Albany Lodge

Back to the 50s/60s/70s........

by leics

Portrush is a typical UK seaside town, its clientele coming for daytrips as well as longer holidays.

With two wonderful stretches of sandy beach either side of a headland, it's in a lovely spot on the coastline.

And you'll find all the 'classic' elements of the UK seaside town here:

b&bs/guesthouses in large Victorian or Edwardian villas, with plenty of rules and regulations

slot machine arcades

a small funfair

'bracing' walks laid out around the headland

souvenir shops galore

fish & chip and fast food shops

bowling greens and tennis courts

a small harbour

acres of caravan parks

and so on and so forth.

But what really did surprise me was the number of derelict, boarded-up properties and, in some cases, unfilled gaps in the rows of villas where houses had been demolished. I think properties have been brought up for 'development' into apartments etc....and the money is simply no longer there because of the economic recession. A huge pity, because the effect is to make the town look rather rundown. Perhaps it is?

I only stayed for one night; it was simply a convenient stopping point for my tour around the north.

One night was enough for me to explore the town, and to take a wander around the headland (accessible for wheelchairs ...I noticed a fair number of 'retirement homes' in the town).

The harbour is pretty, the beaches superb (if often chilly)........and there are rockpools for the children to explore.

I saw a bottle-nosed dolphin pootling around in the evening; that was good. Basking sharks are not uncommon here, and porpoises too.

I discovered that one part of the shoreline is massively important in geological terms.

I spotted the odd bit of interesting architecture from Portrush's heyday as a coastal resort.

I had a pleasant-enough meal in a bar absolutely heaving with customers of all ages. Perhaps not the best choice for a single person as I felt rather in the way of the umpteen families-with-kids, but I was hungry and the choice of eating places was limited on a Monday night (possibly whay the place was heaving with customers).

Portrush is usefully placed for an overnight stay or a meal break. There is a vast amount of free parking on the headland (several motorhomes took advantage of this for their overnight stays).

If you like classic seaside holidays, it's ideal for families with children.

But it's not somewhere which appealed much to me.