One of the things I have missed since moving to Manchester is not having easy access to the seaside, there is something wholly soothing to me about gazing out into the blue expanse! The nearest point to Preston was about 10 miles down the road to Lytham/Lytham St Annes. It can sometimes be a ‘ladies who lunch’ type of place but I am nonetheless very fond.
As a train buff there is the bonus of a single-track line which rolls through en route to its final destination of Blackpool South Shore. In St Annes, there is a terrific Chinese restaurant called Zen which we visited a few times. I recall also on my stag do alighting and visiting the pub by the station (there is always one!) and at that point PNE being 3-1 down to Lincoln with 20 minutes to go but then turning it around much to our merriment into a 4-3 win!
It is about 30 minutes’ walk to Lytham from there either down the wide sand strewn streets or the beach/sea front. On the way you pass the white church, numerous beach huts and Fairhaven Lake where there is a decent pitch and putt course where a group of us use to salve our hangovers on a Sunday morning. Nearby is the Royal Lytham golf course utilised by the British Open approximately every 15 years and savvy residents rent out their houses to international golfers in much the same way Wimbledon residents do every year.
Also, in the 1980’s there was a terrific open-air pool with a couple of water slides, I remember in one of the summer holidays (1982/83ish) visiting regularly as my mate’s mum used to drive us over. The only downside was that it contained sea water which was very unpleasant to swallow! It reminds me also of another open-air pool nearer home in Haslam Park Preston which I used to visit.
Those roads between Lytham and St Annes are a challenge to cycle due to considerable cross winds which I can testify to as it formed the last few miles of the 100km Manchester to Blackpool ride which I completed once in 2012. On arrival in Lytham, you reach a mile-long pleasant grassy area facing the sea and the incumbent old lighthouse.
In the early 2000’s a group of us went to watch Lancashire play at Lytham’s cricket ground on a ridiculously hot day. I was a tad over cautious with the sun cream earning me the temporary nickname of Casper the friendly ghost! It was so close to town we had time in the lunch interval to scoot down to the County Arms for a refreshing pint of Boddingtons – the Cream of Manchester.
There are many cafes and restaurants dotted around the main square. In that vein and again, on my stag do we feasted on Square Pizzas from one of the establishments, I don’t know why but I found the simple concept of the shape of the pizza rather appealing, and I am sure it tasted better as a result!
There are around half a dozen pubs in town and my favourite is the Malt and Hops with its olde worlde charm. They are also blessed with a plethora of real ales, and I once had the dubious pleasure of sampling coriander beer there!
There is a huge pub called the Queens on the coast road facing the sea. Uncle George and I once had a lively session in there downing several pints of Old Peculiar before a hazy trip back on the last bus!
On the musical front, Lytham has developed its own niche with its very own festival which has just passed its 10-year anniversary and is held on the green opposite the Queens. In its early days it was an 80’s festival throwback but has burgeoned its reputation in the last few years with Tom Jones, Stereophonics and Kylie gracing the stage. I have never yet made an appearance, but Gill has attended a couple of shindigs there.
Nearby on Station Road lies a posh Wetherspoons, if that is not an oxymoron? In its previous life it was a spit and sawdust pub called the Hansom Cab where bands occasionally used to play. In May 2000 I saw a noisy covers band called Discovery there.
Much like St Annes and any town worth its salt there is a pub right next to the station. The last train back to Preston was at a commendable ten to midnight meaning you could amble out of the pub at 11.45pm and walk the 50 yards to the platform in time for the train.
The pub Is called the Station Hotel and the bands used to play on a stage right in the middle of the long thin hostelry. In 2012, I saw two gigs there and the bands in question were Stonecycle and Dance Hall Giants.