Skegness

Skegness is a classic British seaside resort on the Lincolnshire coast, facing the North Sea between the Wash and the dunes of Gibraltar Point. Affectionately known as Skeggy, the town grew rapidly after the railway arrived in 1873, when the Earl of Scarbrough laid out a planned resort of wide streets, gardens and a long sandy promenade. The town is forever linked with the cheerful Jolly Fisherman poster of 1908, which declared Skegness to be "So Bracing" and turned the character into the resort's enduring mascot.

Today the town centre combines traditional bucket-and-spade holiday charm with modern attractions. Lumley Road leads down from the railway station to the Clock Tower and the seafront, where visitors find the pier, amusement arcades, fish and chip shops and the Compass Gardens. Along the coast are the Embassy Theatre, Fantasy Island just up the road at Ingoldmells, and the original Butlins holiday camp, opened here by Billy Butlin in 1936.

Beyond the bright lights, Skegness offers wide, gently shelving beaches, the wildlife-rich dunes and saltmarshes of Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve to the south, and Natureland Seal Sanctuary on North Parade. With direct trains from Nottingham and good bus links along the coast, it remains one of the most easily reached resorts in the East Midlands.