Nina's Blog - Thursday 18th September 2025

@skimpyboy Swindon in the 1960s was a good place to live, wasn't too bad in the 1970s. But it has lost its way and gone downhill since. The few people I have stayed in contact from my childhood there have moved out. One to France, one only a few miles out of town but he and and his wife now visit the town less often than I do. My sister moved out and also very rarely visits the town and when she does it is almost always to shopping centres on the outskirts.

I recommend that you don't bother visiting!

@ninalanyon lots of places have gone the same way , most places round North Wales are deserted and Blackpool and Fleetwood need massive investment

@skimpyboy Yes, I spent a week in Rhyl in January 2024 when I was toying with the idea of spending winters in the UK and summers in Norway. I gave up that idea rather quickly in favour of what i did this year. Rhyl was a bit dull but not too bad.

I spent three nights in Blackpool in May 2022 and that was considerably worse than North Wales; by far the most depressing town I have ever visited. The B&B I stayed in to the north of the centre was good but the centre of the town was dreadfully run down and not to my taste at all.

I walked the length of the prom twice looking for a tea shop or coffee shop that offered anything more interesting than fish and chips or all day breakfast in surroundings that were more comfortable than a run down works canteen. I found one right at the northern edge of the centre called the Clock Cafe (I think), https://similarworlds.com/random-subjects/whiteboards/4337856-Ninas-Blog-Saturday-21st-May-2022.

It was cheap enough to get drunk there and grim looking accommodation was cheap too but I just can't imagine many people visiting more than once.