One of our favourite things in the world to do is to take a day holiday so the bank holiday was a perfect opportunity. We decided to take a day holiday to Blackpool as we are both getting over a cold.
What is a day holiday?
Before I carry on, let me explain a bit more about what a day holiday is. As we all know, it is not always possible to take long holidays or travel afar. And it can often be expensive to go on a holiday or adventure anyway. So to make it more accessible (and mean that we get more holidays each year) we started to plan and take holidays that just last for one day.
OK, so you might think that is just a day trip, but it’s not quite that simple. A day holiday takes a little bit of planning. You choose your destination, find things to do and places to explore and make arrangements to get there. You can make it as close or as far as you want, you can take picnic or eat out. The best bit is that planning it in advance means that you can get cheaper train tickets and also have something fun to look forward to. Like you would with a longer holiday or adventure!
I’m sure I will share more of our day holidays with you in the future as they are a big part of our lives and a great way to explore and spend time. I hope that they inspire you to take some day holidays too.
A day holiday to Blackpool
As we are both recovering from a cold (and I’m getting used to my new insoles – more of that in another post!) that a hike wasn’t really appropriate. So thinking of places that we haven’t visited; somewhere around an hour away and somewhere pretty flat and easy brought to mind Blackpool. Even though it was a bit of a last-minute day holiday it was planned in the same way – only quicker!
We planned our route, packed our lunches, bunged our coats, fleeces and snacks into the car and headed out on our road trip up to Blackpool. Being the wanderers that we are though we still made sure to have time for some unplanned exploring.
The adventure begins!
Well, I say that the adventure begins, but for us the journey is all part of it! We take some sweeties to enjoy on the journey and make it part of the excitement. (you should see us on train journeys!!) But we arrived in Blackpool and decided to picnic in the car so that we would be able to leave some of the weight behind while we holiday’d. It is fun trying to find a parking space with a view when you’re picnicking in the car. This visit we looked onto a road and a wall. Exciting all the same as we were on a day holiday to Blackpool though, so we didn’t mind so much.
After lunch we walked towards the sea front to get our bearings and were greeted by possibly the best bouncy castle ever! (if only they let adults on them…)
Being a local tourist
Being a local tourist means that you explore as you would somewhere you have never been before. You look upwards, you check out shops and side streets and take in the atmosphere of where you are. You use all of your senses to really get a feel for the place. I say this a lot, but it really doesn’t matter where you are, there is always something new to discover or experience (and that means in your own local area or even back yard!) It is one of the main factors of taking a day holiday. Being a local tourist which for us, means a trip to the Tourist Information office. No matter what you find on the internet, nothing beats speaking with local people in real life.
Wayward wandering
Before we made it to the Tourist Information office we were distracted and drawn away with a wayward wander to the Winter Garden that we saw peeping through the buildings as we were enjoying Blackpool Tower and the quotes on the floor. And we are glad that we took the detour and explored inside the building. It is evident that it is a lovely building from the outside, but a lot of it is covered over for renovation. As we neared the glass doors though, we saw just how amazing and Art Deco the interior actually was. I have a new rule with buildings; I enter them and look around until I get told not to be there! It seems to be working so far and I have been in a lot more buildings than in the past.
Back on track we went to explore the piers and a bit of the town. It is starting to look like we have a bit of a ‘thing’ for seaside towns (check out my posts on Llandudno) and strangely enough, transport links! (just to note, we appreciate them and are not fanatical…)
Through town
Unfortunately, many people see seaside (and post industrial) towns as a bit run down. Please don’t let this idea put you off visiting somewhere and taking time to explore their shopping district and streets. From my experience, these towns are the ones with the best hidden gems. Little shops that have survived everything, architecture that is missed from the ground and streets that tell more stories than the area itself. On our wanders we discovered sculpture, stained glass windows and curious sounds.
Stopping to take it all in
It might seem as though one day away in a new place would mean rushing about and staying busy and moving all the time, but that is not the case at all. I would certainly recommend taking it slower. Taking time for a brew or to just people watch. You can learn so much more about somewhere by slowing down than you can by rushing through it all. You always have another day holiday to explore the area again.
And this is why we always have a flask to hand! It gives us time to check out the information from the tourist office,people watch and take in the views as well as plan the next thing we will do. In this case we decided to walk down the front to see the fun fair and to grab some chips to enjoy in the sea breeze. There’s nothing quite as tasty as vinegary chips on the front. We also had to find a post box for the postcard we wanted to post. (There’s an idea on the back burner on that one, so keep your eyes peeled on the blog!) We love buying and sending postcards from our day adventures,not only for the fun it gives us finding something daft and fitting, but for the recipient too. It is something we started getting into when we had our staycation at my parents’ house last year.
Not our thing
To be honest, rides and fairground things aren’t particularly our thing, but we do enjoy exploring the areas around it and taking in the vibe. So many excited children, buzzing on sugar and adrenaline from the rides. Adults alike, getting in on the fun. It really is a fun place to wander and enjoy from a vicarious perspective!
And the structures of the rides… now that’s where we get all geeky on the incredible engineering and stuff. Yes, that’s more our thing than spinning around.
After our literally awesome time looking at the rides and devouring our chips on the prom we had to head back to the car.
Homeward bound
Considering we were taking it easy on a day holiday to Blackpool, we still managed to walk 6 miles and hit our daily step count target. Not bad when we didn’t exert ourselves. We saw a great deal of the main town centre, explored the piers and fairgrounds and even managed to have some ships and buy some Blackpool rock. We saved the town itself for our next visit and have already started imagining the adventures we’ll have on our next day holiday there. One great benefit of choosing to have a day holiday somewhere nearby, as you can go regularly and see more and more each time.
We’re now in the planning stage of our next day holiday. A day holiday to York by train.
What do you think of a day holiday? Have you ever been on one before?
Do you have any tips for our next day holiday in York?
Let me know in the comments 🙂