It was late July. Very late July, to be precise.
Working solidly through those long, dark days and months since lockdown started had left me with a real feel-flat-feeling. I was seriously running on empty.
Luckily for me, it turned out that all my other family members felt pretty much the same way, that some kind of break was in order.
As you all know, the curse of COVID has meant that there are severe restrictions on vacation destinations.
Not really wanting to risk those intercontinental quarantine regulations, the decision was made to holiday UK-side – we were going on staycation!
After some rapid diary re-arrangement, followed by a few hurried internet and telephone shenanigans, we all ended up on an early afternoon train bound for the mighty metropolis that is Wigan!
Regular readers will know that Wigan is where my sister now lives, she having moved permanently up north late last year after getting a full-time job.
The plan was to touch base with her at Wigan, and then all move on to the Fylde coast town of Lytham St Anne’s, just south of Blackpool, out in Lancashire.
My sister picked us up from Wigan Station, and her house, which was located in a small town on the outskirts of Wigan town centre, proved to be very comfortable and welcoming – here is a snap of the back garden, which has the backdrop of the fairly ancient church next door:
The church was apparently built in 1903.
I accompanied my sister to pick up our first Wigan meal, which was the local speciality fish and chips! The town chippy proved to be popular with the locals – there was a bit of a queue for service.
On the menu there were some interesting additions to standard local chippy fare – ‘Barms’ featured quite a bit, which I understand to be food in soft white bread rolls, as in a chip barm.
Another dish that was new to me was the ‘Babies Head’, pronounced ‘BAB-EES HEED’. You will be relieved to know it is not quite as cannibalistic as it sounds – it is actually a pie where the pastry is replaced by suet.
Not feeling very adventurous, I opted for the tried and tested cod and chips, which turned out to be very enjoyable.
As well as these culinary delights, my sister’s home town boasted a nearby nature reserve:
The last place I expected a totem pole!
On a very bright and sunny Friday morning we all piled into my sisters car at around 11 o’clock for the trip to Lytham St Anne’s.
I can’t remember what roads we took – all I can recall was that most of them headed towards Preston.
The trip was amazingly quick – we we’re pulling up to a cafe on the St Anne’s beach side at 11.40 am! I treated the family to a coffee while we consumed lunch, after which we checked into our apartment – here’s a snap:
Home from home?
Here are a few more pics from my time at Lytham St Anne’s:
We were there for around three nights but packed a lot in – I got some minor sunburn on the beach next to the pier on one of the hottest days on record.
The damage was randomly distributed. There were a couple of red blotches above my knees, and a red strip burnt just above my sock line. Lord knows what I was doing with that sun block!
With the help of my sister, a few of the pubs near our apartment were tried, all of which were wrestling with the newly imposed COVID restrictions.
There was no service at the bar. Drinks needed to be ordered at your table, and if, like us, you were seated outside, there could be a lengthy wait involved. It was possible to pay by cash, though.
The highlight for me was watching the 2020 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea on the extremely high-spec telly in our apartment.
It turned out to be rather lively game – Arsenal went a goal behind after about three minutes, and were under severe pressure.
When Arsenal battled back to clinch a 2-1 victory, I cannot tell you how happy and relieved I was!
The Gunners finally had some silverware – not to mention Europa League Football! Thursday night footy was back on the cards despite a woeful eighth-place finish in the Premier League.
Celebrations were very much in order – I treated the family to a Thai meal in a restaurant located in nearby Lytham. I had the odd pint as well. It turned out to be an exceptionally good evening.
As with most holidays, time passed much too quickly. It seemed like no time had passed at all before we were heading back to London. We had an early start – we said goodbye to my sister before catching the 7:30 am train back to London.
We were back in New Malden just after 12 noon.
I would definitely take up my sister’s kind offer to visit her in Wigan again – and I found the above experience proved that another break is likely to be on the cards.
Bring it on!
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