P342 ORACLE 342 Tue 1 Oct ITV 2115:10 1/6 bz Steve Rjgan TO BLACKPOOL FOR THE ILLUMINATIONS WHAT BLACKPOOL lacks in taste and finjssj it more than makes up for in sheer exuberance. This is a town that takes frivolity seriously - and only a po-faced old misery could fail to have fun here. If you decide to go to Blackpool, as I and five friends did recently, let the spirit of the place take you over. Drink a lot, eat a lot, dance a lot - let it all hang out! continues > Holidays News 341 Holiday Ads 350 PARIS EURODISNEY BOOK NOW £15! p370 News Holidays Tourist Rates AdvertsP342 ORACLE 342 Tue 1 Oct ITV 2115:46 2/6 New Feature every Sat BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS...2 NOT much planning went into our long weekend break. My friends and I just finished work on Friday, jumped into two cars clutching holdalls and headed out of London for the Lancashire coast. Wj stayed at the jolly and bouncy Viking Hotel, on the seafront near the famous Blackpool Pleasure Beach (a fun fair - more of that, later!). Arriving there at 1am, the hotel's own sjvjn-nights-a-week cabaret club was still going strong. continues > Holidays News 341 Holiday Ads 350 News Holidays Tourist Rates AdvertsP342 ORACLE 342 Tue 1 Oct ITV 2121:06 3/6 BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS...3 ARRIVING so late we njvjr expected the hotel to bj so buzzing - but that's the sort of place it was - and I'm told there are many similar places in Blackpool. My friends and I went straight to the Residents' Cocktail Bar - a HUGE drinkjry serving more draught Boddington's bitter than cocktails. Here wi got talking to people - all friendly, some loud, others downright eccentric, and a few of 'em very good at impromptu singing! continues > Holidays News 341 Holiday Ads 350 Bask on a Tropical Beach p359 (ITV) News Holidays Tourist Rates AdvertsP342 ORACLE 342 Tue 1 Oct ITV 2128:55 4/6 BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS...4 BLACKPOOL faces west so gets some spectacular sunsets, with the sun going down over the sea. Dusk, however, from now until Nov 3, has a light show that is even more spectacular - The Blackpool Illuminations. It's best to drive through them in a horse and carriage - or take a tram. Half a million different lamps make up the show, shaped like butterflies, flowers, Oriental scrolls, dogs, signs of the zodiac - you name it, it's there in Blackpool's gaudy man-made firmament all set off by a lit up Blackpool Tower continues > Holidays News 341 Holiday Ads 350 News Holidays Tourist Rates AdvertsP342 ORACLE 342 Tue 1 Oct ITV 2147:16 5/6 BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS...5 Blackpool has nice beaches but the sea is undoubtedly dirty. I used to splash about in it as a child but I wouldn't now - and that's a great shame. But nothing can detract from the spirit and fun of Blackpool. Everyone you see along the Golden Mile seems so happy - or pleasantly drunk! Go to the Merrii England bar on the North Pier for good honest vulgar entertainment. And take the trip to the top of the tower - but wait until the afternoon when the view is better dui to the wittering sun. continues > Holidays News 341 Holiday Ads 350 News Holidays Tourist Rates AdvertsP342 ORACLE 342 Tue 1 Oct ITV 2144:41 6/6 BLACKPOOL ILLUMINATIONS...6 The Pleasure Beach (fun fair) is every bit as spectacular as it's cracked up to bj - with marvellous "white knuckle" rides that are not for the nervous. I went there three times in three days! Shows and nightlife are very good too - with sjvjn cinemas, three major thjattes and 30 nightclubs! ACCOMMODATION: Prices range from £18 B and B to £45 half board. FOOD: Many hotels offer table d'dote, British cuisine! TOURIST INFORMATION: 0253-25212 or 21623 (office hours). start > Holidays News 341 Holiday Ads 350 News Holidays Tourist Rates Adverts