Lytham St Annes Beach

Located between the mud flats of the Ribble Estuary and the bright lights of Blackpool is the pleasant, if not a little posh, seaside town of Lytham. Despite being less than 5 miles down the coast from Blackpool, Lytham St Annes feels like a world apart.

What the two towns do share in common is a their classic seaside resort credentials. You’ll find swathes of sand, Victorian piers, donkey rides and ice cream vans galore at both, but (thankfully) this is largely where the similarity ends.

The beach itself at St Annes is a huge expanse of golden sand. The sort that is perfect for running around on and building sandcastles. It’s also a great spot for a paddle, however there are no lifeguards on duty and swimming isn’t recommended towards the estuary.

Behind the beach is a large grassy area featuring attractive gardens, a boating lake and Lytham’s iconic green windmill.

The pier at St Annes dates back to 1885 and measures around 600 ft (180 m) in length. It was intended to attract a slightly classier visitor than Blackpool’s working-class day-trippers. Over the years the pier has suffered like many of Britain’s piers. Whilst a considerable section has been destroyed the now separate landing jetty remains to give an idea of the piers original length.

Head southwards and the beach becomes a haven for wildlife. Backed by sand dunes this area attracts huge numbers of wildfowl and waders. At Fairhaven Lake there’s an RSPB Discovery Centre providing plenty of information about the local wildlife.