Lancashire

Morecambe: Stay on the bay

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Why settle for a day out when you can stay over?

After my successful break on the Fylde Coast, I decided to repeat the feat for Morecambe Bay, a familiar seaside spot in north Lancashire.

I spent a couple of nights in the town’s landmark Art Deco hotel and witnessed some jaw-dropping dawns and sunsets for the first time.

So I didn’t rush back home to Manchester for once. Was it worth the extra effort? CONTINUE READING BELOW.

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Morecambe’s Midland Hotel, a stylish slab of Art Deco concrete close to the beach, had long been on my list of places to spend a night or two.

The building won my heart with its elegant circular staircase, while I was given Room 101 – a large double room on a curve of the property.

It wasn’t a cheap stay, but I was in the perfect place to witness Morecambe Bay’s legendary sunsets. Ample skies, a scattering of cloud and the still waters providing a perfect mirror – I struck gold.

I also rose around 6am to see the sun rise with scarlet ribbons of colour layering the sky and Cumbria’s fells lining the horizon. The sea front was very quiet, settling my inner peace.

The last of the sunlight reflecting on the water of Morecambe Bay in Lancashire.

Dusk beauty awaits Morecambe visitors

There was plenty of time during my extended stay to take a walk to Heysham, a little seaside village I’ve visited on a previous occasion.

I wandered through Morecambe’s West End on the way, through streets full of historical markers but waiting for a good dose of TLC. 

As a regular solo traveller, it was lovely to speak to local people on my walks. They admitted the town needs a boost and whispered that the Midland Hotel has lost a little of its sheen in recent years.

This was a little staycation that proved a success – you can experience so much more if you decide to stay for a night or two. So where’s next?…

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Coastal hike: St Annes to Fleetwood

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My Manchester home is a great base for visiting the sights of North-West England.

After countless day trips to the seaside and hills, I stayed a few nights at St Annes on Lancashire’s Fylde Coast.

There was no rush to catch the train home, I saw sunsets turn into summer nights and I had time for a long coastal photo hike after some shorter efforts on day visits.

From my base in St Anne’s I walked the 20km (12 miles) north to Fleetwood. It was a very warm day with a blue sky etched with some white candyfloss clouds.

Was there a lot to see and photograph? See for yourself – the gallery follows my route. Continue reading below for some hike highlights.

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ST ANNES: With its vast beach and far distant tide, this was a tranquil (if warm) start to the trek. Just a few dog walkers to share the sand with, not far from the might of Britain’s best-known seaside resort.

BLACKPOOL: Walking towards a large glitterball on the town’s South Shore means you have arrived. With three piers, a vast tower and plenty of visitors on a sunny day, it can be an assault on the senses but sparkles under the blue sky.

CLEVELEYS: Calmer compared to the razzmatazz of Blackpool, this beachfront has the elaborate architecture of sea defences and a giant seashell sculpture which is losing its lustre to the sea.

ROSSALL: More of a long stretch of coastal footpath with beach and open sea attached, this is a peaceful place to walk. At the end you’ll see the curious and unexpected Rossall Point watchtower.

FLEETWOOD: I tracked inland to see this town’s boating lake, which hides the sea and shimmers in the hot sunshine. A brief look at the impressive Mount Church before finding the tram stop to take me back south.

Staying for the sunset

I rode the entire Blackpool tram line from Fleetwood to Starr Gate, then faced a considerable walk back to my base on St Annes Promenade. After some refreshing drinks and refuelling, dusk and then sunset arrived.

The beach was busy with other sunset watchers, but not crowded. The pier created a focal point while silhouettes darted here and there.

This was the reason for staying over and not rushing back to Manchester. A little staycation with no flights, passports or other travel worries.

A summer sunset on St Anne's beach on the Lancashire coast.

The sinking sun over St Anne's Beach in Lancashire, featuring the pier's old jetty.

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Coastal walk: Lytham to Blackpool

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The weather forecast promised a warm September day in northern England.

I hurriedly booked train tickets from Manchester to the genteel Lancashire seaside town of Lytham St Annes, and planned to walk along the coast to colourful, brash Blackpool.

I took this trip on a beautiful autumn day in 2023, but the route was reversed.

Did going from south to north make all the difference? KEEP READING BELOW

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When I arrived at Lytham, I headed straight for the promenade where the tide was far out and sandscape glistening in the sun.

The curve of Granny’s Bay was full of people enjoying the warmth and dog walkers enjoying the sea’s absence.

I did the same at St Annes Beach, wandering far out on the golden sands, beyond the resort’s perfect row of bathing huts. Visiting the stranded pier and its famous old remnants had to be done.

St Annes Pier in Lancashire taken with the tide very far out.

St Annes Pier surrounded by sand not sea

The genteel coast eventually gives way to the bold bulk of Blackpool. Unlike last year, the tide was sloshing against the Brutalist coastal defences so there would be no walk along the beach this time.

I enjoyed peering up at the concrete monuments and huge mirrorball of the New South Promenade with a perfect view of famed rollercoaster The Big One – and the resort’s iconic tower.

So this time I finished my walk among the hum and buildings of Blackpool, unlike the relative calm of Lytham’s coast. As for the photographs, I was blessed with another year of stellar skies and finding relative minimalism by the sea. 

This is a coastal escape from the hustle and bustle of inland Manchester, no matter which way you walk.

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Blackpool blues

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It’s a glorious October day. I’m straight on the train and heading for seaside icon Blackpool to enjoy a long walk in the sunshine. CONTINUE READING BELOW

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My train from Manchester took me to Blackpool North station. The walk to the promenade takes you past the resort’s garish, seedier side – but the first view of the sea makes it all worthwhile.

For my long photo walk in sublime light I stayed close to the beach, kicking off with a first wander along the North Pier, which offered great views of Blackpool’s iconic tower.

Under piercing blue skies and sun that still radiated some warmth, I edged along the resort’s strikingly Brutalist sea defences and strolled along the sand.

The last time I came to Blackpool a winter storm was raging and the water was a very murky caramel colour, but this time it was like another place altogether.

A visit to a coastal town isn’t complete without going underneath the hulky struts of its pier – a box that was satisfyingly was ticked on this occasion.

After an obligatory fish and chip lunch at a place called Cod Father (yes really) I kept tracking south and moved away from Blackpool, catching famous rollercoaster The Big One in full throttle (from a safe distance!)

The broadening of the beach and deepening of the sand was a sign I was closing in on St Annes-on-the-Sea, near Blackpool but a real shift in style and substance. I really shrugged off city life and felt peaceful along this little stretch of the Fylde Coast.

As I made my way to the train station, the sun was still blazing away in an untroubled sky – the last time before moody Atlantic lows and Arctic freezes would dominate this island…

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Lancaster: City of the past

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My home city of Manchester is a heady mix of historical architecture and shiny new skyscrapers.

Travel north by train for an hour and you’ll reach Lancaster, a historic city that owes a great deal to its past… CONTINUE READING BELOW

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From Lancaster train station it’s just a short walk to the city’s imposing castle, which was also a prison until as late as 2011.

Dark walls and deep crenellations give way to charming old houses around Castle Hill, some of them quaintly crooked, others with vine-covered porches.

As I wandered around the city centre on a sunny day, the dark sandstone of historical buildings persisted. There wasn’t a whiff of any new architecture, let alone the lofty glass and steel we have here in Manchester.

Lancaster may have an old shell, but it’s a thriving place filled with coffee shops, food stalls and everything needed by modern city dwellers. There was a pleasant hum of life walking around its historic streets.

Lancaster is also blessed with an old waterway and it’s well worth a diversion to wander along its towpath and under some low-slung bridges – they’ve been there some time too!

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