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 .

Agree with the suggestions to go to Formby instead of southport, much nicer. Also Rivington pike is a lovely walk on a clear day you can see for miles

I am no expert on Southport but we went to the Squirrel Sanctuary at Formby and walked down to the beach from there. It was absolutely beautiful - there seemed to be miles of white sand.

The Anthony Gormley statues on Crosby Beach are worth seeing too. When I was little I loved going to Southport. I last there before the first lockdown and it seemed very rundown - not somewhere I’d want to rush back to.

By the way, you could spend ages walking at Formby and then go to see the statues at Crosby. They are not far apart, just a short drive.

Lytham/At. Anne's defo much nicer than Blackpool!

Definitely Formby or Ainsdale over Southport beach.
Lytham is lovely too, I'd head to Lytham rather than St Anne's if I had no kids with me.
If you're near enough to Rivington there are also some lovely walks around Anglsark (sp) and Belmont area - quite a few nice reservoir walks.

thehogfather yes it's a lovely walk from Angelzarke (really unsure on spelling!).

If you're open to other suggestions there are lovely walks by the Leeds Liverpool Canal and pubs to stop at eg start Burscough and walk to The Windmill at Parbold via The Ship at Lathom.

Thank you for these great suggestions - I knew Mumsnet would be the place to come!

It sounds as though starting at Formby and then moving along the coat would be the best plan. We usually make an early start and late departure to beat the traffic so hopefully will have plenty of time.

Rivington Pike (and surrounds) and Lytham are now also on the day trips to-do list.

^Moving along the coast, not 'coat'. Hoping we won't need our coats.

If you’re in Burscough, the Hop Vine comes highly recommended- but I’ve not been myself.

@DinosaurDiana Hop Vine is great, only downside is that it's so nice it gets busy!

I live by the Iron Men, really recommend a visit. We love Southport for a trip out ourselves, lots to do, but the beach itself isn't the nicest beach in the area.

I'd love to see the iron men. We're sculpture fans (in a totally non-expert way) - we love the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield, and I'd highly recommend it if you haven't already visited.

I saw this thread earlier and was going to suggest Crosby beach over Southport, so glad that's now been said.

Rivington Pike is also a great suggestion, I discovered that area for the first time this year and am sad I hadn't been before as I go walking all over the place within an hour or so of Leeds and there's absolutely loads of interest in the area around the hill itself as it's set in a big country park area, developed by Lord Lever in the 19th century. It does get very busy though.

Do you have dc, Op? Only if you do, there's a big outdoor adventure type playground on the beach in Crosby /Waterloo, a small kids funfair during summer, a series of Seafront gardens (small parks) to walk through/play in and a watersport's centre by the lane

Sorry, Op, just saw you don't have dc so none of the above applies!

Yes, it's just me and DH, no DC and no longer have a dog to come with us, sadly.

That's a lovely photo Barbara.

Husband was poring over the road map last night working out the best route so we're just waiting for the right weather to coincide with a weekend now!

Thanks, the other two that I meant to post didn't work, so try again.

Like I said, definitely worth a visit, probably best to arrive early if you can, as it does get very busy. The parking seemed a bit random, with a mix of proper car parks and cars randomly left all over the place, the locals who know the area probably have their favourite spots.

But there were plenty of notice boards, showing where you are and explaining the various points of interest.

I'm hoping to visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park later this year and glad to read of the recommendation, OP.

Hope you get to see the Antony Gormley statues- they are not upside down like these ones I saw a couple of years ago.

The sculpture park is great, newnortherner. I recommend taking a picnic with you as the sandwiches in the little cafe are nice, but the queues can be enormous. The shop is very tempting if you like arty bits and pieces - a good place to buy presents.

Those upside down sculptures are fab - the people look a bit like fruit bats!

Ainsdale and Formby beaches much nicer than Southport. Southport sand is quite muddy.

I'd also vote Crosby/Formby/Ainsdale over Southport.

If you like sculptures then there's a sculpture park near Pendle Hill. The hill itself is a bit bleak for walking though.

Also Grizedale Forest in the Lake District (inbetween Coniston and Windermere) is well worth a visit or two, several sculpture trails and a cafe at the visitor centre. They used to have a theatre too, but not sure if that is up and running again yet.

If you go to Formby, the toilets are near the entrance to the car park so I'd go to the loo before you walk down and over the dunes onto the beach! It's a fair walk back if you realise you need a wee once you're on the beach.

I'm so glad I asked before tootling off to Southport without a clue where to aim for.

principle I'm of the age where I have a safety-wee whenever I pass a public toilet in an unfamiliar place so I'll definitely make sure I go on the way to the beach .

If you go to Crosby beach there’s some lovely cafes nearby - Crosby coffee, Waterloo sunset and a Timberwolf (which sells alcohol too for the non driver)