The picturesque seaside town that offers the perfect escape from modern living - and it's just two hours drive from Mansfield and Ashfield

As soon as I see the sea, whether it’s a beautiful blue or a less than gracious grey, I still soak up the views and an inner voice screams out ‘wow’.

To quote Depeche Mode; ‘I just can’t get enough’. Everything just feels right with the world when you feel the soft sand under your feet and hear the noise of the waves lapping gently in the distance.

And there’s one place I always love to go to when I just need to get away from the stresses and hustle and bustle of modern living. It’s a place that really isn’t ever going to be classed as glamorous, it’s a place that probably won’t trouble the top end of lists for Britain’s best beaches resorts (though it really should).

But for those of us who love our time in Mablethorpe, it will always be a winner.

There’s many reasons why I love the place so much and, most of all, it is because Mablethorpe doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not.

It’s simple, it’s value, it’s traditional, it’s fun - what more could you want?.

Upon our arrival we always park up, cut across the sand dunes and stroll along the beach into town. It’s a lovely walk where you instantly feel relaxed and washed over by an inner calm.

You can either turn left and walk for miles away from town to enjoy endless sand and total seclusion, or head right and pop into town.

It’s about 1.5 miles into town from where we park and a nice gentle stroll before you discover Mablethorpe looking like every other seaside town - at least in terms of buildings and services.

But, here's where the town wins it for me. It's got a really friendly down-to-earth vibe, with plenty of space, clean and well-kept streets and a no rush atmosphere that allows you to enjoy the simple joy of all that the seaside has to offer.

There’s a slower pace to things here, it’s not Blackpool after all. The cafes and ice cream parlours are small and the amusement arcades and the funfair aren’t an overwhelming wall of noise and lights. But that’s ok by me, I’ve not come for a stag party bender afterall.

Along the promenade you will find Mr G’s Beach Cafe. Nowhere personifies Mablethorpe’s low-key down-to-earth attitude than this place. The cafe has a great selection of light-bites, seaside favourites and tasty treats to help refresh and revive.

What I like best is it’s not fancy and pretentious here. The food is just simple home-cooked nosh, delivered with a friendly smile and a more than reasonable price. There’s not a million different choices of coffee, you don’t have to get your name written on a plastic cup before getting your drink. A coffee is just a coffee that comes in a mug. Perhaps it’s old school, but that will do me nicely.

Outside of the cafe there are other places to get something to eat or drinks and plenty of benches or steps to take the weight off your feet while you pause to soak up the sea views and fresh air.

Take a short stroll along the promenade and you will find Queen’s Park. This is only a small park, but it certainly packs a lot inside. Here you will find a top-notch putting green, padding pool, mini train, crazy golf, cafe and a boating lake.

Here you can spend a good couple hours here strolling around the lake or enjoying a good sporting tussle where Mablethorpe is suddenly transformed into St Andrews.

And there you have the overwhelming joy of the town. You can simply escape and, for a few hours at least, you can just be anywhere you want to be.