Trip 16: Cleethorpes Showground,
Cleethorpes , Lincs
We had an interesting drive with a road closed and no diversion. We managed to negotiate some narrow but quiet lanes to rejoin the main road. Around the next bend was a road closed sign but there was only a few cones and vehicles just drove around them.
We found the campsite easily, well the sat nav did. We were soon setup on a fairly level pitch. The site is well maintained and has all the facilities available.
After lunch we walked into Cleethorpes via the coastal path and the promenade.
Once we arrived at the town we headed away from the arcade shops and there was a Wetherspoons.
This pub was originally the Coliseum Theatre but it has been converted. It still retains some of the original architecture and is beautifully restored over three floors.
We sat downstairs and people watched. One lady in particular caught our attention because we thought she was looking for work, so to speak.
We continued our walk around the town and headed home, we stopped at Willy’s pub and Brewery. We just had a half to try their own brew, it was quite a good beer so we may call in again to try a full pint. We continued home.
Tea tonight is a Gordon Ramsey shepherds pie to finish off the day.
Day 2:
We walked into town to find a coop for some coleslaw, but they did not have any, then we found a Sainsbury’s with plenty of choice.
Our walk then took us to the train station and along the front towards Grimsby. There was not a lot to see so we turned around and headed home.
The sun was still warm but the clouds were rolling in from the sea.
In the park we were passed by the Coastal train.
There is a Halloween theme and the kids were looking for clues as the train made its way towards Lakeside.
We got to the end of the line via a footpath and here we called in at The Signal Box which claims to be the smallest pub on the Planet. It is about 8’ x 6’ with half of that taken up by the bar so you get your drinks and sit outside under the cover of the station roof.
The sun had now gone and it was getting cold as the wind got stronger. The forecast of rain was correct and we just made it back to the motorhome as the rain fell.
Day 3:
We went for a walk in in a different direction today, we walked behind the campsite to the mudflats but there was a path we could follow to the sand as the tide was out.
The beach or sand bars were covered with empty shells, from Razor clams, cockles, and oyster shells that were very old looking at the number of shell layers.
Looking out to sea you could make out Spurn Point, the Lighthouse ( now a visitor centre) and the old Lifeboat Station. The largest objective in the centre of the picture is one of the two old Forts that guarded the estuary and Hull.
We found the Humberstone railway station but it was derelict and the track had not been used for years. It is a shame because it doubled the size of the coast railway.
We came across a sculpture of the earth showing the Meridian line that passes through Cleethorpes. I forgot to take a pic of the line itself, next time.
Further on we walked past a row of beach huts that were made of brick as opposed to wood. The majority of them have new locks and they are still in use although they are a long way from a beach. One of the huts had a Banksy style painting.
We called back to Iona and then walked into Cleethorpes. My hip was hurting so we stopped off at Willy’sBar for a beer before continuing into town.
We were looking for the fish & Chip shops that had been recommended to us. We found all three. One was a takeaway and one looked quite posh, judging by the prices. The third one looked ok but it was busy so we wandered onto the Wetherspoons to while away the time until we were hungry.
It was 15.00 and I noticed that they did special deals in the afternoon so we ordered two Fish & Chips, a large wine and a pint. The total was £16.40 only slightly more than one Fish & Chip portion at the posh restaurant.….We’ll be back.
The sun was out and it was a great walk back to the campsite along the prom.
Tomorrow we head home. A sad day because this is our last planned trip this year. Next year is in the planning stage and again we will revisit our favourite sites and hopefully find some new ones.
