This was a swim packed with nostalgia; the iconic and sadly decaying nature of our British coastal seaside swimming resorts. Blackpool was, in its heyday, a leading national seaside swimming holiday destination. Also the coastline’s notoriously challenging and sometimes treacherous sea conditions, with strong currents and quick-sand when the tide pulls out, gave the swim a taste of adventure and challenge.
I was especially interested to celebrate the right to swim in the Irish Sea on the Lancashire coast as the Marine Conservation Society had warned in 2013 that swimming here (along with 45 other seaside locations around the UK) could be banned if the beaches were not cleaned up. The resort earned its internationally recognised Blue Flag status in 2016 and is one of 65 beaches in England to hold the award in 2018. The clean beach awards at Blackpool were achieved through the hard work and dedication of Keep Britain Tidy’s LOVEmyBEACH campaign and are the result of working with local volunteers to keep the beaches and bathing waters clean.