Ingoldmells

Ingoldmells sits on the Lincolnshire coast a few miles north of Skegness, a low, flat stretch of land where the North Sea meets a wide belt of golden sand and the horizon is broken by ride towers, caravan roofs and the odd wind turbine out at sea. It is not a place that tries to be quiet or refined. What began as a scatter of farms and a medieval church has grown, over the best part of a century, into one of England's busiest family holiday villages, a place built almost entirely around the simple pleasures of sun, sand, chips and fairground rides.

The transformation started in 1936, when Billy Butlin opened his first ever holiday camp on a stretch of land here, changing the shape of the British seaside holiday for generations. That original camp is long gone, rebuilt many times over, but its descendant, Butlin's Skegness, still occupies the same patch of coast and remains the beating heart of the village. Around it has grown a dense, distinctive landscape of static caravan parks, amusement arcades and a huge open-air market, all squeezed into a narrow ribbon between the A52 and the beach. It is loud, bright and unapologetically populist, and for hundreds of thousands of visitors a year that is exactly the appeal.

Top things to do in Ingoldmells

Ingoldmells punches well above its size when it comes to family attractions, most of them within walking distance of each other along the coast road.

• Butlin's Skegness — the original Butlin's holiday camp, opened by Billy Butlin in 1936, now a huge modern resort with pools, live shows and funfair rides, still with direct access onto the beach.
• Fantasy Island — a theme park that opened in 1995 with over 35 rides and attractions including the Millennium roller coaster, sitting right by the beach and next to Europe's largest seven-day indoor and outdoor market.
• Ingoldmells beach — a broad, gently shelving sweep of golden sand that runs for miles up the coast, safe for paddling at low tide and a magnet for buckets, spades and beach football.
• Hardy's Animal Farm — a seven-acre family farm park a short walk from the seafront, with hands-on animal encounters, tractor rides and an indoor play barn for wet days.
• Fantasy Island Market — a sprawling, long-running market held alongside the theme park, selling everything from beach toys to bargain clothing and a proper flavour of old-school seaside shopping.
• Skegness seafront and pier — a short drive or bus ride south, with the Jolly Fisherman mascot, amusement arcades, crazy golf and traditional fish and chip shops.
• Natureland Seal Sanctuary — in nearby Skegness, a long-established sanctuary caring for orphaned seal pups rescued from the Lincolnshire coast, alongside penguins and a small tropical house.

Getting to Ingoldmells

Ingoldmells sits directly on the A52 coast road, roughly 3 miles north of Skegness and about 40 miles east of Lincoln. Drivers usually approach via the A158 from Lincoln, which meets the A52 at Skegness, or along the A52 itself from Mablethorpe and the north. There is no railway station in the village; the nearest is Skegness, the terminus of a branch line with direct services from Nottingham and Grantham, from where local buses and taxis run up the coast road to Ingoldmells. Given the string of caravan parks and attractions along a single main road, a car is by far the easiest way to get around once you arrive, though regular Lincolnshire coast bus services also link the village to Skegness and Mablethorpe.

Best time to visit Ingoldmells

Ingoldmells is very much a summer destination, geared around the traditional English seaside season. July and August bring the biggest crowds, the fullest fairground rides and the liveliest atmosphere, with Fantasy Island, Butlin's and the beach all operating at full tilt. May, June and early September offer a gentler pace, milder crowds and lower prices at the caravan parks, while still giving a good chance of decent weather for the beach. Outside the main season, many rides, market stalls and seasonal attractions scale back or close entirely, so the village is a much quieter, more residential place through the winter months.

Where to stay in Ingoldmells

Accommodation here is overwhelmingly caravan-based. Dozens of holiday parks line the coast road and the lanes behind it, ranging from small, family-run sites to large complexes with pools, clubhouses and entertainment, offering static caravans for hire alongside touring and camping pitches. Butlin's itself provides self-catering apartments and hotel-style rooms within its own resort. For those who prefer a conventional roof, Skegness a few miles south has a wider spread of guesthouses, budget hotels and B&Bs, many close to the seafront and within easy reach of Ingoldmells by car or bus.

Food and drink in Ingoldmells

Eating out in Ingoldmells leans firmly towards traditional seaside fare. Fish and chip shops are plentiful along the main road, alongside cafes serving all-day breakfasts and ice cream parlours doing brisk trade on sunny afternoons. The Skegness Road strip has a good scatter of pubs, including family-friendly chains with beer gardens, while Fantasy Island itself has a food court and several fast-food outlets aimed squarely at visiting families. For a wider choice of restaurants, cafes and pubs, Skegness town centre a short drive south offers everything from classic British caffs to Indian and Chinese takeaways, plus the seafront chippies that have fed generations of Lincolnshire holidaymakers.