Blackpool International Contress
Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 October 1998

This year's Contress again promises to be rather special with people from Canada and some very special guests planning to attend.

HELP NEEDED !!
We desperately need someone in the UK volunteering to be 'Producer' for this year's Contress.
Other attendees will give you all the help they can...

Can I come ?
Of course you can ! If you are a Coronation Street fan, and if you are reading this consider yourself invited. EVERYBODY is more than welcome to attend.

 

When is it happening ?
From Friday evening 2 October to Sunday afternoon 4 October 1998

 

What is happening ?
The highlight will of course be a trip around The World of Coronation Street - but there's load of other attractions including the world famous Blackpool Illuminations, the world famous Blackpool Pleasure Beach, a pint of beer in the Rovers (ladies are allowed a glass of milk stout), fish and chips, mushy peas, slices of white bread and steaming mugs of tea, kiss-me-quick hats, donkeys....
If you've never been to Blackpool before experience something you've NEVER experienced before. An essential part of life in NW England !

The vague itinery looks like this at the moment:

Friday 3 October
Arrival for those keen individuals who want to go on the Grand National twice on Saturday (!)

Saturday 4 October
AM: Arrival - the earlier the better because...
Afternoon: Pleasure Beach
Teatime: Fish, chips, mushy peas, mug of tea, sliced white bread
Early evening: tram ride to see the lights
Later evening: Pints of Newton & Ridleys (if we can get into the Rovers) and milk stouts for the women.
Luxurious overnight accomodation (!)

Sunday 5 October
Late (!) AM: Down to South Promenade to the "World of Coronation Street"
Lunch: Hollands meat pie and chips
PM: Teletubbies bye-bye

 

Where will I stay ?
Northern sensibilities are compulsory to run accommodation in Blackpool - so there's plenty of cheap (UKP10 upwards) accommodation ... BUT it does get booked quickly, so it's advisable to book as early as you can, otherwise you may have difficulties finding suitable accommodation. It will be highly unlikely that you will be able to get any accommodation 'last minute' in Blackpool - you have been warned !

The hotel booked by the bulk of the attendees is:

The Royal Glen Hotel
46 Hull Road
BLACKPOOL FY1 4QB

Telephone: 01253 623721
Contact: Peter Chissendon

Most of us are actually staying in a hotel just down the road that the Royal Glen uses for overspill bookings but some of the party have managed to get booked into the The Royal Glen itself. If you are looking for accommodation do give Peter a ring and say you are coming to Blackpool with Mike Plowman's Coronation Street mob and Peter will be happy to sort you out if he possibly can. A very nice man!

There are some more attendees staying in:

The Hopes Pleasant Hotel
Pleasant Street
BLACKPOOL FY1 2HU

Telephone: 01253 625707
Fax: 01253 751029

If you've left it too late and you can't get into one of the hotels listed above, The Virtual Blackpool site has loads of hotels on it: http://www.blackpool.com/accom/hotels.html

If you do think you are likely to be coming (and especially if you have booked any accommodation) please drop Mike Plowman (mike.plowman@dial.pipex.com) a line and he will add you to the Blackpool Contress '98 mailing list.

 

How do I get there ?

From the UK
Blackpool is at the end of the M55, a motorway spur off the M6, so there's no problem getting there by car - though parking can be (an expensive !) problem.

There are plenty of other transport links. British Rail (or whatever privitised name they are called this week) run a service to Blackpool from most of the country - see the Railtrack Timetable or try National Rail Enquiries on 0345 484950.

National Express Coaches also run services to Blackpool (far cheaper than the train !). You can also contact them by phone on 0990 808080

And for those of you with more money than sense, Blackpool also has its' own airport...

 

From outside the UK (thanks to Darlene Wakely for compiling this)
The following are somes tips and URLs which Darlene found helpful in trying to get there from North America.

All the information is based on rates in effect for dates around the 3rd and 4th of October 1998. Charter flights to Manchester from Toronto through to Halifax are C$762 return including taxes with the following airlines:

Canada 3000
Royal Airlines See http://www.sunflight.com
Air Transat (haven't yet found their URL)

These are direct flights. Prices to depart from points west of T.O., ie Calagary or Vancouver are about C$125 higher.

Air Canada has one from Toronto to Manchester via Glasgow (which adds about an hour to the flight) but it is about C$200 more.

That's fine but how does one get to Blackpool? There are several private coach companies offering service directly from Manchester airport. They must make a lot of stops in Manchester because that trip takes another 23/4 hours. There is also train service at the airport as well. The trip is about 13/4 hours. The train makes 3 stops along the Pleasure Beach, including at the South Pier which is where the festivities will be. I don't know where the coaches stop.

Accomodation: There's different information (with some overlapping) at the following three sites. At a couple of them, one can even book online. Nice for those of us across the pond! One can search for all types of rated accomodation, from B&B's to modest through expensive hotels, even self- catering facilities. Unless there's a Marks & Spencer or Tesco's nearby, I wouldn't bother with the latter :-)

http://www.s-h-systems.co.uk
http://www.theaa.co.uk
http://www.visitbritain.com
http://www.knowhere.co.uk

And for coupon-cutting cherry-pickers with short arms and deep pockets (like me) there are helpful hints at:

http://www.soon.org.uk/britain.htm


corrie.net

Back to ratucs

Back to Chat

Back to corrie.net