February school half-term and I had a visit from the grandchildren to plan for which can be a stressful experience as generally when they visit they spend a week dismantling and redecorating the house and trashing the garden .
As always I made some preparations but this is rather like building the Maginot Line, a good idea, very expensive but ultimately useless!
Since 2011 I have lived in the east coast town of Grimsby and every so when they visit it is my job to arrange entertainment. This can be a challenge because to be honest and I don’t think I am being unfair here there just isn’t a great deal to do in Grimsby.
I like the town but it has to be said that it is an odd place. It is a community in decline. On the south bank of the Humber Estuary it is so far east that the only place to go after this is the North Sea and there aren’t any ferries to Europe as they are in Hull on the north side of the river. It is a dead end. It is a place that you only go to by choice. No one visits Grimsby by accident. You cannot stumble upon it while taking a leisurely drive along the coast as say in Northumberland or East Anglia. It can never be an unexpected discovery. You don’t go to Grimsby unless you are going to Grimsby!
This half-term I decided to find a reasonably priced hotel and let them trash someone else’s place instead. Unfortunately for the Premier Inn Company I chose their hotel in Beverley in Yorkshire just a few miles north of Hull, the UK Capital of Culture for 2017.
We arrived late on Monday afternoon and proceeded immediately to take the place apart – I was sure that the police would arrive at any minute in a blitz of flashing blue lights and screeching sirens to take us away. Within minutes it looked like Belgium after the German army had driven through in 1940 on the way to France. But all was not lost and eventually they calmed down and we went for evening meal in the dining room which we managed to leave an hour or so later without completely destroying the place.
Next day it was a lovely late Winter morning and after breakfast I made a decision that it was worth making a short journey to the coast to the North Sea town of Hornsea. It took us about thirty minutes to drive there.
On arrival I was immediately impressed. I live near the resort town of Cleethorpes but although it is a popular holiday resort it has to be said that it is just a muddy estuary where the sea is barely visible for long periods of the day but this was real North Sea coast with a raging sea, barnacled groynes, pounding surf, churning water and a pebble beach clattering away as it was constantly rearranged by the tidal surge.
I liked it but the children liked it even more and once down on the beach they made a run for the sea. I called after them to stop but it was hopeless, shouting into a wind that just carried my instructions away back towards the promenade and they charged like the Light Brigade towards the water.
Inevitably they fell in. William first and then Patsy, Molly managed to stay vertical but still got soaked by the waves. I had no change of clothing of course (a lesson learned there) so after I had dragged them from the sea we had to walk a while and let the stiff wind blow the moisture from their clothes. Marks out of 10 for Granddad – ZERO.
I liked Hornsea, a seaside town off the main visitor route, rather inaccessible and certainly not on any main tourist trail. I would absolutely go back there again, maybe even for a weekend break (no children).
Wet through we returned to Beverley to the Premier Inn where we changed and showered and then simply enjoyed the room. None of the children were enthusiastic about visiting the town centre and I wasn’t going to argue with them on that point because being around shops with children can be another challenge so we wasted the afternoon away as we prepared for a second night in the dining room and a plan to spoil everyone else’s evening!
Sounds like it was a success.
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The children just love a couple of nights at the Premier Inn!
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Those piccies brought back east riding memories for me.
Why live in grimsby if it’s a nothing town? Cheap?
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Work. Kim has a job here but she retires this year so we aim to leave and head north to County Durham.
Actually, I am a bit harsh on Grimsby, it isn’t a visitor sort of place, there is no Tourist Information Centre and you can’t even buy a postcard of the town but for day to day living it isn’t bad at all and as you say it is cheap!
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Durham? Gloomy county. Northumberland is waaaaay nicer.
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Northumberland too far north for me and my family in Derbyshire and Durham is Kim’s home county.
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Much as I think Yks is beautiful I wouldn’t retire there. Just, too much past history. If I went anywhere in the UK it would be one extreme or the other, maybe Cornwall, more likely the Hebrides. Beautiful. One of the best holidays (and weather) I ever had.
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Mid Wales for me but Kim and I can’t agree on that! Cornwall might be a bit busy and expensive but the Scottish Islands sound like a good idea!
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We’d never go to Wales just like we’d never go to Yorkshire! Neither of us do going back. Forgot about the Grockles in Cornwall. West coast of Ireland might be nice too, but my heart was smitten with the western isles. Not sure which one though. A close second would be the mainland west coast, maybe up near Poolewe. That was the good thing about Newcastle/Northumberland – Scotland wasn’t far away. Not sure about Sturgeon though …
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Sturgeon frightens me enough to rule out Scotland. Ireland maybe?
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Yeah Sturgeon is scary. But still I dream of the western isles. Complete with many upgraded crofts courtesy of EU grants.
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Sounds great
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Thanks, I appreciate that!
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Good job kids are resilient! It would have been triple pneumonia otherwise 🙂 I still have no recollection of Hornsea itself- just the pottery along a lane somewhere near.
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The pottery factory itself is gone now but there is a museum somewhere in the town. Nothing on earth/no amount of money would persuade me to take my grandchildren there, especially the boy!
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Yes- I did think that as I typed 🙂
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Only go to Durham if you like cold and unrelenting wind. My daughter studied there for nearly ten years and My God, it’s cold and windy. And you haven’t got the foggiest idea what the locals are talking about for the first three years. Having said that, they all do have hearts of gold.
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I am used to cold winds living on the east coast. I like County Durham, Bishop Auckland is a town on the up!
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Sounds like you had your hands full with your grandchildren – what a wonderful experience you provided them.
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They enjoyed it and so did I. Thanks for the comment.
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Hornsea is good for fossils washed out of the soft cliffs at high tide. Keeps kids occupied especially if they find one early. But very windy. We’ve lost footballs there, blown away so fast even Usain Bolt would struggle to catch up.
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Children filled a bag with cuttlefish bones and insisted on bringing them home. I had to persuade them that they needed to go in the bin because of the smell!
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“Marks out of 10 for Granddad – ZERO.” Love it. A little harsh, though. 😀
You all came back in one piece. That’s not zero. 😛
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Thanks Tess. We got back OK for sure but the children were a little damp!
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I thought of the cold, but you got them back safe. How about seven out of ten. So much better than zero. 🙂
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Sounds like a fun time… bet you slept well that night.
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HaHa! Have you ever stayed in a family room at Premier Inn?
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Yes – love the Premier Inn, it’s our first choice now! Our son is a big fan of the breakfasts.
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The family room is great value although it was a bit of a squeeze this time when we sneaked Kim in later after check in.
The breakfast is the best reason to stay there. I buy the adult meal deal and I get 3 kid’s breakfasts for free. Beverley has a good breakfast but best of all is at Hull city centre!
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I have been to Blundell Park in ’90 In think. 1-1 draw v Man City. All I remember is a pub, fab fish & chips and the match. Can’t even remember how I got there!
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Blundell Park, sadly long gone! Did you have a Hull Pattie Butty? It is a regional speciality but is no more than a mashed fried potato (think of a fishcake) eaten in a bread bun. Ricky Gervais upset all of Hull when he dissed it on the One Show!
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No I didn’t, next time! It was actually 2000. I remember there being one turnstyle open and hundreds of City fans trying to get. We got in at 3.05 and were walking round the pitch to get to the away end and were therefore right by the players when City scored and a few fans joined the celebrations. Didnt know BP had gone.
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Sorry, Blundell Park in Grimsby/Cleethorpes is about to go, I thought you were in Hull.
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Well done Grandad Andrew! I hope you have recovered and that the redecoration bill from Premier wasn’t too high!
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I managed to patch things up before we checked out!
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Hornsea is a fabulous place. Pat (my wife) and I often drive up their for walks along the promenade and to feed the birds (ducks, geese, swans, gulls etc) at the Hornsea Mere. They also have a wonderful shopping area… Hornsea Freeport. We live in Hull, but it’s well-worth the 20-30 minute drive for an afternoon or day out. Hornsea is a gem and you decribe the sea front wonderfully… Great pics!
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Thanks Kev. I absolutely intend to return to Hornsea and spend a weekend there. I really enjoyed that seafront but I might skip the shopping!
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Lol… yeah, skip the shopping. 😀 You’ll enjoy the mere though… and they have a cafe! 😉
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Andrew I laughed out loud! I bet Grandad got more than a zero from his little fan club. Glad to hear the police didn’t arrive on scene although that would have made quite the story. 🙂
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My grandson has a thing about switches. Next morning at breakfast, unbeknown to me, me managed to wriggle under the buffet table and turn off the kettle and the toaster. I only realised what he might have done when a bemused crowd of people suddenly surrounded the malfunctioning appliances!
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Oh my he has a mischievous streak. Do you suppose he gets that from his Grandad? 🙂
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No, No, No!
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lol, sounds like you had your hands very full, Andrew. I’m guessing no pier where you could buy them candyfloss or a toffee apple so that it added to the sugar rush?
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Hornsea had a pier built in 1880 but it was blown away in a storm the same year. It was rebuilt and lasted until 1897. There is no pier now Hugh, I doubt any pier along the north sea coast would last very long.
Good job – they don’t need else to supplement their own natural sugar rush.
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Sounds very much like Brighton’s West pier. When we moved back to Wales from Brighton last year, the pier had almost disappeared. Such a shame, as it was a beautiful Victorian structure. Some of the movie, ‘Carry On Girls’ was filmed on the pier.
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Interesting piece of trivia, thanks Hugh. Cleethorpes still has its pier but being on an estuary it doesn’t have to stand up to such brutal weather.
I did a post about it once… https://apetcher.wordpress.com/2016/02/04/three-trains-cleethorpes-amusement-arcades-and-the-english-pier/
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Awesome pictures.. 👍👍👍
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Thank you!
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Lovely and a totally other world for me that I’m not familiar with, interesting post!
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It is remote even for those of us who live in UK – not easy to get to!
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Had quite a chuckle reading this! We had our 2 little granddaughters staying over last weekend – we were absolutely exhausted come Sunday afternoon! Our house had been rearranged and I now know every line of the Snow White movie off by heart. They are such fun though – keeps us young!!
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Not so sure about that – just spent another two days with them!
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Yes know the feeling! We were out at an engagement party last night and my daughter couldn’t get a babysitter (mainly because we were going to the same event!) so we had the girls with us. So tired today!!
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I’ve got a grandson who didn’t come with a pause button!
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I gather boys are like that! So far we’ve only had girls in our family – daughters and now granddaughters!
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Pingback: On This Day – Entertaining Grandchildren | Have Bag, Will Travel
I loved this post.
It’s many years since I was at Hornsea; my late husband worked a few summer seasons in Scarborough and we made a point of visiting the pottery every year. I’m sorry it’s gone.
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Very collectable now I understand.
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I should turn out the dresser and see if I have anything left!
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Well. I’ve never been to Hornsea. You’ve made it seem that I’ve missed out.
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It is rather nice, traditional I would say, good beach. Hornsea Mere is worth a look.
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Well, if we can’t manage sunnier climes, who knows?
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It is going to be a magnificent 2021 English Summer. I get my jab next week.
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Oh you young thing you. I had mine two weeks ago.
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Lasting memories for you all. Would you have any way of verifying Mum’s history given in this post?: https://derrickjknight.com/2019/07/22/beckys-research/
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How fascinating. His nearest studio to where I live would have been either Hull or Beverley, Hull most likely. It is a long shot but I will take a look in the museum of street life next time I go there. It doesn’t seem that he crossed the Humber into Lincolnshire.
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It is my Great Grandmother, Elizabeth Franks I wonder about – according to my mother her parents ran a Grimsby trawler fleet?
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I will take a look in the Fishing Heritage Museum when it reopens. I have got a season ticket. there are lots of pictures in there.
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Thanks a lot.
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Is that a married name? What was the parents name?
https://sites.google.com/site/ukboatsgycouk/grimsby-registration-numbers-2/grimsby-registered-boats
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Thanks for the link, Andrew. Mum says Franks was her maiden name – and that she married a Hunter. I guess you can’t do much more, and appreciate your efforts.
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I will have a look in the museum. You never know.
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🙂 It was some years ago that Mum told me this – when her memory was more reliable.
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I know where you’re coming from. Living on an island devoted to tourists I have a houseful of youngsters every summer (except 2020 and, more than likely, 2021) with the youngest ones delighting in digging up my garden when days at the beach become too much for their parents – and me.
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To be honest, I am looking forward to them coming again and causing chaos.
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Me, too!
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Really funny, Andrew. I can only imagine the consternation you felt in the dining room. I’m assuming a slight bit of exaggeration, but maybe not! 🙂 On occasion I have found myself in a hotel/motel room next to a wild bunch of banshees, or worse, depending on the thickness of the floor, below them. That’s when a good sound maker can be worths its weight in gold! –Curt
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They have calmed down a bit now Curt.
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Thank god kid’s do that. 🙂
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The fun they are having jumps out of those pictures!
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It was rather wild that day!
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