Donuts and Snails

Initially I wasn't going to include Great Yarmouth on our list of day trips for our holiday. I took Simon there the very first time that he came to Norfolk to meet the family and so thought maybe we should go somewhere different.  In the end though I couldn't resist, it is the perfect place for a fun filled date.

Great Yarmouth is seaside heaven, think Blackpool but on a smaller scale.  It has everything your young heart could possibly wish for, and more! 

We arrived mid morning and were delighted at how quiet the seafront was.  Picking to go on holiday before the schools broke up meant that we got a beautiful warm and sunny day but with barely any tourists around.

Our first call of the day was donuts.  We were on a bit of a foodie mission and we knew the only way we'd get to eat everything that we'd planned would be to start early.   We managed to walk the whole length of the seafront before picking where to get our sugary treats from.  We ended up choosing a little kiosk opposite the pier run by a delightful lady from Greece who introduced us to the wonder that is cinnamon donuts.

On her recommendation she shook cinnamon into our donut bag and we were blown away by how amazing they tasted.   There's no going back, from now on we will always want cinnamon on our hot donuts and I urge you all to give them a try.

After our bellies were full and our mouths we're complete caked in sugar and cinnamon we headed to Pirate Cove Crazy Golf.  Although the most expensive course on the front (£7.00 per adult) it is money well spent.  Its pirate theme is really fun, its very well looked after and is beautifully landscaped so its easily the best course in Great Yarmouth.

As usual I was completely rubbish and Simon made my limited crazy golf skills look lame. 

 

 

We couldn't go to Great Yarmouth without having a little go in the arcades so next on the agenda was throwing away some money trying to grab a Minion (those machines are so frustrating). This was swiftly followed by losing all our change in the 2p machines and having a go on the dance machines (so much harder than I remember it being 10 years ago).

Next we made our way to the Model Village, somewhere that my Dad used to take me every Summer in the 1980s.  He has recently donated his Coy Carp to the pond in the village which means we have free entry for life so I thought it was worth taking a long overdue look.

The Village sets the scene of "Merrivale" a very lively village full of drama and gorgeous houses.  Each miniature model comes with some cute little village folk, all telling a story.  It is a fantastic place for a stroll and would be perfect to take children, it's the kind of place that lets the imagination run wild.  Our favourite of the little stories was the "Shot Gun Wedding" that was taking place outside the Church.

The models are set out in the most beautifully groomed garden, bursting with colourful flowers which also has water features, moving models, a working train and of course the large fish pond where you can feed my Dad's fish.

At the end of your visit round the village you'll find a mini golf course that is included in the admission fee and the Old Penny Arcade featuring lots of fascinating vintage slot machines.  There's also a tea room which I've heard serves the best cakes in Great Yarmouth so clearly  I'll need to head back to give that a try.

Unfortunately cake was off the agenda this time as we opted for fish and chips in my favourite little café on the Britannia Pier.

We continued our afternoon with a hike back to the other end of the seafront for a look round the Pleasure Beach. I'm usually pretty careful not to go on any of the rides as it can start to add up but as we were having such a great time and we were on holiday we decided to allow ourselves a small amount of indulgence.

I went on the carousel for the first time in years and then decided that I had to take Simon on the snails.  The snails have been at the Pleasure Beach since the 60s and anyone who's grown up in Norfolk knows how amazing they are and has a great deal of fondness for them.

To the casual observer the snails are a short ride for children that runs round a track showing scenes from fairy stories but to those of us of a certain age they are a ride full of wonderful memories.

 

 Yes I really did make Simon pose for a very cheesy "we're on the snails" selfie!
 

We then had a go on the rollercoaster which is the Pleasure Beach's star attraction, originally built in the 1930s it is made of wood and is the only coaster of its kind in the UK.  The train operates with a single pull up and then gravity does the rest of the work before the "brakeman" who rides the train slams on the brakes to bring the coaster to a stop. 

It's absolutely thrilling and definitely worth a ride if you're ever in Great Yarmouth.  I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to fast rides but as it was the first time Simon and I had ever been on a rollercoaster together I was a very brave girl and managed not to scream (even if I secretly wanted to).

We finished our day with the last of our food treats, an ice-cream cone with the full works.  I knew exactly what I wanted.  A chocolate cone with Mr Whippy dipped in Beligan Chocolate and topped with hundreds and thousands.  Heaven!

Let me know your favourite seaside town to play in and I'll add it to my adventure list!