Visit Lancashire

Sally goes cycling in Blackpool

Collecting bikes from the South Pier cycle hire station in Blackpool was very easy once we’d registered and with a firm tug we released our trusty bikes from the automated racks and headed off along the promenade. The new wide open spaces created along the promenade are great for cyclists creating plenty of room for everyone (including the donkeys when the tide was in) and we were soon zipping along with the wind in our hair. 

Way of the Roses Cycle Route Launched!

I recently accepted the request from the office to ’help’ launch the brand new 170 mile Way of the Roses coast to coast national cycle route 69 which goes from Morecambe to Bridlington and has been developed by Sustrans. My role was to cycle the first 35 miles from Morecambe promenade to Settle, which sounded fine until I realised that Morecambe is at sea level, and Settle, very much, isn’t! So with a looming sense of dread I arrived at Morecambe promenade, adjacent to the newly restored art deco Midland Hotel, with dark clouds around, but no rain, for the official opening by the various dignitaries including one of Morecambe’s famous sons, designer Wayne Hemingway.

Spotlight on: The Midland Hotel, Morecambe

The 2010 Small Hotel of the Year is the four star Midland Hotel in Morecambe, this stunning Art Deco hotel is situated on the famous Morecambe promenade with stunning views of Morecambe Bay.

Spotlight on: Number One South Beach

Following last week's prestigious Tourism Awards we thought that we should celebrate our winners over the next few weeks by putting 'the spotlight' on each of them to show who they are and what they do. First up is Number One South Beach in Blackpool who won Guest House of the Year!

Owners of Number One South Beach in Blackpool, Mark and Claire Smith, are certainly not people who shy away from the spotlight. Having recently featured on the first episode of Three in a Bed they are enjoying a new level of fame. Previously Claire has regularly featured on the North West regional news highlighting her love of Blackpool and passion for high quality accommodation. Also their first property Number One St Lukes was the best B&B in England in 2007.

Midland Delight

The break between Christmas and New Year saw me hankering for a brisk walk and some fresh air so we decided to take a drive up to Morecambe and have lunch at The Midland Hotel. I haven’t been since English Lakes Hotels took over the management of the property and the rest of the family hadn’t been at all.

Brilliant Briardene

I am a bit of a traditionalist and do enjoy a Sunday roast with the family, so was delighted to have lunch at the Curbside Brasserie at the Briardene Hotel in Cleveleys which is quite close to home. Their restaurant is open to non-residents and offers a good choice of fayre under the direction of chef Deano. My wife and I opted for the full roast beef lunch consisting of ample portions of vegetables and divine Lakeland beef, superb roast potatoes (mine never come out that good) and Yorkshire Puddings. The menu choice was locally sourced and showed off the best of what the north west has to offer. Our two youngsters opted for sausage and chips, which again, were produced to an excellent standard and kept them quiet.

Love, From Blackpool

Valerie and Frank spend a romantic night in Blackpool....

Polish Delight in Blackpool

The Federation International of Volleyball brought the under 21 junior world beach championships to Blackpool this weekend. It being a gloriously sunny day I thought a nice tram ride along the promenade and a quick sit through a game or two would be a pleasant way for the family to spend the afternoon. None of us knew anything about volleyball – beach or otherwise so we weren’t sure what to expect or how complicated the rules might be – I need not have worried.

Blackpool at its very best!

As we awaited a tram to take us into Blackpool we could see it was busy! Three trams passed, full to capacity so eventually settled for a bus to get us to the Promenade. This was going to be a busy day – and it was too. As we approached the main stretch of the Promenade we literally saw a sea of faces. Never in all my years have I seen Blackpool Promenade so busy and the reason, the airshow.

A glorious day, a fantastic vantage point on the new Promenade and a good line up of display aircraft too – looks like everyone else had the same idea. So we settled down on the Promenade Spanish steps between central and south pier to watch two hours of flying displays and what an afternoon it was.

Tea for Two in Morecambe

Afternoon tea is a very civilized affair and what better place to ‘take tea’ than in the glorious Art Deco surroundings of the Midland Hotel in Morecambe.  The fact that is was also Valentine’s Day added to occasion and so we took our seats in one of the cosy booths of the Rotunda cafe.