Blackpool, Formby and Southport
We're not actually on the coast, but getting to the beach from Manchester is a straightforward affair. There are regular train services to the coast from Piccadilly, Victoria and Oxford Road Stations; bus services from Chorlton Street Coach Station and the journey by car should take no longer than 90 minutes.
The granddaddy (albeit the one prone to smells and outrageous outbursts), of all British seaside towns and one that continually divides the opinions of visitors, there is no escaping that
Blackpool is bold and brash, and many would go on to say tacky, cheesy and in major need of reinvention and renovation. Others, on the other hand, have been coming for years and wouldn't have it any other way. The sea-front is a mile-long assault on all the senses crammed with noisy amusement arcades, candy floss, burger sellers, kitsch attractions featuring weird themes and collections and three piers that offer good old-fashioned "fun". From the end of September, the town continues to attract visitors with its famous illuminations when over 1 million coloured bulbs strung and hung along 10km of sea front.are switched on by a ‘celeb.’
Blackpool Tower (themed on the Eiffel Tower) above the still popular grand ballroom is worth the fee to get to the top, and a trip along the promenade on one of the traditional trams gives a sheltered sense of what makes this resort so unique. At the southern end of town is The Pleasure Beach, the town’s biggest and best theme park, for those with a head for heights and dizzying high speed rides.
The weekend is the time when this place really comes into its own with the arrival of stag and hen parties that come to drink copiously dress-up and generally badly behave their visit away. One particular nightspot that continually draws people from across the UK is Funny Girls, an extremely camp evening of cabaret song, dance and risqué comedy (bookings recommended).
If you feel the urge to stay the night, there are plenty of accommodation options to choose from, ranging from budget bed and breakfasts to four-star hotels. Sophisticated it's not, but if you're in the mood for some no-nonsense, sometimes jaw dropping sights then Blackpool is the answer.
Formby
This unspoilt stretch of coastline offers long, usually quiet stretches of sandy beach overlooked by large protected sand dunes. Behind these is a series of small woodland walks, where if you're lucky you'll catch a glimpse of the fast diminishing population of red squirrels. As it's owned by the
National Trust a fee is paid on entering.
Once popular with the rich and well to do,
Southport, despite a recent decline in visitor numbers, still retains elements of its former grandeur. Lord Street, the main retail thoroughfare, has some interesting shops beneath decorative palisades. On the sea front are a couple of traditional amusement parks (though don't expect Disney standards), while the sea can actually be quite difficult to spot beyond the large stretches of sand.
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