This is true even though it sounds impossible. Back in the 80s when I was a teenager, there was a shooting range on Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Not your average range though with knackered old .177 BSA air rifles. The rifle of choice was a pump-action Winchester in .22lr with a tubular magazine running under the barrel. The muzzle was secured to the counter but only by some light grade bathplug type chain! The stallholder would load 10 rounds in the mag’ and then you were off. Blazing away at metal ducks or paper targets. It was awesome. The range closed in around 1988 I think, possibly as a result of the Hungerford massacre? Can you imagine that today? .22 live rounds on a funfair!

Porno mags in hedges

White dog turds.

Jimny Saville with kids on his lap on prime time tv

Corporal punishment in schools. I went to a Catholic school, mate brought in 2 jonnies and got 2 whips of the cane.

Loads!
One that always amazes me is dogs.
When my parents went to work and we went to school, the dog was just let out of the house. Off you go Buster, wander the streets causing havoc, shitting everywhere and generally being a wild animal!
Later a neighbour’s dog (Sandy, the squirrel killer) was nabbed by the council dog catcher and they were supposed to pay £100ish to get it back. They didn’t.
There also used to be this Standard Poodle in our road. Big black thing. Used to nab unweary school kids to live up to it’s nickname: Shagger.

Ah, them were the days.

Porno mags in hedges

I found just such a stash a few weeks ago, carefully wrapped and lovingly hidden away behind Wylam Tennis Club.

I imagine it was probably some middle aged fella reliving his adolesence with a crafty knuckle shuffle in the woods.

I can’t recall what the packets we bought actually looked like but I think you might have trouble selling these nowadays.

Talking of going to school – we used to WALK there. About 4 miles. Any weather. Walk, I tell you!

@DezB 😯 did make me laugh though.

My old man was a teacher, used to smoke in the classroom, during lessons.

I also had the misfortune to be forced into a Catholic education where the teacher belted me everyday for a whole term for a host of spurious reasons, not that it affected me in anyway, at least so the guards tells me.

8 Blackjacks for 1d.

Model pistols in the style of airfix. Had all the workings inside. Used to love those. I think the company was called LS. Again, I think it was hungerford that did for those.

When asked where I was going playing out, I’d tell my mum “I’m off to play in the Railway” – a 15-20ft strip of rough ground that ran alongside the railway lines.

Had hours of fun in there!

We now worry about our daughter playing in the cul-de-sac…

Sitting in the middle of the backseat sort of perched between the front drivers sat and passenger seat in my parents car… no seatbelts airbags or anything…and with the dog on the back parcel shelf !

School playground ice slides in the Winter.

Metal climbing frames on tarmac playgrounds at school

Dogs! They were bloody everywhere. On our cul-de-sac, dogs only had owners in that they were their principle feeders and (most nights), that’s where they slept. But largely, they just ran loose and kinda belonged to everyone. 🙂

I tell you – that Shagger was hilarious. When he was wandering about in the road, we used to watch out the window for kids – dog would run up behind them, front paws up on their shoulders and thrust away. Man, how we laughed (as they screamed and tried to get away!!) 😆

Going in the pub at 15 and getting p1ssed.

Now the poor kids have to stand outside in the rain and snow drinking cheap cider.

Me aged 5 being allowed to disapear for hours in bunny woods in Hudds regularly.

The Cane
Wintergreen linament – wish you could still get that
Raising caps to motorist who stopped at a level crossing
Respect for teachers
Communal baths – both normal and after rugby. My son was shocked!!!
Foul food
Jockstraps
The trade in pornos – more important that the mags themselves
Garters in socks
Freedom from too much parental involvement
Air gun battles – summary execution by weak GAT pistols
Hemp climbing ropes and troll waistband harnesses
One bike for everything
Bengal matches and messing about with bangers!
My friends sister!!!!!

We used to go out on our bikes for all day epics, messing about, setting up crap jumps, going to the shops, the river, the rec, (probably about 10 miles in total in reality) but our parents never knew where we were, we just had to be back before dark, so we’d be away for 10 hrs in the summer.

Nowadays, you’d have search teams and helicopters by the 10 hour mark, with everyone suspecting you’d been abducted by paedos.

Barr’s Lager and Lime Pop

Barr’s Bitter Shandy

Pint Pot chews in shops you can order them online.

My brother and I always got a ‘trainee smoker chololate selection box’ at xmas. Chocolate pipe, lighter, fags, etc, which we would play with by pretending to smoke and then eat

Being able to buy fags and fireworks from the local shop aged 10.

Yep, walking to school alone from about the age of five. Weird!

Putting pennies on the railway line and then trying to find the flattened ones 🙂

Schools still open after 2 foot of snow.

Sorry but i’m luvin this thread.

Dropoff – good one, I forgot that!![

Going on holiday to Devon in the boot of my dads Marina estate- me, my sister, the dog and a big calor gas cannister as we had to stop it rolling around.

Being forced to play rugby outside, every week, in any weather. And I do mean ANY weather. Snowing? Get out there and play rugby? Horizontal hailstones? Get out there you big jessy!!! Gale force winds. Out you go! And stop moaning

cbmotorsport – we just had to be back before dark, so we’d be away for 10 hrs in the summer.

Indeed. My mum made the statement the other week “I never saw you from when you were 12 onwards” . She didn’t either. We’d just head out on our bikes in the morning, and get back for tea, scoff it down, then go straight out again until it went dark! When I think of the miles we covered. I lived in Warrington and we’d ride to Manchester Airport to watch the planes landing, or out to Delamere forest, and think nothing of it

Nowadays, somebody would probably have social services round

10m high diving platforms at the local swimming baths

First Scout summer camp I went on (30 years ago – I’m 41 now) we piled all the tents/pots and pans/sleeping bags into the back of a removal van, and then we all climbed in on top.
I can remember sitting there, watching the world go by out the back of the truck (tailgate folded up, but roller-shutter left open) as we went down the motorway!

A lot of my other thoughts have already been mentioned –
Spending all day ‘over the woods’ and only having to be home when it got dark.
Carrying around a ridiculous ‘Rambo’ knife to chop up twigs in the woods.

Having to do PE in just your pants if you forgot your kit. That would never happen now.

The whole cub scout football team in one estate car

Spending all day (literally dawn to dusk) building a bike track in a piece of scrub woodland outside the village, we’d take all sorts of tools and kit, saws tc, aged about 10 or 11, spent an entire summer in there one year, nobody batted an eyelid or checked up on us once.

Having air gun (bb and pellet) fights with my cousin, he had a pump action shoutgun style bb rifle, I had a pistol, used to shoot the shit out of each other with steel bb’s.

Skating on the Leeds Liverpool Canal.
Getting the Cane at school.
Being absolutely made up with a set of Every Ready bike lights for christmas .
Playing Football in the road.

My primary school teacher used to throw the window open, sit back with her feet up on the table and have a cigarette whilst teaching us.

cbmotorsport – Member
Having to do PE in just your pants if you forgot your kit. That would never happen now.

Forget trunks – swim naked. True!!!!!!

10p space raiders

My brother and I always got a ‘trainee smoker chololate selection box’ at xmas. Chocolate pipe, lighter, fags, etc, which we would play with by pretending to smoke and then eat

Can you still get those liquorice pipes? They were massive. Mum used to put them in the cupboard after shopping at Keymarkets and we’d all bundle in “Ha! I’ve got the pipe!” 🙂

Being allowed to climb up a rope attached to the school hall roof, in pe lessons.