Southport Beach - any tips?

[SquirryTheSquirrel]

DH and I are thinking of driving to Southport beach for a day when we get half-decent weekend weather, as it's reasonably near us but we have never been.

The beach seems to be massive having done some Googling and I wondered if any regular visitors or locals might be kind enough to share their tips.

For context, it's just me and DH - no DC and sadly our doggie passed away last year, so dog-restrictions on the beach are no longer an issue.

We are not bothered about entertainment, shops or facilities beyond toilets - we just like to walk along a beach, preferably as unspoilt as possible, and if warm enough, to swim in the sea. Recommendations for a good fish and chippery would be a bonus but not essential.

I'm looking for tips as to which part of the beach is best to aim for, where to park where there's likely to be spaces (not too bothered if it's expensive) and any other must-do things for two boring middle-aged adults!

Our most-visited beach is Filey to give a clue as to the sort of place we like.

Any advice or opinions gratefully received .

Ainsdale beach is beautiful, just 5 minutes drive from Southport. There is on beach parking, which I think is £10 for the day (not sure as we usually walk down). They have just put in a couple of shipping containers which sell fish and chips, but not sure what they are like. You can walk down the beach to Formby which is also lovely. If you go for a paddle just watch out for the jelly fish!

Go when the tide is in. Otherwise you’ll need to walk about two miles to see the sea.

It happens about twice a year.

That sounds lovely, thank you - we really enjoy long beach walks.

I was stung by a jellyfish once in Cornwall so I always keep a sharp eye out for them. Nearly passed out with the pain!

Oh, yes, I saw when I Googled that the sea seems to be elusive! We always check the tide times for Filey because we like to walk along the Brig, so I'll make sure I check for Southport before we go.

I'd go to Ainsdale or Formby. Southport beach is mostly alongside a busy coastal road, there's not much there except sand dunes, a retail park and a rundown funfair. Swimming might be difficult as the tide goes out for miles, I don't think I've ever seen it in. Nor sure that there's any public toilets either.

Funnily enough the tide comes in and goes out twice a day.
For fish and chips I’d walk just into town and go to the Swan on Stanley St.

And there’s toilets at the end of the pier or behind the bowling alley, on the beach side. Also McDonalds.

I'd go to Crosby beach, then you can look at the Gormley installation.

If you go to Southport make sure to pay attention to where the quicksand is. I'd walk north from the carpark by the old Butlins in Ainsdale.

That's useful to know, thanks Diana. We are definitely more fish-and-chips than burger-and-fries people and I always think they taste at their best when you're by the sea.

Oh, wow, I've just had a quick look online at the installation, that looks amazing!

If you can avoid parking on the beach do. I've been stuck on there before!

Southport is great with small kids but there's no way I'd choose it as an adult.
If you do, the pier is nice for a walk and there's an arcade with old fashioned games at the end, along with a nice café overlooking the "sea".
As previous posters have said, the tide will most likely be out.

My alternatives would be Formby...take a picnic and walk through the pine woods to get to the beach, or, and I know this isn't nearby, St Annes. There's a nice chippy called Whelan's nearby in Lytham.

There’s lots of places to sit outside in Birkdale village for a coffee/meal. It’s lovely and a 5 minute drive from the beach.

Free parking at Ocean Plaza by the pier for 3 hours, but you would need to be there in the morning to guarantee parking.

The tide doesn't just come in first thing and stay in for the day, so it's best to check the times online. People end up disappointed that the sea is so far out because they haven't checked in advance.

My favourite cafe in Southport is Tappers. They have a facebook page to see their location. They've recently reopened after covid. It's a lovely stylish cafe, perfect for couples (it's where DH and I like to go).

Formby is a much nicer beach, but again if the weather is good you will need to be there early to get parked. I think the main car park is called Victoria Road. If you have National Trust membership you can park at the squirrel reserve for free. The police have been known to close the roads if too many people start arriving once the car parks are full, so best to keep that in mind. The food at The Freshfield pub near there is usually very god.

It sounds like there are lots of options, thank you everyone.

We've been meaning to try Lytham - I understand it's much quieter than Blackpool (which is too entertainment-centred for our tastes).

We've fallen into a rut of always defaulting to Filey (though it's actually further away from us than either Blackpool or Southport) and we really need to be a bit more adventurous!

I should add the beach is covered in grass from the north side of the pier. When it first started growing locals tried to get Sefton Council to do something, but they just left it. So it's not as picturesque as Formby.

Ainsdale beach is tricky for parking so I would look at Google maps first if you decide to go.

If you have National Trust membership you can park at the squirrel reserve for free.

We're with English Heritage unfortunately, but I don't mind paying to park - we pay about £8 to park all day in Filey.

Crosby is great. You can park for free next to the leisure centre if there are spaces. There are public toilets and the Antony gormley men are fab.

It's a nice beach.

Formby also has a forest where there are red squirrels. We've been so many times and it's a lovely walk.

Although last time I went someone had stuck a big dildo in between one of the men's legs

If you like a walk, have you been up Rivington Pike ?

namcybotwinbloom

We haven't been up Rivington Pike, yet Diana. We like Hardcastle Crags so it would probably be good for us to try a hill instead of a valley for a change!

Go to Formby beach by the squirrel sanctuary not Southport.

There’s public toilets and a cafe across the road from the free parking at the Pike.
There are a couple of routes up, I always come down through the Chinese gardens.

We normally go to Silcocks for fish and chips. It's a small cafe/ restaurant.The beach is OK, not great quality sand but the kids enjoy it. The surrounding area is nice to walk around too. Our favourite local beaches are New Brighton and West Kirby though.