'Every woman should have 4 pets in her life - a Mink in her closet, a Jaguar in her garage, a Tiger ...
'Every woman should have 4 pets in her life - a Mink in her closet, a Jaguar in her garage, a Tiger in bed and a Jackass who pays for everything' - Paris Hilton
Living in Manchester, we are only around 45 minutes drive up the Motorway from Blackpool and so I'm sure you can imagine the number of times we have been!
**A little bit about Blackpool**
Situated on the Fylde Coast in the North West of England, Blackpool has been a popular tourist destination for many years. Most famous for Blackpool Tower which is now 111 years old, it continues to attract millions of visitors each year.
The resort appeals to all generations. For kids, there are Donkey rides on the beach, a multitude of rides and games on the Pleasure Beach fairground rides and numerous Candy Floss stalls to satisfy their sweet tooth (and mine!). For adults, there are plenty of pubs and clubs scattered all along the famous Golden Mile - the road running right the way through the main centre of Blackpool, all of which are popular with hen and Stag parties. For the older adults, Blackpool Tower Ballroom is always popular.
Add to that the various Arcades, Bingo stalls and even High Street shops in the town centre of Blackpool; there really is something for everyone here. Of course, seeing as there is so much to do in Blackpool, a stay in one of the hundreds of B&B's and Hotel is more often than not required!
**The Pleasure Beach**
Blackpool Pleasure
Beach is officially the busiest tourist attractionin the UK. Statistically, more than 6 million people visit each year! The Pleasure Beach boasts 42 acres and 145 rides and attractions. It's easy to spend a whole day on here and still not manage to get on all of the rides!
The Pleasure Beach was 100 years old in 2004. The oldest ride, Sir Hiram Maxims Flying Machine is still a firm family favourite.
There are rides for everyone at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, ranging from kiddies rides to white knuckle rides for the thrill seekers!
Of course, it would be quite tedious for me (and probably boring for you!) if I was to list every ride at the Pleasure Beach. Instead, I shall give you my personal opinion of some of my favourites, all of which I have been on. They will be split into 2 sections - Family Rides and Major Rides:
**Family Rides**
Log Flume - An open air ride which starts at a slow pace, which makes you totally unprepared for the big dip followed by a soaking! This ride is located in Beaver Creek - a section of the park mainly dedicated to family rides.
There is no height restriction for this ride and. 3 tickets or a Wristband are required for this ride.
Ghost Train - One my firm favourites! I hate the dark but as long as I am accompanied by a responsible adult (Jay!), I can just about manage this ride.
A typical Ghost Train complete with spooky goings on, loud noises, skeletons popping out and a small, unexpected dip. Apparently, this ride really IS haunted by an old worker nickname 'Cloggy'. The Ghost Train was featured on an episode of Living TV's Most Haunted.
There is no height restriction for this ride. 4 tickets or a wristband are required.
Gold Mine - My favourite ride and the first ride I went on many moons ago. On this undercover ride, you can jjourney back in time to the old west and the gold rush era on a 'Train'. This ride has only slight dips. This attraction is undercover.
There is no height restriction. 4 Tickets or a wristband is required.
Monorail - Guests on the Monorail will be able to see bird's eye views of Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The monorail is undercover.
There is no height restriction. 3 Tickets or a wristband is required.
**Major Rides**
Pepsi Max Big One - This is the largest ride on the Pleasure Beach and indeed the third largest Rollercoaster in Europe. This is one of the most popular rides on the Pleasure Beach and so at times large queues form.
The 'Big One' is 235ft high and goes at 72mph. I have ventured onto this ride once. It was too high, too fat and too steep for me!!
There is a height restricition of 52"/132cm on this ride. 9 tickets or a wristband are required.
Wild Mouse - The first ride Jay and I went on together…ahhhh! Not for the faint hearted! This hair raising ride deserves its name. Down incredibly steep drops, up hills and whizzing round a seemingly endless array of bends. One of only three remaining traditional wooden Wild Mouse rides remaining in the world. You really do feel like you are going to drop of the edge of this ride!
There is a height restriction of 52"/132cm on this ride. 6 tickets or a wristband are required.
Valhalla - This is apparently the biggest and most spectacular water-borne dark ride in the world was designed and constructed at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Valhalla is a high speed thrilling ride with unique features, highly themed and incorporating a host of multi-sensory elements. Valhalla is the journey to the immortal resting place of Viking warrior's souls combining elements of fire, water, snow and ice. There is a slight backwards dip on this ride. The ride is undercover.
There is a height restriction of 46"/117cm on this ride. 8 tickets or a wristband are required.
Steeplechase - This hilarious ride really knocks you about! This 'Horse race' enables you to race against your friends on this 3-lane steel coaster ride. There is a height restriction of 50"/127cm on this ride. 4 tickets or a wristband are required.
Of course, there is more to the Pleasure Beach than rides!
Pictures of Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
Pepsi Max Big One
The Pleasure Beach has a number of world-class live shows. Choose from the theatrical circus musical Eclipse, the magical mysterious illusion of Mystique or take your seat for the longest running ice show, Hot Ice in the worlds oldest purpose built ice theatre, featured in the Guiness Book of World Records. If you buy a Wristband, you gain free entry to one of the shows above.
**Eating**
All those rides can make you hungry. For this purpose, there are over 35 restaurants and cafes offering a wide range of food. From pasta and pizza at the Italian Job to a burger at the largest Burger Kingrestaurant in the UK. My favourite has to be Dipper Dogs - they do an awesome Hot dog! Of course, there are also various stalls scattered about selling rock, candy floss and chips, for quick snacks.
There are also a number of pubs on the Pleasure Beach - great for a quick beer whilst the kids are screaming on the Big One!
**Facilities**
Being a major tourist attraction, the Pleasure Beach does have disabled access and facilities. Wheelchairs are also available to hire.
By Road - take junction 32 off the M6 onto the M55. Follow signs for Blackpool, South Shore (via Blackpool Airport) and then follow the brown tourist signs to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. There are over 1000 car parking spaces on site. There are also coach parking spaces available.
By Rail - regular train services run to Blackpool North or direct to Blackpool Pleasure Beach's own mainline station via Preston. Further details can be obtained from National Rail on 08457 484950.
If you wish to drive, it takes around 45 minutes from Manchester, 1 hour 30 minutes from Leeds, 3 hours from Birmingham and 4 hours from London.
**Prices**
Like any other popular Theme Park, tickets for the rides aren't cheap. The most popular way to make the most of your trip to the Pleasure Beach is to buy a wristband which provides you access to almost all of the rides, as many times as you wish. An Adult Wristband costs £30.00. If you were to go on each ride at least once, you would be paying very little - probably around 50p per ride.
There are usually special offers on - for instance, Friday night Wristbands are just £20.00. For avid Pleasure Beach fans, season tickets are available for £150.00.
You can buy your tickets and wristbands from the various kiosks at the pleasure Beach. However, should you wish to organise your trip in advance, you can buy your wristbands online and enjoy a 5% discount.
**Opening Times**
The Park is open from March until November each year and is usually open from 11am - 8pm. However, the opening times differ from month to month and so check online to make sure you know when the Park opens and closes.
**My verdict**
For as long as I can remember, I have loved the Pleasure Beach. There is a great atmosphere on the Park and there are a vast number of rides to choose from, so no-one should ever get bored!
My only gripe about it is that it does get extremely busy - I'm very inpatient and in the past long queues have prevented me from getting onto a ride. The best time to go is when the kids are at school (for those of you that don't have kids). For those of you who do have kids, I would recommend spending 2 days on the Pleasure Beach, to ensure you can make the most of it.
Great review - Ive read a few reviews on it - and im certainly gonna check it out
gayna1979 18.11.2005 22:27
Great review, we used to always go to Blackpool when I was a kid, but not so much in recent years, but I have some very fond, and embarrassing memories. I would have to say that my favourite rides are the log flume, the grand national, and that one in the dome, where you stand up, it spins, and gravity holds you in place. I too have ventured on the Big one once, I hated the first climb, and I thought I was going to fall out going round the corners, but i wanted to say that I had done it at least once. Gayna xx
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Advantages: Fantastic rides, fairly cheap, clean and tidy, a brilliant day out Disadvantages: Some of the rides a bit uncomfortable, have to pay extra for some things
Aug 5th, 2005
exceptional by (19%):
very helpful by (78%):
helpful by (3%):
