Blasting off to Blackpool!

I had a leisurely morning at the hotel in Salford before getting on the road to Blackpool. However, before actually getting to Blackpool I took a slight detour and stopped at the Whalley Abbey. They laid the first stone for this Abbey in 1296!  Talk about historical sites! The abbey was home to some monks, and sometime in the 1500s when the abbey was closed as part of the dissolution of monestaries. Now, as with lots of history, the closing was not without push back which resulted in the  arrest, trial, conviction and hanging of some of the monks. The abbey was later purchased and converted into a private home. Much of what is left of the abbey is just walls and outlines of foundations, but it is fascinating!

After a great little walk, I hopped back in the car and cruised on the Blackpool. Let's just say parking is a bit tricky in Blackpool. I had to cleverly go to shops and purchase small items to get enough coins to pay for a ticket to park because the municipal parking lots only take coins... talk about stuck in the past.

It certainly is an older seaside town. The classic look and charm of the older  buildings remains, but much of the town looks like a tribute to the past and has seen better days. That being said, there is still a lot to see and the older buildings are really beautiful. Not to mention the giant expanse of sandy beach! I spent the afternoon walking around the town and taking in the sites. I also enjoyed a bit of time on the beach sitting and soaking up the sun, while I watched a group of donkey wranglers take kids for donkey rides along the beach. Let's just say some of the donkeys certainly vocalized their discontent with this activity.

As the afternoon went on, I was a bit tired so I decided to walk back to my hotel for a bit of a break. While there, I discovered that I could get a ticket to many of the attractions for an extreme discount! So, tomorrow, I will be a real tourist and visiting the Blackpool Dungeons, the Blackpool Tower Eye, The Sea Life aquarium, Madame Tussauds wax museum, and possibly even a circus! Although I do have 90 days to use the tickets 😉 and there are other events, but those were the most interesting. This is perfect because it's supposed to be kind of cloudy, cooler and rainy tomorrow.

Well, that's all for today folks! Tomorrow is 4th of July! Happy Independence Day America... I won't be shouting that out anytime soon over here, if you know what I mean? 😉🇺🇸🇬🇧