Long‑term readers may recall my very biased feelings about this place in Skegness. Butlins is hallowed ground for this family. Butlins can do no wrong.
Yes, the rose tint is real — but that’s coming from a guy who writes more about the past than the present. Today’s version is nothing like the place I loved in the 90s: the monorail, the outdoor pool, and of course the kids’ clubs we all adored.
I’ve witnessed the magic this place holds myself, and I’ve seen that same magic spark in the nephews.
During a performance of Rock Theatre, one nephew had already left, worn out after the day’s activities. Then a message came over the speakers: “We need to pause this show due to technical difficulties.” Common enough, but the kids had seen it — the crack in the Butlins experience. And once you see one crack, you start spotting more. The queue wrapped around the whole shop, and then for swimming, and then the bar. That’s three. The splash fountains not starting on time, half the fairground rides closed. The cracks are there.
Butlins isn’t alone in having them. But unlike, say, the mighty Disney, it’s not quite as good at hiding them. Some of those cracks were more obvious because of the heatwave — an unusual stretch of good weather. Others, I suspect, were down to being understaffed. And you have to wonder if that’s a choice… and if it is, whether it needs a rethink.
But for this year, the kids had a great time. The place remains special, largely untarnished, and I’ll be doing everything I can not to see the cracks. I’m rooting for you, Butlins — even though I know that’s an uphill battle once the kids get older.
The Butlins magic belongs to childhood. There will always be a last dance with the Skyline Gang — we just don’t know when. Don’t look for those cracks, kids. Not yet.