Snowball wrote:Hello all ... absolutely loved reading all the posts. Aaaah, the memories came flooding back!
I, like the rest of you it seems, spent many a happy day or two at the seaside in Clacton, enjoying the delights of the pier but also the coffee shop up the steps opposite the pier which housed that huge multi-lane Slot-racing/Scalextrics track (i.e if you are facing away from the entrance to the pier, it would have been straight ahead and up the stairs which led to the left). Haven't been to Clacton since the late 90's but I remember the arcade which also sat opposite the pier (on the other side from the scalextric coffee shop place!) which still had many of the old arcade machines (the penny or two pence operated mechanical jobbies) still in operational working order. What fun!!
Hi everyone.
I'm new to the forum, but like most of you,I love the seaside and all that goes with it!
Coming from Ipswich, Clacton was under an hour away from home and was always a good day out .
I too remember the cafe opposite the pier with the slot racing cars. It also had the Atatri Stunt Cycle game as well.
The arcade opposite (The Pavillion?) as I remember used to have loads of the old electromechanical arcade games as opposed to video games, and had a mechanical bull out the back.
I used to have great fun there.
The cafe opposite the pier closed about 5-10 years ago, but re-opened for the 2008 season. I had a quick look inside, but all the cars and machines had gone. Actually, I seem to remember they were removed before it closed down the first time.
The arcade opposite is still open,The old machines have all gone and been replaced mostly by fruit machines. There are still a few old video games there.
I will tell you this though. On the arcade on the pier, there is an original Track And Field in working order. 30p a go!