Should I stay or should I go?
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IS is it really cheaper to holiday at home as opposed to fleeing overseas to the sun?
Depends who you ask.
R3, the insolvency trade body, recently published research finding ‘staycations’ to be the holiday of choice for debt-conscious Brits looking to rein in their spending in difficult times. One in four of us intend splashing out less on our hols this year with 60 per cent of those planning to stay within the UK.
On the other hand, another bit of research (by Tesco Bank) found the cost of holidaying at home can actually mount up to more than a break in, say, Turkey.
A poll of 5,000 people carried out by Travelodge found the Scottish Highlands rating highly in the domestic holiday plans of Britons. It was the inclusion of two starkly contrasting visitor magnets – the Lake District and Blackpool – which prompted me to consider a staycation with a difference.
On a tight timescale and budget, would it be possible to check out the delights of Britain’s fun capital and dip a toe into the scenic splendour of the Lake District without breaking the bank? Travelodge had come up with the top ten, so why not give them a whirl to put the theory to the test?
Like them or loathe, Travelodge’s head honchos clearly know the three most important aspects when it comes to snapping up property: location, location, location. Bargain basement prices go down rather well too – as witnessed by the tens of thousands of people who flocked to snap up £9-a-night rooms when they went on sale.
This month, the chain offered a £12 deal on 60,000 rooms across the country. Short of sleeping in the car or a friend’s sofa, that’s going to be difficult to beat. Like EasyJet, the formula is simple: a basic no-frills service that delivers what you need and no more.
In the case of Travelodge, that typically involves a room capable of sleeping four (a double bed and a pull-out sofa). You’ll get a TV, tea and coffee-making facilities and a bath/shower. You can forget about those little bottles of shampoo or fussy cakes of soap, though ample towels are thrown in.
When it comes to their appearance, suffice to say they’re unlikely to feature in Prince Charles’s top ten architectural favourites. Travelodges are basically identikit concrete boxes which are easy to get too (often just off the motorway) and away from and which provide a bed for the night.
The chain reportedly plans to spend millions expanding in and around Britain’s national parks because of the high demand for hotels near unspoilt rural locations.
So for our whistle-stop adventure, we opted for Kendal. It actually required a phone call to reception to find it (not too much scope for stopping and asking on the motorway – and anyway, I’m a man) but we got there in the end.
Now when it says Kendal, it really means pretty near Kendal. That’s fine though: it was within striking distance of Lake Windermere, the following day’s port of call. The rooms in these places are pretty much all the same. The factors which will make or break your visit are (a) cleanliness of the room; (b) noisiness or otherwise of neighbours and (c) the price you’ve paid. (I know someone who, no matter what I’ve paid, will always have found something cheaper/better. I suspect we all know someone like that?)
To sleep and bathe four weary travellers, you couldn’t argue with forking out £50 for the night and would surely be thrilled if you’d scored it for £12. It was amongst the cleaner lodges I’ve stayed in and the girl at the eerily quiet reception was super-efficient. In short, it did the trick. Bottom line: what you lack in the cosiness / luxury of a hotel or B&B you make up for in cash savings.
For our "lakes in a day" experience, I opted for the Windermere Lake Cruises Freedom of the Lakes deal. The gist of this is that you park up wherever you choose and hop on and off regularly scheduled little cruisers dotting between Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside. Now with Loch Ness (amongst others) on our doorstep, it was going to take more than a pretty lake (which Windermere undoubtedly is) to turn my head.
A friendly, laid-back welcome aboard all of the boats we boarded was a good start – even as the heavens opened above us. Luckily the passenger decks are all covered so we were able to stay dry while taking in this pretty swathe of Cumbria in dramatic weather conditions (i.e. peeing down).
The villages were all pleasant, geared for the visitor and conscious which side their bread is buttered on. Talking of which, the Waterhead Coffee Shop in Ambleside proved to be one of those serendipitous discoveries that can make your day, even in somewhat trying circumstances. A decent cup of coffee and wonderful scones, a perfect view over the lake and more ducks than you could shake a bag of duck food (£1 for three) at proved a hit with adults and children alike. So often it’s the simplest of pleasures…
Acting on a tip-off (and taking a mighty detour for the sake of the children), we also checked out the Walby Farm Park near Carlisle. When it comes to wholesome, family-friendly, weather-proof attractions, this place is the bee’s knees. It has two major advantages raising it head and shoulders above anything similar I’ve seen.
The first is a massive, indoor play area with three of the funnest slides I’ve seen: one for total daredevils (I believe it was called "the devil’s drop or somesuch); another suitably brisk and a third fine for granny (with all due respect to any daredevil grans out there). I watched one energetic little lad go up and down the same slide 10 times with no apparent loss of enthusiasm.
The second big plus-point was excellent eats. The Curly Tails Café had everything from a bacon role to a quiche (as did I) and is clearly confident as it posts its menu online.
Oh, and the outdoor farm area is none too shabby either. Farm animals, more slides and climbing frames and a brilliantly simple barrel train. An off-road mini Land Rover (I’m told built from a converted invalid car) put the biggest grin of the entire break on the face of my son. Almost worth a (very long range) visit in itself and certainly unmissable if you’re passing with kids.
And so to the self-proclaimed fun capital of the United Kingdom: Blackpool. Although less than an hour down the motorway from Kendal, it might as well be on the other side of the world. The vague scenic beauty/cityscape contrast theme was working out beautifully.
Blackpool South Promenade Travelodge is just about within touching distance of one of the city’s greatest attractions: the Pleasure Beach. Its roller-coasters, ghost trains and countless rides would provide a full day’s entertainment in themselves (although they had to be axed from our 24-hour hit list thanks to an unexpected dose of chickenpox in the party.)
The lodge itself is pretty decent: a bar/diner (well, this is Blackpool) on the ground floor and the usual gubbins in the acceptably clean rooms. Secure-ish parking cost me a tenner (ouch!) although the city itself was, to be fair, pretty easy to navigate in the car. Then again, the sat-nav may have had something to do with that…
Given it was the weekend, we weren’t expecting a peaceful night and we didn’t get one. Given the seemingly endless variety of hen/stag parties staggering around the streets in broad daylight, the after-dark shenanigans were inevitable. That said, it was no louder than the average Friday night in Wick High Street. Just saying.
If people watching’s your cup of tea, you could happily spend a day mingling with the colourful characters wandering the main thoroughfares. The beach, such as it is, will make your heart swell with pride for what we have on our own doorstep.
Away from the razzle dazzle of the amusement arcades and fortune tellers, Blackpool Zoo proved an unexpected treat. Unexpected because I didn’t know they had one. And also because it was way better than Edinburgh’s. Throw in an imaginatively put together dinosaur park (oh yes!) and you’ve got yourself a day out.
The highlights were two great animal demonstration/talks showcasing the very special talents of parrots and sea lions. Both have a fair claim to greater intelligence than the average punter out there on the streets, put it like that.
The other surprise, right in the heart of this Vegas of the North, was the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. I still can’t quite figure how they fit all of that stuff beneath the city’s iconic landmark but suffice to say it’s well worth the price of admission. I was assured by a hugely enthusiastic old geezer inside that it’d be even more following a major multimillion-pound revamp (now completed.
Stop in and have a look at the elderly couples whirling across the mahogany, oak and walnut dance floor of a Saturday afternoon to the rousing strains of a Wurlitzer organ. For me, it ranks up there with standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon for the first time in the jaw-dropping stakes. It’s a beautiful, hermetically sealed time warp. And it’s a flight of stairs from the equally surreal Tower Circus. Strip away the shameless popcorn/face-painting/souvenir breaks and this offers some pretty impressive acts – not least a Romanian troupe of gravity-defying gymnasts whose high-flying antics have to be seen to be believed.
Despite all of these eye-popping attractions, our children were just as pleased with the Jungle Jim soft play area on the top floor. Children – you can take them to the ends of the earth but basically they just want to play…
If you’re trying to defy the tacky, tawdry stereotypes, the centrally located Sea Life centre is also well worth a gander.
The incipient chickenpox and sudden allure of the comforts of home prompted an unanticipated sharp exit. The Pleasure Beach – and a rake of other high-flying attractions – would have to wait for another day.
The pull of home allowed us to discover that (a) it is possible to drive back from Blackpool in a day (though under normal circumstances I wouldn’t particularly recommend it) and (b) Travelodge works okay (if you’ve scored a decent rate and the cleaner is on form).
Whether or not it’s cheaper than a foreign break, the budget UK staycation does make you realise the treasures – stunning, tacky and all – that we have within relatively easy reach. I’ll be keeping an eye open for those £12 Travelodge deals, at least until the lottery ticket comes up…
