h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I spent 2 great winters in a bedsit in Blackpool surviving mainly on toast and cup-a-soups when i ate alone or on weekly huge communal curries where everyone chipped in. Happy days!

I went to Lancaster Uni which is not too far away, and spent a year in a bedsit in Morecambe (winter in Morecambe is not a pretty sight).

My survival techniques included amongst other things getting chilli kebabs from "Ali Baba's III" on the seafront.

They were always dripping with chilli sauce and warmed you up in more ways than one.

I loved Blackpool in the Winter. It was a totally different place, most of the shops closed, no tourists, cold but neat wild weather. I used to walk on the beach most nights and had it to myself almost.

Blackpool with it's sandy beaches and illuminated seafront is a little different from Morecambe with its stony mudflats and electronic bingo halls full of pensioners. I'm glad that you enjoyed your walks on the beach but if you did that at night in Morecambe you'd be lucky to return without getting mugged!

Although Morecambe does have the consolation prize of some fantastic views across to the Lake District when it's possible to see more than a few hundred yards across the bay.