From your Roving Mark Mason Reporter
 
August 2017
 
Memories... Holidays in Rhyl.  “Things Ain’t Wot They Used To Be”
Rhyl FC
Turnstile
Nice clear day, set off early morning, in the wife’s Fiat Tipo complete with its own Sat Nav which for me of course is very posh, still not seen another one of these cars anywhere. (yes my old Opel is still sleeping in the garage)  Those were the days when from Manchester/Salford you had to go via Irlam, Warrington, Queensferry, Prestatyn, then at last Rhyl
Club Badge
Pitch
Teams come out
Childhood memories, we used to hire a small caravan from the local green grocers £5 a week, it was probably a lot smaller than the caravans people tow behind their cars these days, it was situated on Golden Sands Camp which is actually just over the bridge going out of Rhyl in the area called Kimnel Bay, and guess what it’s still there (not the caravan of course), now it’s gone up market and is called, Golden Sands Holiday Park. I thought we would have a nostalgic look around, not so much caravans now more like large fixed holiday homes with decking and flowers!!
Bridge to Kimnel Bay
Golden Sands
They do say you can never go back and as a good friend of mine who lives in Memphis once said to me “Nothing Stays the Same, Everything Changes” he is right of course.
Beach at Golden Sands
There was of course another reason for the trip to Wales, yes you may have guessed football, Altrincham were playing Rhyl in a friendly match and you know me with football, we headed back towards Rhyl and stopped at what was once a lively part of the large fun fair, Marine Lake, well the lakes still there but basically nothing else, no amusements, no rides, no Hot Dogs no Candy Floss no nothing.  There’s still a rail track running around the lake which I must admit looked very clean and tidy but as to whether a steam train still runs on the track, I could see no sign of it.
Slots on Front
Info Centre
We moved on to the centre of town and parked up near the old Rhyl Signal box, I don’t even know if they still have a station in use, we walked up the main street which is now flagged, so no vehicle access, arriving at the old clock tower which was how you could always get your bearings as it seems to be right in the centre in relation to the full length of the promenade, only one thing has changed there, it’s now in the centre of a roundabout whereas it used to be on the prom!! They have created a small fun fair near this location, a well appointed paddling pool where there used to be a full size outdoor sea water swimming pool, which of course was always freezing, if we ever went in there for a swim the big treat was to get warm with a drink of Horlicks swooshed up with a fancy whizzer thing which made it frothy.. All the areas on the prom side of the coast road have been smartly grassed over and are generally very neat and tidy, all along the front on the other side of the road are the usual slot machine arcades, Bingo, Hot Dogs, Burgers, Rock, Candy Floss, noise, kids oh dear I must be getting old.
Fish & Chips
Marine Lake
Marine Lake Map
We made our way back towards the car and thought it’s dinner time we must have my favourite Fish and Chips, I’m still on my diet but what the heck, well it looked good from the outside. I had Fish and Peas, my wife had Fish and Chips. On we went to Rhyl’s football ground which as it happens is just up the road from Elwy Hall, Rhyl’s Masonic Hall, a fine looking building in its own grounds, unfortunately I couldn’t get access so no pictures of the interior.
Rhyl Masonic Hall
 
 
 
 
Clock Tower
Rhyl Beach looking towards Llandudno
Beach
The football ground is nicely appointed with a large car park at the front, once inside there are a couple of covered stands and plenty of hard standing, a good bar and refreshment area, the pitch itself was immaculate gone are the days of mud heaps, Good result Altrincham won the match 3.1
Linda & Ice Cream
Sign on developed area
We left five minutes before the end to get a head start on the traffic, turning right we travelled down the coast road passing Robin Hood Holiday Camp, Prestatyn which we went to once many years ago not long after being married, (we travelled to all the best places having no money), if the truth is known we didn’t see the week out and came home on the Wednesday, ah all those memories, rain bouncing off the roof of the caravan and Seagulls walking up and down on it every morning. I Wonder why I go to Tenerife, Menorca, Portugal, Florida, Nashville and many visits to see Elvis at Graceland’s, mind you age is catching up with me now so who knows maybe soon it will be back to Golden Sands!!
Looking up Main Street
Having sung in bands all my life we have a saying, “Old Rock n Rollers Don’t Die, They Just Fade Away”
Main Street
Hope this may have brought back some memories to all of us in Lancashire who used to spend a lot of our holidays in North Wales when we were youngsters, I wouldn’t mind betting they weren’t in a midget caravan, £5 a week from the greengrocers!!
Clock Tower
Here’s looking forward to seeing all my friends in the Mark Degree, those I know and those I have yet to meet.
Till Next Time, Mark Well.
Words and pictures by Austin N Fletcher. Flixton Shepherd Eastwood.  No.1173