10 reasons to visit Southport this summer

While we might not be able, or want, to jet off to our favourite foreign holiday resort this year, there are plenty of perfect places closer to home – and one of the best is right on our doorstep, here’s why you should visit Southport this summer.

Famous for its fantastic Flower Shower, the Air Show and the British Musical Fireworks Championship, the coastal cracker that is Southport has something for everyone.

And, if it’s a while since you’ve been, here are 10 reasons (though there are many more!) why you must visit Southport this summer…

1. It’s got 22 miles of coastline and some of the biggest sandy beaches so you can paddle and build sandcastles to your heart’s content. There’s tons of space for everyone so you can have fun without any worries of being able to keep a safe social distance for you and yours, and it’s fantastic for a family picnic.

2. The 1,000-metre Victorian Pier is the oldest iron pier and second longest in the country, and if you walk to the end you’re rewarded with magnificent views of the North West, Blackpool and, on a clear day, even the North Wales coast. If that sounds too much like hard work, you can hop onto the pier train which will take you straight to the end and grab a cuppa or a bite to eat in the pier’s pavilion with floor to ceiling windows to soak up the views.

Sunny days in #Southport! ?Our @clairesimmo has been to see what’s on. ☀️

?https://t.co/uOByDC1BNB pic.twitter.com/O9pF28kBuo

— The Guide Liverpool (@TheGuideLpool) July 31, 2020

3. Seek out the squirrels. The National Trust favourite, Formby, has a beautiful beach with dramatic sand dunes AND it’s surrounded by the pinewoods with some very important residents, the famous red squirrels.

4. Kings Gardens is a great and glorious green space slap bang in the centre of the town with acres of open lawns, ideal for family games or just sitting back to relax, as well as a network of pathways loved by cyclists, skaters and walkers.

5. Marine Lake has got loads of green space, too, as well as water-based activities that the whole family can enjoy. There are motor-boats for hire – and who doesn’t love a pedalo that looks like a giant pink flamingo?!

6.  If you fancy a spot of retail therapy, you’ve got a variety of options from the Ocean Plaza stacked with large stores and restaurants, to the Victorian canopied boulevard of Lord Street with its speciality shops and designer boutiques and more.

7. For a little bit of culture you can explore The Atkinson – a museum, a gallery, dress up for the kids, exhibitions and shows…….needs beefing out a little.

8. Its adventure theme park Pleasureland is looking better than ever. Owner Norman Wallis has lavished lots of TLC on the popular park over the last few years and put in many measures after lockdown to make sure it’s safe. All the rides are open so you can choose to channel your inner racer on the dodgems, scare yourself silly on the Ghost Train or make a splash on the Log Flume – to name a few, and as well as places to buy food you can take your own and sit in one of the picnic areas too.

9. Speaking of eating – and drinking! – Southport’s got a variety of places where you can rest, refuel and relax with friends and family, with an abundance of independent bars and restaurants. You can choose from quaint tearooms to high-end eateries and everything in between.

10. And, because you might struggle to fit all these adventures – and more – in in one day and want to stay and explore more, there’s no shortage of places to rest your head overnight, from grand hotels to boutique B&Bs, coastal cottages and caravans – turn your day trip into a staycation!