When I was younger and in the Brownies (the 80's) we used to go to Butlins on day trips.
I pulled these photos from the online archive.
Obviously it wasn't black and white when I went there but I remember this rocking horse and everything in this playground.
I never went on that pineapple spider spinning top but that track village behind had pastel bug cars and I remember that. It was magical but I worried that unless I was responsible, the car would come off the track and we would all plunge to our death.
I can't forget that every time I went to Butlins I wet myself because I could never find the toilets.
That I can thankfully say is no longer a problem.
I think I had more fun in this pool than any other child, I'd never seen anything like it.
There was also an indoor pool that was unbearably hot in the summer but one day I remember walking into a bar, it was so dark, black walls? You could make out the booths to sit at because at the end of the tables were large windows that allowed you to watch the legs and underwater swimmers in the pool.
Awesome 70's and SCARY!
On this rainy off peak day the Day Visitors end to Butlins looks like this, not like the TV adverts at all!
There is a council car park opposite and the lady who worked the Butlins booth was amazingly helpful in finding me the old style pound coins that fitted the parking meter.
Yep, I've emailed them lots of praise for this John Lewis level customer service.
We headed for the swimming pool that is their SPLASH center. With bad eye sight and two small children I wanted to get this activity out the way so I could get tea afterwards. I don't have pictures but there is loads to do.
On a rainy Thursday it is still completely rammed and the water jets/flumes/torrents are so loud it makes it impossible for you to yell at your kids successfully when they run off.
I felt safe enough to let T on the bigger slides and come and find me and P at a designated area after a couple of turns on something. The life guards were so helpful when I was trying to work out, due to height restrictions which child I could allow on what. Although I did worry for their blood pressure as it seems company policy to cover tattoos with Tubifast bandaging.
We had a Burger King for lunch and my selective veganism went out the window.
On the little rides there are signs, Keep Your Limbs Inside The Ride, or similar.
The operators 'hi 5' the kids as they go round and they love it! Hence all these photos being blurry. My girls were knocked out that these ride were free and they could go on them as may times as possible.
Threatening them with ice cream meant that we could finally leave the big tent.
Outside we made the last rides of the day. They were closing up early because of the rain.
As a nice surprise the winds caught the canopy and the rain came flying in your face.
The attendant very smiley looked like she had had enough and said she was heading for home and a hot chocolate on the sofa. She was so lovely!
T was the only one on the 'chair a plane', so due to her travel sickness we, including the operator agreed that should she shout pineapple he would stop the ride for her.
How nice was that.
She made it but said that had it gone round a couple more times she would have shouted out but couldn't remember if it was peach or cucumber.
P's favourite quiet time movie is Lady and the Tramp so she just had to have a turn in this.
What made it funny for her is when you put your £ in, it plays loudly 'who let the dogs out,WOOF WOOF'
So Disney.
Getting to the end of the day and as we were leaving I let them have a go on the slots. They both lost their buckets of 2p's in those coin sliding machines but they are such great fun 60p between two is really nothing.
Then P wanted to win a baby Meerkat, and that is where the drama started.
I have never won any toy from one of these machines why did I think this time would be so different.
I checked my purse and had some change for plenty of turns and for it not to get out of hand.
oh dear.
T said, I will get one for you P, if it's the last thing I do.
We changed machines after someone told us it had recently been pumped with £coins, should we have stuck to the original machine?????
Things got tense.
With P's wobbly chin I broke into the £20 note I had planned on taking home with me.
But nothing.
I am not kidding, a lady we never met started putting money in to see if she had the luck.
This was the face that left Butlins.
Ha!
If a member of staff stopped us as we were leaving and enquired why we were crying and produced a baby Meerkat, we would have become life long members.
But no miracles today.
G rolled his eyes and sighed heavily at this tale, but I pointed out that had he seen her face he would have remortgaged the house for one of those Kats. He didn't put up a fight and gave her a cuddle.
I don't think we could have managed the couple of nights stay that I was planning, we would have run out of things to do, but that could have been because of the weather and maybe because we are used to what a seaside town has to offer.
I'd like to see if my mind changes when the sun come out.
A day trip for us was brilliant and I am sure we will go again when our friends from The Rock come next year.
P didn't stay like this for long. Within 5 minutes we were standing looking at the windy sea and all was forgotten.
We drove through Arundel on the way home, about 5:30, maybe because it was one of those Autumn days, I saw 12 people, one car and a man driving a tractor, that was it.
Incredible.
The heating is on and I am done ready for winter.
CM
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