Summer holidays

[happy daze john in oz]

Looking at some old black and white footage from the 50's of the coast on TV brought back some memories of holiday past.

Down to Margate with Aunt and Uncle along with their two daughters and mum.
Stay in a boarding house with a land lady who would not have been out of place working in a prison.
Morning, out by 10 not allowed back before 4, were the orders.

Days spent in bush shelters hiding from the rain, talking with others doing the same.
Outside the pub at night with a glass of lemonade and a packet of Smiths.

Then back again the next year and meeting the same people in the same bus shelter again.

Then came the luxury of Butlins, early morning call, exercise before breakfast, bacon so thin you could see through it, eggs that must have come from Dunlops and then the porigcrete, a form of edible concrete.
But when the rains came somewhere to go inside and join the Red Coats in their activities.
Bit like an up market Vindi.

Then times changed, the overseas holiday came in.
Off to Spain to spend English money in Spanish pubs selling British beer with English style fish and chips,

I wonder what holidays in UK are like now?

[Keith Tindell]

Ah John, your memories are from a long time ago, that was from a time we rarely had a holiday. The choice to take a holiday now is end less, myself i choose to mainly stay in a pub, gone are the days when the pubs were just for drinking, to stay in a nice rural pub now in UK is good, food and rooms, all ensuite etc, a nice rural pub still has nice log fires burning in winter. Now in winter to stay in one of those pubs, and enjoy the countryside is still very pleasant. In the summer the walks in the countryside cannot be bettered, beautiful green valleys and lanes etc. Now if you enjoy history, as we do , to visit lovely large country houses and gardens, and learn the history behind all the walls etc, nothing better. Now i know we all moan here, and you have to remind yourself that we live in a country where we are able to moan openly, but i think you guys in Australia think that here in the Uk we now live in a country that is bleak and dark and we live a life of misery, but far from it, the UK has been good to me, i live a reasonably comfortable life in my own house, debt free. Even our weather suits me, we famously moan about it, but i love the seasons, and a winter walk is enjoyable, without ridiculous temperatures, and in summer nothing too extreme. So i would say when you visit the UK its no good going to where you remember, and moan about the change, change takes place all the time, get out into our lovely country side, stay in a lovely rural pub and enjoy.

[Graham Payne]

Most of the seaside places I know, Margate etc, are well run down now John.

[Tony Taylor]

I stayed in Margate about 5 years ago, for two nights in a pub. The accommodation was basic, but clean and warm and the pub staff and regulars were friendly. Never having been there before I did not know what it had been like in the past, but it did appear to be very run down and neglected.
Whitley Bay went through a similar phase, when the Borough Council was in existence it was kept pretty clean and tidy, despite the hordes during the summer months; then, when it was taken over by North Tyneside council, it was allowed to run down to a very shabby level. Fortunately now they are cleaning up the place and spending a lot of money on the seafront area, but the old atmosphere and ambience is still missing.

[Keith Tindell]

Well Tony, if ever you are down the west country, this is just one of many i would recommend , superb food and nice rooms, i am staying there again at the end of the month,

https://www.themarquisoflorne.co.uk, but i stay in many all over the UK, but bound to be some better than others. Many now have started charging extra for breakfast, but as said before , i go for rural pubs, and not the ones in main holiday destinations. Pubs in UK have changed so much over the years, it used to be a pint and a packet of crisps, or if really lucky a pork pie, kt

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PS, there's one of the rooms you can sleep in the lee of bum island

[Tony Taylor]

Well Tony, if ever you are down the west country, this is just one of many i would recommend , superb food and nice rooms, i am staying there again at the end of the month,

https://www.themarquisoflorne.co.uk, but i stay in many all over the UK, but bound to be some better than others. Many now have started charging extra for breakfast, but as said before , i go for rural pubs, and not the ones in main holiday destinations. Pubs in UK have changed so much over the years, it used to be a pint and a packet of crisps, or if really lucky a pork pie, kt

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PS, there's one of the rooms you can sleep in the lee of bum island

Thanks Keith, until November last year I was employed (22 years) by a small company near Shepton Mallet, Somerset. I ended up staying in a small pub called The George in a tiny hamlet called Croscombe, which is halfway between Shepton and Wells, good base for touring round, not too far from your place. Excellent food and good great beer, nice people locally,

[Doc Vernon]

Long ago now but i used to love Ilfracombe, i also worked there as a Waiter at the Ilfracombe Hotel , a beautiful place in those days so not sure what its like now! Used to spend many hours on top of Capstan Hill at times with a Girl i dated, and watch the Ships go by, also one had a terrific view of the small Town as it was then
Good Memories!

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes Keith, times have changed not just in UK but here as well.
I do agree that the weather there is not all bad, but do remember the comment that we got nine months winter and three months bad weather.
But recall some times as a young lad when we did have some great summers and last time in UK, 2017, the summer was great, very warm and very livable.
Yes there are still some great spots in UK, we currently have a program on TV about walks along the British coast, some look remarkable.

But now having become aclimatized to the Oz way I am quite happy wit our lot now.

Do a lot of road trips, but do enjoy the cruises to so many parts of the world.

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Unfortunately here in Aus the spate of shark attacks makes swimming at a beach for me very precarious.
Yesterday some fishermen fishing from the rocks watched in horror as a man swimming nearby was taken by a shark, a silly place to swim as thrashing fish caught on a hook make for attracting predators. They filmed him being taken, there was nothing they could do to help.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

It is quite amazing the number who get caught in such a way.
When in the sea there is always the danger of Sharks and other nasties.
Now they ae looking for the Shark, not quite sure what they intend to do with it if the correct one is caught.