Southport
Southport is one of my most favorite of northern English seaside resorts. Though the town has made several attempts at trying to compete with nearby Morecombe and Blackpool it has not yet, thankfully, succeeded. I say thankfully as Southport is somewhat unique amongst seaside towns, though it does have a little of the “bucket and spade” approach the town’s main appeal is it’s wholly Victorian look and feel.
Most people who know a little about Southport will, no doubt, be aware that the appearance of Lord Street, the main shopping street in the town, influenced the design of the Champs Elysées in Paris but few people realise that the reason for this is that Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte spent a considerable time living just off Lord Street while evading his enemies.
Yes Lord Street is well known for its wonderful Victorian covered arcades and walkways and the multitude of trees, flower beds and water features certainly make it one of the most pleasant main shopping streets in Britain but Southport has several other areas of beauty that are well worth visiting too.
Top of my best places to visit in Southport is the small village known as Churchtown found a short distance off the main road heading out of the town towards Preston. The appeal of this small village is the multitude of thatched cottages and other “olde worlde” buildings. It is best enjoyed early on a hot summer’s day when there are few people about and you can wander around freely. A walk around the beautiful Victorian Botanic Gardens can be finished off nicely by grabbing a bite to eat in the garden’s cafe, or you could buy something from the nearby shops and picnic in the park!
You will find that Southport bed & breakfast accommodation is reasonably priced towards the lower end of the scale (say 2 star accommodation) but as you go for the more central and larger Southport hotels you will quickly discover how expensive luxury and accessibility can cost. I strongly suggest that you shop around and book as early as possible if you are planning to stay in Southport and the two sites listed below offer comprehensive listings of Southport accommodation:
http://www.bedandbreakfastdir.co.uk/uk/southport.php
http://southport.hotelreservationhelper.com/
4 years ago • 0 notes