An English Seaside Town

I liked Whitstable the one time I went there. Oddly, I am becoming fonder of Seaford and Eastbourne as I grow older. Cornwall doesn't really count as too Celtic and nice.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:25 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.edwinjonesproperties.co.uk/jpgs/ebseafront1.jpg

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:30 (twenty years ago) link

I went camping to Westward Ho! when I was young. A kid pooped his pants in our tent. OK, it was me.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:31 (twenty years ago) link

hehe.

Other English towns with punctuation in? we may have done this already.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:32 (twenty years ago) link

There are lots of hyphens, obv.

There are some abbreviating apostrophes (e.g. John O'Groats), and it feels as though there should be some posessive ones too, but who can tell whether a town's real name is, say, King's Lynn or Kings Lynn? I'm guessing Mr. Huntsman will be able to tell me.

I can't think of any full stops outside abbreviations (e.g. Ottery St. Mary), and I can't think of any commas or question marks at all.

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:39 (twenty years ago) link

I am sure there are commas. I just can't think where.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:40 (twenty years ago) link

I forgot to include King's Lynn actually (think it does have an apostrophe..certainly looks right). Went there last year. Quite liked it.

― David (David), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:42 (twenty years ago) link

Didn't think much of Hunstanton though.

― David (David), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:43 (twenty years ago) link

Not so much punctuation, but funny anyway:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/encyclopedia/list_of_interesting_or_unusual_place_names

My favourite new place name is Frisby on the Wreake (near Melton Mowbray of the PORK PIES) in Leicestershire. So now I can be proud of something from my birth county.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:47 (twenty years ago) link

Hun's Tanton?

My trip to King's Lynn last year was frustrating and soaking: the game we travelled to see was rained off. I rather liked it, it had the wonkiest church I've ever seen (the biblical advice about buildng your house on the rock came to mind, but I thought it better to keep my mouth shut). It didn't feel like a seaside town.

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:49 (twenty years ago) link

Archel, where is your pic?

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:54 (twenty years ago) link

Oh that is Eastbourne. Only slightly marred by 8 zillion elderly residents who are just there waiting to die :/

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:56 (twenty years ago) link

So we're good to go when they have died?

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:56 (twenty years ago) link

Hell yeah. I am planning a coup as we speak.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:58 (twenty years ago) link

Why don't they just go to Beachy Head like everyone else?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 April 2004 13:58 (twenty years ago) link

NO! The Beachy Head residents are fed up with all the dead splattered corpses. Give them a break.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:00 (twenty years ago) link

Selfish bastards!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:00 (twenty years ago) link

Yes it's (KL) a port isn't it, not a resort. Nice train ride from London through the Fens.

― David (David), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:02 (twenty years ago) link

I wonder if anyone has ever gone to Beachy Head to kill themselves, having successfully blanked out the thoughts of what it might do to their friends and family, but then turned around at the last minute on the grounds of not wanting to upset the local residents.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:03 (twenty years ago) link

I doubt it!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:03 (twenty years ago) link

All my favourite seaside towns are Welsh. Harlech, Aberystwyth, Llandudno, Porthmadog, Fairbourne...I don't think anywhere in England beats those. I spent most of my childhood holidays in Barmouth, which is about as perfect as seaside towns get, I think, and has possibly the best chip shop in the world.

I have a fondness for Blackpool and Skegness, but if I want to go to the seaside I would always rather go to Wales. I've not been to the south coast much, I can't picture any towns there except Bournemouth, which is okay.

― Cathy (Cathy), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:07 (twenty years ago) link

http://img43.photobucket.com/albums/v133/cathyleech/barmouth1.jpg

Ah, Barmouth. This thread is making me plan summer holidays.

― Cathy (Cathy), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:08 (twenty years ago) link

Beachy Head IS in Eastbourne. Well, kind of above it and to the west a bit.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:09 (twenty years ago) link

I went to Beacy Head recently but didn't jump off. Quite a feat when you consider I support West Ham.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:11 (twenty years ago) link

Archel - I know... that's why the idea of sitting round Eastbourne waiting to die seemed so silly.

Is the bottom of Beachy Head just rocks and sea? Someone should concrete over the bottom bit and put a nice cafe there, that'd stop people. Either that or a comically-placed branch half way down to catch people.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:12 (twenty years ago) link

Or a trampoline!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago) link

Actually a lot of people who jump from beachy head don't 'succeed' because it isn't like a sheer drop and you CAN just get stuck on a grassy ledge halfway down.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 29 April 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago) link

I thought I might make it to the bottom of this thread with no-one having mentioned Cromer -- but not quite.

Still, Cromer: the pier, the great stone seafront, the bookshops, the pubs, the fish & chips, the memories, the storms and rain. All the usual things you have all been on about. What else?

― the pinefox, Thursday, 29 April 2004 17:57 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.tractortown.fsnet.co.uk/47s/47817%20Dawlish.jpg

I walk along this wall every day on my way to the train station.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:01 (twenty years ago) link

The breakwater on the far left of the picture is where I stood and listened to "Blinded By The Lights" on my way to the pub on friday night, and watched all the street lights reflect and jigger off the sea. Twas quite byootifool. And freaky. Even standing still I felt like I was gonna fall over.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:03 (twenty years ago) link

Nick, where is that?

I had a lovely time in Scarborough and Whitby years ago.

― Michael White (Hereward), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:05 (twenty years ago) link

That's Dawlish, in Devon, about 9 miles down the river&coast from Exeter.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:07 (twenty years ago) link

And here's a bit of our freaky cliff.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~keizee/images/Dawlish_1a.jpg

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:08 (twenty years ago) link

http://www.uksouthwest.co.uk/dawlish/dawlish.jpg

It's a pretty fucking spectaculr bit of coastline, actually. From the sea it looks alien.

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:10 (twenty years ago) link

Teignmouth is less spectacular, due to its scraggy pier.

http://www.torquayengland.com/566x425TeignmouthPier2.jpg

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:12 (twenty years ago) link

Bugger seaside towns, mind - go to Dartmoor and swim in the river dart at Spitchwick. it might be colder, but it's amazing.

http://www.pepes.force9.co.uk/stock-photos/spitchwick.JPG

― Sick Nouthall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:14 (twenty years ago) link

I had a thread on Margate a few months back when HSA and I went there to check out an art gallery... it's grim. But full of displaced artists from Hoxton. Bizarre. Plus, the caves were great. We met the lady who runs the Shell Grotto but we didn't get that far out, and besides, she wouldn't have been there to take us on a tour as she was at the opening!

I love the Isle of Wight, especially Ventnor. It's weird and creepy and strange without feeling rough.

I really want to go to Whitby. Someone from HSA's department went to the Goth Festival there and said it was lovely. The bits I saw on Time Team or whichever archeology programme dug it up looked lovely.

― Super-Kate (kate), Thursday, 29 April 2004 18:28 (twenty years ago) link

My local pub was *dead* last weekend, because all its regulars are goths, and were in Whitby.

I'm from Cleethorpes. The sea is brown there. Here's a picture, admittedly on a foggy day.

― caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 30 April 2004 08:26 (twenty years ago) link

I've been to Cleethorpes. My girlf's from Grimsby. I seem to recall a very bad club.

― Matt (Matt), Friday, 30 April 2004 08:30 (twenty years ago) link

I went to Cleethorpes when I was a spotty child and we saw Bob Todd walking down the beach. My mum was attacked by Emu at the local theatre.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Friday, 30 April 2004 08:31 (twenty years ago) link

Near Whitby, of course, is Robin Hood's Bay:

http://www.north-yorkshire-moors.freeserve.co.uk/Bay2.jpg

http://www.middlewoodfarm.fsnet.co.uk/openings.jpg

http://www.jorgetutor.com/greatbritain/inglaterra/ne/robinhoodbay/robinhoodbay1.jpg

http://www.eimc.brad.ac.uk/~ijpalmer/EIMCWhitby2002/RobinHood06.jpg

...which has mondo fossils just lying around on the beach. It's ace. But very twee indeed.

― Liz :x (Liz :x), Friday, 30 April 2004 08:34 (twenty years ago) link

Matt, was it you who said that your girlf used to compete in the Grimsby Recorder Festival?

― caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 30 April 2004 08:37 (twenty years ago) link

Skipping 10 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

In summer 1994 my family and I went to Bognor Regis for a daytrip. We ate chips by the seafront. Within fifteen minutes of our arrival an IRA bomb went off in the town. We went home. Not my fondest teenage memory...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 30 April 2004 17:04 (twenty years ago) link

I cannot easily believe that anyone hasn't been to Whitby... [yet, I've never been to Cromer; may partly be to do with the distance factor] If you haven't been, get packing... :) It's probably the holiday place I've been to most often, partly as it's relatively near; i.e. on the same north-eastern coast as Sunderland where I have lived. But also, as it is so evocative a place.

― Tom May (Tom May), Friday, 30 April 2004 20:07 (twenty years ago) link

i have been to Whitby. we took a boat trip and bought fresh crab amongst other things. it were grand.

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 1 May 2004 00:40 (twenty years ago) link

Man, I gotta second pinefox on Cromer. Ain't nothin' like a rainy June day, a princess from Luxemborg and a huge fucking spliff in Cromer.

― The Second Drummer Drowned (Atila the Honeybun), Saturday, 1 May 2004 00:42 (twenty years ago) link

I wouldn't know about #2 and #3, but I agree about the rainy June day.

― the pinefox, Saturday, 1 May 2004 12:37 (twenty years ago) link

I like Liz's last photo very much. It evokes the British seaside experience better than anything else I have seen.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 1 May 2004 13:26 (twenty years ago) link

one year passes...

cromer

― charltonlido (gareth), Monday, 18 July 2005 12:46 (eighteen years ago) link

five years pass...

What's Portsmouth like? I'm contemplating heading down there for a weekend, particularly to see the ships and the victory.

― F-Unit (Ste), Tuesday, 12 October 2010 13:39 (thirteen years ago) link

it's a shithole.

but the old ships are cool. worth a daytrip not a weekend imo.

― jabba hands, Tuesday, 12 October 2010 15:03 (thirteen years ago) link

^^^southampton fan

― markers you think (acoleuthic), Tuesday, 12 October 2010 15:04 (thirteen years ago) link

ha, it's a fair cop. happy to admit that southampton is also a shithole.

― jabba hands, Tuesday, 12 October 2010 15:10 (thirteen years ago) link

cheers, noted

― F-Unit (Ste), Tuesday, 12 October 2010 15:43 (thirteen years ago) link

seven years pass...

is Portsmouth really just a shithole? I was thinking of taking a ferry up there next month, just for a couple of days, to look around (and tbh to buy some british candies before brexit makes those hard to come by on the continent).

― droit au butt (Euler), Saturday, 22 September 2018 11:12 (five years ago) link

It certainly has that reputation. Plus it's full of drunken sailors, earl-y in the morning and 24/7.

― Zach Same (Tom D.), Saturday, 22 September 2018 11:20 (five years ago) link

I am currently standing at the end of Hastings pier in the rain, guarding some balloons.

― Colonel Poo, Saturday, 22 September 2018 11:59 (five years ago) link

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