Anywhere nice?

Everybody, everybody in the house of love!

I've ended up in a static caravan in Clacton-on-Sea for a few days! It's the first time I've been in Essex since circa 1986!

I think it's quite a new caravan and there are only two of us so it feels quite roomy and has two (small) bathrooms - a feat I've never had in a caravan before.

Ended up driving past what I believe is Fanchester and... Somebodyelsechester to get here.

Congratulations.

I am also in Essex this month, so I may be as little as 30 miles from you at this very moment!

Fangirl Three wrote:Congratulations.

I am also in Essex this month, so I may be as little as 30 miles from you at this very moment!

You may have been even closer than that today - as it was lightly raining we decided to visit actual Fanchester! Spent a couple of hours in the city centre. It was quite pleasant, a nice tall tower thingy in the High Street area and a castle with gardens. And the city centre is surprisingly elevated with distant views down some streets. There were the usual shops, and some works going on around the outside of the shopping centre/mall which seemed to be annoying people. Heard some great Essex accents.  

A couple more interesting people interactions:

An older blind gentleman with a guide dog coming in the opposite direction stopped a man to ask where Culver Street was. The man answered: "Sorry, I don't know, I'm from Canada!" We didn't know where it was either until noticing the name later on.

Towards the end we were walking down the High Street carrying heavy bags and we both thought we were being approached by a young street canvasser trying to sell/advertise something and we both said no thank you. She replied in a huff "I was only trying to ask directions - why is everyone so rude?!" We just carried on walking.

a nice tall tower thingy in the High Street area

That's 'Jumbo' the water tower, which Fanchester business people are constantly boasting about acquiring and turning into a restaurant/nightclub/flats, and constantly failing to deliver.

and a castle with gardens

Castle Park was one of my favourite places when I lived in Fanchester. Municipal gardens old-style.

There were the usual shops

One of the sad things about living there was that fewer and fewer of the usual shops were still open. I went back in February to go to the dentist, and even the M&S had closed down.

Butterfield wrote:

Fangirl Three wrote:Congratulations.

I am also in Essex this month, so I may be as little as 30 miles from you at this very moment!

You may have been even closer than that today - as it was lightly raining we decided to visit actual Fanchester! Spent a couple of hours in the city centre. It was quite pleasant, a nice tall tower thingy in the High Street area and a castle with gardens. And the city centre is surprisingly elevated with distant views down some streets. There were the usual shops, and some works going on around the outside of the shopping centre/mall which seemed to be annoying people. Heard some great Essex accents.  

A couple more interesting people interactions:

An older blind gentleman with a guide dog coming in the opposite direction stopped a man to ask where Culver Street was. The man answered: "Sorry, I don't know, I'm from Canada!" We didn't know where it was either until noticing the name later on.

Towards the end we were walking down the High Street carrying heavy bags and we both thought we were being approached by a young street canvasser trying to sell/advertise something and we both said no thank you. She replied in a huff "I was only trying to ask directions - why is everyone so rude?!" We just carried on walking.

Oh, welcome to the south. You’ve gone native already.

I have to say, I quite like Clacton. It's nicer than many of the other seaside towns I've been to around the country. The town centre itself is a little... underwhelming, but the beaches and endless promenades are lovely - and were empty today despite it being sunny!

We took a drive round the infamous nearby Jaywick - that was actually slightly worse than I was expecting. It really is like a forgotten land.

Poverty tourism? You’re better than that.

cosmictanya wrote:Poverty tourism? You’re better than that.

I'd call it more observing how various people in different areas live. All part of the general touring I like to do, and Jaywick is well known. I do wealth tourism sometimes too - I like taking a look at how people live, be it in tower blocks or mansions. I've done it for the last 25 years. Google Street View makes it easier today but I still like to visit these places.

It was actually the mess that I noticed there more than anything. So many front gardens had junk in them or were abandoned and overgrown. The whole place just looked uncared for. Reading more about Jaywick it seems it could get flooded and destroyed at any point so maybe there's no point in tidying the place up.

Why not knock on some doors and ask them why they haven’t tidied up?

‘I’m on holiday and I couldn’t help but notice the absolute state of this area. Your own property particularly struck me as one of the worst examples of mess. Is there any reason for it?’

Did you get out of the car and spend a couple of pounds in a local business? A cafe, a pub, a shop. I’m really not having a go, I’m just genuinely curious what the point was if you weren’t going to get out of the car, speak to people living there, and spend money within the area on businesses they own or work in. Go to a local pub for a few drinks, spend money there, get talking to people, maybe get invited to a house party, wonder no longer.

Having a look, behind glass, is just a human zoo.

We’ve all driven through districts and thought ‘what a dive, thank god I don’t live here’, but going there specifically to look around kind of demands more engagement than this.

Have you not made actual snide comments about places before? I'm sure you have!

I think the same could be said about these "urban explorers" (Wandering Turnip) - at least I'm not filming these places for public viewing on social media and making money from it - and didn't even take any photos for myself. I've just always been intrigued by Jaywick - a renowned town of depravation in a contrasting lovely beachside location - and it certainly has an interesting history. Seeing as I was in the area for the first time I wanted to see it for myself. Would it be better if we just forgot about places like that? I didn't get out on this occasion as it was the end of the day and just did a loop of the main road that circles the main part, but I have walked around poor places and spent money in them before, just as I have in posher places. I just like visiting different places - and yes, I might form an opinion on them.

Anyway, I'm back in the landlocked poverty and grime of the West Midlands now. The one thing I did think was that at least with Jaywick there's somewhere actually affordable in the South East - £20,000 for a detached house with a seaview anyone?!

I have no objection to you returning to Essex, and forming further opinions.

Perhaps even buying a seafront house at Jaywick.

Speaking as a common person, I have no objections to Butters sight-seeing in areas of commonness.

I have no strong opinions on this matter.