It's also worth noting the stretch of beach behind the pleasure beach has always been a bit of a mess. It's the point were it goes back from sand to dunes. Britania pier is the nicer part.
I remember whenever I rode the roller coaster noticing that the back (which from the ground can only be seen from outside the park) always looked a state. Even when the front was freshly painted.
Still Great Yarmouth has never been picturesque. It's a more compact version of Blackpool, and once you go beyond the pleasure beach the rest of the town is quite industrial.
In any town, will always have a run down area. If you go beyond the pleasure beach, then yes, you will hit the industrial area and docks. In-between the two piers is where the beach is kept nice and dogs are banned during the summer months.
As much as I love Blackpool and think it's is bigger and has better attractions, I always feel Yarmouth is kept a lot more cleaner than Blackpool. Even Blackpool has it rough and industrial areas.
Great Yarmouth is a bit of a dive to be fair and attracts some interesting people. However there is quite a bit to do and I do enjoy going every now and again. I also had some great holidays there as a kid and love to ride the snails, tubs and Roller Coaster as an adult haha. I can do a day trip but then happy to leave but I do have a soft spot for it.
I love the snails (and tubs) and have fond memories from my childhood riding them. Before Covid-19, I would visit Yarmouth weekly during the summer. There is lots of little gems to be found and they are all free if you know where to find them, Britania column, Fireworks nights, East Coast Pirates meets, The water gardens (recently been revamp and restored), there are parks where we hand feed the pigeons and squirrels (probably won't be allowed to do that anymore since the Covid-19). We know where the best and cheap places to buy fish and chips, ice creams and donuts, we can spend a whole day there from 9am to 10pm during the summer months and not spend a fortune, filling the day up with doing free/cheap stuff (or we are pass holders to some of the attractions), like I say, we manage to do this weekly and never get board.
Also worth noting that my first date with Jess was a trip to Great Yarmouth, (as well as I've spent many years there as a kit), so Yarmouth has a special place in our hearts and has a special meaning for us.
The Norfolk coast from Hunstanton to Cromer is a nice drive and some lovely places, we usually have a nice coastal drive one a year with our soft top down, however we are restricted and limited with Jess being wheelchair bound, so a lot of these lovely little villages around the drive are not suitable for Jess to get out and about as many of the shops are too small and don't have level access.
