There's a sign on one of the guesthouses as you approach the centre of Cleveleys by car that reads: "For the elderly".
I can understand those who have stumbled on this "forgotten resort" believing those words to be very apt for the town itself and then passing through towards other destinations without stopping.
My very first impressions of this place last year were similar. I felt then that it was if hundreds of elderly daytrippers had been dropped off by their respective coach drivers and...well..left there to wander about...Something like a scene from a George A. Romero film. What's more the entertainment seemed to have upped sticks and moved out at the same time!..Weird!!
But you know there is something very "nice" about Cleveleys and besides I was back there yesterday (21/6/03)..You just have to dig a little deeper that's all...
First up it's hassle free...There is a genuine relaxed atmosphere about the place..and there are plenty of families enjoying themselves.
Here is a town that caters very well for the cheap and cheerful seaside fayre..but it offers up very good value as well...
Five of us sat down at "Kay's Chippy" and enjoyed excellent cod and chips and drinks all round for £20..Prices are cheaper than Blackpool a couple of miles down the coast..The beach was deserted but povided a great hour and a half of exploration for my daughter with her £2 bucket and spade..And it was clean..We also noticed lifeguards keeping an eye on the water...It was reassuring.
You do get a feeling that the place is struggling to survive but it's a feeling I get in most seaside resorts these days...You know the sort of things here.. The wall that separates the beach from the road on the prom has some ugly graffiti and a lick of paint wouldn't go amiss..cleaner paths etc..
That besides, a special mention must go to a very small but well run outdoor amusement place called Children's Corner at one end of the prom...(Not so much an amusement park more..a corner!)
Last year £5 bought 7 tickets and each ride was 1 ticket a go..There was no price increase this year!!..OK we're talking kids' rides here but for the money concious parent it was a godsend and besides, everyone was enjoying themselves.
It boasts a new mini gondola ride (Pirate Ship) and also a new(ish) Spring/ Bounce ride which offers kids a better value ride than its Beaver Creek counterpart at the Pleasure Beach.
My own favourite ride last year WAS The sixty year old Alpine Glide Helter Skelter but unfortunately after 40 years in its Cleveleys home it had been removed and is now up for sale for £30,000.
..Seems it too has grown old in Cleveleys.