An urban explorer recently captured the haunting beauty of Butlin’s abandoned swimming pool in Minehead, sharing a TikTok video that has amassed over 1.4 million views. The site, unused since 1997, provides an unsettling glimpse into a bygone era.
Jacob Myers, the explorer behind the footage, takes viewers on a tour of the deserted leisure centre. Remarkably, many pools and slides remain intact and still hold water, giving the area a surreal atmosphere. Myers also points out remnants of the former café and souvenir shop, stirring nostalgic memories of childhood days spent at the resort.
The video showcases stacked chairs and tables in the café area and features a vintage yellow slide, untouched by time. Delving further, Myers discovers a side room, presumed to have been a club space, now empty and strewn with debris.
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This evocative footage captures the forgotten past of the resort, evoking both nostalgia and eeriness.
In stark contrast, a more recent visit to Butlin’s turned sour for one family at the Skegness location. Tiffany Martin from Strelley shared her distressing experience during a family stay, highlighting poor cleanliness and neglected areas after an adult-themed event.
Expectations of a relaxing holiday were shattered when Tiffany found beer bottles, used vapes, and even handcuffs left outside their accommodation, evidently overlooked following a weekend “big weekender.” Despite alerting staff, the rubbish remained uncollected for days.
Inside their unit, the family encountered unmade beds, a stained fridge door, dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and, most troubling of all, a soaking wet bed that only after insistence was replaced. Other mattress stains further soured the experience.
After 17 years of positive visits, Tiffany expressed her disappointment: “It’s not what you want when you go away for a family holiday.”