Blackpool, Lancashire (North West UK)
September 01, 2010
Situated on the North West coast of England, Blackpool is a great cosmopolitan place for the Gay & Lesbian traveller, with lots of gay bars and a host of interesting things to do and see. Perfectly situated as a touring base, Manchester International Airport, the beautiful Lake District National Park and the Yorkshire Dales are all only an hour drive away. A very popular, economical place to stay. Blackpool actually has more guest beds than the whole of Portugal ! This has an effect of driving the price of accommodation down, making for lots of competition, which in turn is a real bonus to the traveller, with the average cost of rooms being 50% cheaper than London or other major English cities.
Popular from the Victorian era as a place the English working masses loved. The endless terraces of small Victorian houses would be filled week after week throughout the English summer's until the 1960's. With the advent of cheap air travel, the English then started to use Spain and Europe as their new holiday hot-spot so Blackpool had to change, with many of the small guest houses & hotels making improvements to attract the UK's short break market and also the overseas traveller who could now access the UK more easily due to economical and available air travel .
The town itself has a seven mile promenade, along with 3 Victorian piers and tower of over 500 feet, this has seven floors of entertainment and a beautiful Victorian Ballroom.. There is also a large Zoo and spectacular park with it's own lake, where boats can be hired for relaxing sailing and fishing., along with a 42 acre Pleasure Beach Park with some of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the UK, and of course some of the latest steel ones too! .A Winter Garden Indoor complex covers an area of 9 acres in the town centre, which includes one of the country's largest indoor stages at the Opera House Theatre, which is within this complex. A new £22.000.000 shopping centre has just been completed and a proposed "cultural centre" at a cost of £260.000.000 is due to begin soon, with the funding and chosen developer already in place.
Blackpool is well situated as a base for local day trips, as there are lots of places of interest which can be reached easily. There is a great local bus and tram network, It is both reasonably priced and easy to use, with car hire being another option. It's little sister towns of Fleetwood, a fishing port 7 miles to the north and Lytham- St.Anne's around the same distance to the south. Both North and South promenades are common "cruise" areas, with a nice amount of eye candy available on warm summer evenings..
The "scene" in Blackpool is really quite vibrant, with most of the venues within a concentrated area. It's so easy to move from one bar to another, being situated on the edge of the town centre and yards from the train and bus stations. There are many gay friendly hotels in the area, although most of the "gay owned" properties, of which there are more than 50! do cater to a mixed market as well as the LGBT client, there are though, a handful which are exclusive LGBT accommodation providers like PRIDE LODGE so there is provision to suit most people's needs.
It is important to check with a particular property at the time of booking that you will be comfortable with the environment they provide, along with the facilities on offer. Many guests often just go for the cheapest accommodation option, this must also be carefully considered as it is a VERY important part of the vacation and sometimes the difference between good and poor accommodation is little more than the price of a meal or drink. Some of the accommodation providers also do special offers and "free nights" for guests who stay a number of nights. This is possible as it reduces the servicing cost of rooms, thus the saving can then be passed on to the guest as discounts or free nights.
The FUNNY GIRLS SHOW BAR is a venue which is a must, not simply a drag show but a real professional line up of cabaret sets which is performed by a super cast, some having had experience in the West End of London. The venue is a beautiful re-formed and listed, original Art Deco building, which is one of the largest former Odeon cinemas in the UK. In fact the building is so vast it also houses the FLAMINGO NIGHT CLUB and the FG2 Bar.
Each September, Blackpool has a promenade show of lights in the evening which stretches it's 7 mile length and also lights the Tower and many of the side streets. These Illuminations coincide with the World Firework Competition. The combination of the two is a show not to be missed. What with 250.000 light bulbs and the best fireworks the world has to offer, it is truly magical.
Blackpool has been a "Mecca" for gay life for years, even prior to legalisation here in the UK in the 1960's it was a haven for many Gays & Lesbians, as an anonymous meeting point to enjoy the seaside and a break away. It has always had lots of bars and clubs that have been gay friendly, but things have changed in recent years with great acceptance and a whole host of specific entertainment has opened up in the last 20 years for the vast LGBT community, who both live in and visit the resort.
Pride Lodge is in the heart of the "Gay Centre" of Blackpool, just yards from the Train & Bus Stations,with no less than 9 gay venues within 500 yards, including bars, clubs, and of course the world famous "Funny Girls Show bar"
BLACKPOOL - The UK's No.ONE Resort, Where we hope to see you soon!
