Last weekend we took a last minute planned long weekend break, staying in Great Yarmouth at the Trotwood Hotel.
This was in a nice spot as you can see from this photo taken from our bedroom window!
Miss Franny has left her job to look after our granddaughter Grace, once Gill goes back to work and decided graciously that I could take her away for the weekend.
The Yarmouth season is just about come to a close, but most things were open over the weekend and there were a few people wandering up and down the prom.
The Winter Gardens was closed - apparently it is in dire need of some fairly serious structural repairs. A great shame and I hope it can be refurbished and reopened.
It's quite a while since we were in Great Yarmouth and there were a few changes we saw. The horse drawn landaus now have their own road which they share with a road train up and down to the Pleasure Beach and back. It's been well done and the landaus now cause considerably fewer problems for traffic and don't have to contend with drivers who are unused to horses. A win-win situation.
The Pleasure Beach was open but not exactly crowded. Their log flume ride sits outside the perimeter wall and north of that there was a new set of kiddies' rides that have taken the place of something I can't remember for certain... putting greens? I'm not sure. Certainly a putting green has disappeared from somewhere!
We ate at The Arches on Regent Road, brilliant staff and good food and we went back there each night. I don't recommend restaurants as a rule but that must say something!
Paul Daniels and Debbie McGee were at the Pier Theatre that night. Had it been the following night we might have gone, but having driven around 7 hours from Blackpool (massive hold-up due to an accident west of Norwich) we decided not to bother. It was the last pier show of the season too so we didn't get another chance. But the hotel lounge had excellent large comfy sofas and we settled there with a good book and a drink!
Did you go on the big dipper? I went on it a few years ago as it was a duplicate of the one I used to go on as a teenager at Barry Island, long since demolished. It is a very rare "woody" (wooden roller coaster, from the 1930's I think).
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm afraid not. It has a design fault that requires the cars to have a brakeman. Get a good one and it is a very good ride. Get a bad one and... well I've seen people pushing it in the past because the brakeman slowed it too much to get up the next hill! I'm not supposed to go on white knuckle rides though these days, sigh...
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