viewers are bike enthusiasts but this series will appeal to a wider audience. Why? Because there’s so much more to the Coast series than motorcycles. There’s the challenges, the journey, geography, history and people. You get to travel the entire coast of England and Wales with us, see how we did it, share our ups and downs, experience English culture, the history and hear about the people that made Britain ‘Great’!

What’s also good about the coast series is it doesn’t matter when you start watching, it’s like one of those open top bus tours – you can get on at any point and just keep going until you arrive back where you started.

Who are we? We’re a husband & wife living in an unremarkable coastal town in England. We’ve been married 35 years and were brought together by motorcycles. One day, Esther’s Honda Melody broke down and she brought it to Jarrod’s motorcycle shop – the rest (as they say) is history.

One cold February day, we started riding along the seafront and just kept going. We wanted to record the experience to have something to watch in the future – the YouTube channel was an afterthought. Take a look at those first few episodes to see just how novice we were, cobbling together what little phone footage we had to try to make a story. To make up for our amateur recording and shyness we added information in the editing. This set the tone and style of our videos, we hope you like it. We like to think we’ve improved and hopefully you’ll agree, take a look, compare our earlier videos with the later ones and let us know in the comments.

There’s also the filming and production journey. When we started we knew nothing about filming, video and audio production, editing, YouTube and the like. We’ve learnt loads and spent loads in time and money along the way but it’s been almost as enjoyable as the journey itself. You’ll hopefully appreciate how far we’ve come.

But what’s with all those bible verses we hear you say. We know some of you don’t appreciate this aspect, one or two have told us in the comments. That’s fine – it really is. All are equally welcome here, believers and unbelievers. It would be a pity if you enjoyed everything else but just stopped watching because of the Christian references but we completely accept you’re free to do as you please.

Our faith has prompted us to include a bible verse in our videos and sometimes a Christian perspective on the things we talk about. The channel is not about Christianity but our faith cannot be separated from it. We hope and pray that it will make you think, inquire and even bring you into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

This is the far Northern end black B got you going right but I don’t know if you can go right yeah yeah can clear left thank you here we are the Northern most end of the seafront oh hang on I’ve got to just do the north prominade I

Think if we go to the end of it and then turn around and come back you can say you’ve done the whole [Applause] Lot Blackpool is arguably Britain’s most famous or perhaps Infamous seaside resort exact data comparing England’s biggest Resorts is inconclusive but I Hazard a guess that Blackpool might just take the top spot in the last couple of years it’s experienced a spectacular bounce back with visitor numbers nearly

Doubling from 10 million in 2019 to almost 20 million in 2021 impressive when you consider the town’s permanent population is 140,000 According to some Blackpool gets its name from an old drainage channel that ran over a peak bog discharging discolored water into the Irish sea which formed a black

Pool it was one of the first Seaside towns to realize its potential as early as 1781 several hotels had been built the opening of the Railway Station in 184 6 allowed more visitors to reach the resort which continued to grow for the remainder of the 19th century blackpool’s development was

Closely tied to the laner cotton mill practice of annual Factory maintenance shutdowns known as wakes weeks when many workers chose to visit the seaside Blackpool success has been shaped by its pioneering use of electrical power in 1879 it became the world’s first municipality with electric street lighting along the prominade setting the

Stage for the Blackpool illuminations the town’s historic attractions such as Blackport Tower and Grand Theater were all early adopters of the mysterious electric which as we covered in last week’s episode also powered one of the world’s earliest electric tramways I suspect the explanation for blackpool’s recent popularity is

Actually closely related to the very reasons why many also give it a wide birth blackp has unashamedly embraced its stereotype and resisted the temptation to reinvent itself with the passage of time people have been drawn back for the very same reasons it was so fashionable during its heyday famous Blackpool

Tram they’ve retained their tram Once Upon a Time these tram lines are everywhere particularly in um Seaside towns very useful when you’re promenaded as long as it is in Blackpool yeah runs off Electric I’ll stop myself but you know yeah yeah there is an irony there along with paper

Bags and taking a bottle to your local green grocery to get it topped up with all sorts of things from vinegar to milk yeah to cider yeah to cider we can say that cuz we live in the west country well known for it side what about that then on the left are we

Liking that or not oh wow come on leave us a comment viewers is that a statement is that something nice is it new is it I I don’t think no I don’t think it is butre not a real castle obviously a mock castle that was some sort of always been

Oh look at that something else is it something else plenty to entertain yes and I guess before the Advent of video games and the internet that grabbed our attention it was these sort of things that people would be drawn to to stimulate oh there’s your TR that need stopped at the bisin

Station well if we were looking for somewhere to stay here I don’t think we would struggle it is the sort of place you go on booking.com you can find rooms for like it’s caring heater um you find rooms for like 30 quid 40 quid I think it’s also the sort of place

Where you could book rooms by the hour on the left the modern and the old which is more beautiful I wonder yeah yeah that’s right yeah look at that the modern trying to replicate the old getting no getting nowhere near it we’ve lost the style haven’t we yeah well look at that

That’sit more stylish don’t know they needed to supply hazing they put it on the front wow yeah and this is the Blackport illuminations so all these light and these things are all lit up at night and um yeah they a sight to see Blackpool illuminations Blackpool illuminations are an amazing annual Lights Festival

Dating back to 1879 as most Seaside resorts are winding down for the winter Blackpool switches on the lights over a million bulbs are festooned along six miles of the prom they traditionally ran for 66 days from late August until early November but in recent years this has been extended and

Now they stay on until the 1st of January the big switch on has become a ceremony with a variety of Rich famous and otherwise notable people and even animals and fictional characters performing the task the spectacle is further enhanced with the festival of light and the procession of illuminated

TRS still the tower is somewhere in the distance it is yeah in the hazy distance in the hazy distance very very hazy today another cated mock Casino Casino Cabaret Showboat the Alan H the Royal Boston the Dorchester the miners what’s this on the left mhm Cliffs Cliffs oh dear something’s gone there

Yeah that almost looks like a scene from The W doesn’t it been bombed wow it does definitely does a boy that One A N Blackpool Tower is probably the town’s most iconic building and attraction when it opened on the 14th of May 1894 Blackport Tower was the tallest man-made structure in in the British Empire inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris it is 518 ft or if you prefer 158 M tall

Blackpool Tower is also the common name for the tower buildings an entertainment complex in a red brick three-story block at the base of the tower together the tower and buildings were built to provide Amusement for the tourists the initial investment to construct the tower almost broke the Venture before it

Started but from the moment it opened it was a massive success what’s really amazing is that the main attractions it provided back then are more or less exactly the same as they are today most notably the circus the ballroom roof Gardens and of course the view from the top of the tower

Itself we first visited with our young family in 2004 and it was a memorable experience that we highly recommend the mix of historic Nostalgia engineering architecture eclectic entertainment and overall quirkiness needs to be experienced to appreciate the appeal for nearly 100 years the position of Ballroom organist has been fulfilled

By just three players two of which have a combined service of 89 years from 1930 until his retirement in 1970 the resident organist was Reginald Dixon known affectionately worldwide as Mr Blackpool the current resident organist is Phil kelil who has been playing the organ at the tower since

1975 when he started in the circus kelil became resident in the Ballroom in 1977 the ballroom will be known to many as the location for the original BBC series Come Dancing it has also hosted additions of Strictly Come dancing including the grand finals in 2004 and 2011 thankfully the circus has survived

And provides another unique experience the choreography of the performers and live band enthralls children and grown-ups alike it is positioned at the base of the tower between its four legs the circus ring can be lowered to form a pool of 42,000 gallons of water which allows for Grand finales with dancing

Fountains at the top there is a glass viewing platform that gives fantastic views for miles around oh here’s Jared he’s just come back from sorting out our tent poles we’ve had the tent for years didn’t check it out before we um came and the poles are already in bad

Condition when we first set it up as you can see I think we now have a bit of a problem I just have to try and find a new one for that today yes did you get the pole sorted no oh it’s not really the sort of place you

Can hear down the middle is it not with the police car just further up as well yeah I know oh a great place to come yeah not sure the dogs would agree it’s like what are we doing here can we go back on the beach please rather than waiting at the bus

Stop we want to get to the other end now don’t we cuz we can see that lovely roller coaster in the uh Haze of the dist and that’s what we want to catch you next really that’s where we’re headed yeah we have done the tower but we haven’t done the roller coasters of

Blackpool but they’re pretty impressive it’s all going on in it yeah the Golden Mile family Entertainment Blackpool is home to not one not two but three Victorian pears North pair Central peir and South pair the stretch south of the north peer is known as the Golden Mile and is notably the most popular area for tourists due to the number of family attractions and activities including the blackp tower

Madam two swords Winter Gardens comedy carpet sea life and coral island and then you have the beach World fireworks Championship Blackpool fireworks Championship yeah that’s what it said on that thing I just reading that little sign oh love them I want a ride in a Cinderella carage oh oh look at that great oh she’s had a poo bless her what Cinderella not Cinderella the horsey oh gosh those horses look tired but very Pretty lovely hor probably enjoying it though yeah they’re out and about engaging with people not too arious it’s not like they’re going up and downhill just along the Prom I think Cinderella is driving it yeah it looks like it Actually a interesting they need to have a hacking license do you see it on the back oh yes look at that so they can only actually operate and give FS Yeah by being licensed they’ got their bucket on the back CLE right the clear at the M yeah oh Brilliant look at that amazing at the far southern end of the prom is Blackpool pleasure Beach this amusement and water park first opened in 1896 and is still operated by the same family although there are rumors that Robbie Williams wants to buy it it has the largest collection of wooden roller

Coasters of any park in the UK with four the Big Dipper blue flyer Nickelodeon streak and the Grand National which is the world’s last remaining steeple face coaster where two coasters run side by side the park is crammed with a great mix of historic and record-breaking attractions when it opened in 1994 the

Big one was the tallest and steepest roller coaster in the world at 65 M it is still the tallest roller coaster in the UK and the longest in Europe with a track length of over a mile the park was the first in Europe to introduce a fully inverting steel

Coaster several rides are approaching or are already over a hundred years old sahiram Maxim’s captive flying machine is the oldest amusement park ride in Europe having opened in August 1904 we’ve covered the main attractions but there’s much more to Blackpool than flashy Glitz and glamour there’s a more

Sedate side that includes the parks Gardens a model Village a zoo an opera house and theaters in fact Blackpool could just be the best holiday you never took our advice is to ignore the naysayers swallow any Pride you might have and take the plunge if you don’t

Like it at least it didn’t cost a fortune go on give it a go still not convinced Blackpool provides the perfect alternative letham St ANS we’ve run out of time this week and still need to get that tent pole sorted and find a place to pitch join us next

Week to find out just how much fun camping can be