The Last Resort

What better plan for the August bank holiday weekend than trips to the tourist traps of Ellesmere Port, New Brighton, Crewe, and Apedale?

Well Mum and Issy thought anything would be a better plan. Fortunately, Paul was staying for the weekend; honestly, they were all his ideas. Well, apart from New Brighton, of which more later.

Since I first visited the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum soon after its opening, I've heard mixed news.So I wasn't sure what to expect.

The cafe and reception were quite impressive, and the people at the ticket counter were enthusiastic and helpful. Our first shock was remembering how large the site is, at seven acres. The second was how quiet it was. 

It was noticeable that several boats that were part of the original collection were no longer there and that some I remembered being well cared for were distinctly the worse for wear. On the plus side, the addition of elements from the closed museum in Gloucester Docks means the museum now tells a fuller story.

With a lot of photos to add from the whole weekend it will take me a while to caption all of them

And so to The Last Resort, the title of Martin Parr's famous photobook on New Brighton.

I remember it from a handful of childhood visits when we lived in Blackpool—or at least odd snapshots of memory. I'm not sure Paul had even heard of it until I suggested it. In miniature railway history, it is known for Tommy Mann's postwar 18" gauge railway built using the remnants of the Jaywick line.

We were both quite taken with the place. It isn't exciting, no longer competing against Blackpool or Skeggie, but it is a pleasant seaside town with a nice, dog-friendly beach. Families were busy enjoying family-friendly attractions. We wandered into the Perch Rock fortification to listen to a free Beetles tribute act and watched some shipping on the Mersey. We had to get back home for dinner, but I think we could have spent another couple of hours there.