Lancashire is in the North West of England and takes its name from Lancaster City.
This county ranges from Blackpool - an amazing traditional and very exciting seaside resort - up to the Forest of Bowland and is packed with activities and attractions, heritage and wonderful folk tales. Known as England's golfing coast this area offers four superb courses near Lytham St Anne's. The beaches in the area are varied but mainly sandy and most offer safe swimming and watersports.
Coastal features include Lytham Windmill, the beautiful old town of Heysham and the three lighthouses at Fleetwood but apart from those the area is perfect for nature lovers with RSPB reserves, Ribble Coast and Wetlands that are home to wildlife and made up of mudflats, sand dunes and marshes. There's also a wonderful walk on the 140 mile long coastal path that takes you to Cumbria!
There are many seaside towns here and each has varied accommodation, harbours and great fish and chip shops! Lytham St Annes is an old town dating back to Victorian times with gardens right down to the sea, a Victorian Pier and Promenade, Lytham Green Windmill and A grandiose Hall!
Fleetwood is popular with its maritime heritage and busy harbour. Fleetwood Freeport Villages offers shopping galore on the marina and there's a five mile promenade at Morecambe where you can drink in the breathtaking views across the bay.
Why not check beaches nearby as we have 19 beaches in Lancashire, or have a look at our list of Lancashire dog friendly beaches, or even our United Kingdom Blue Flag beach list.
Lancashire Coast Search Bar
Where would you like to go? Use our search bar to search across all our local listings, ideal for finding that nearest spot to visit:
Want some ideas on where to visit?
Every favourite location must be visited for the first time. Want some ideas, why not check out the below small selection of coastal locations, including beaches, activities, things to see and do, places to stay and eat:
- 10th August 2019, 11:00 am-11th August 2019, 5:00 pmSt Anne’s Kite Festival takes place ob St Anne’s seafront and has kite teams from across the UK and overseas.Running over Saturday and Sunday you will get to see fabulous kite displays although this is weather dependent. Most years regardless of the weather you have been able to see something and have a great family day out.
- Silverdale beach sits in a small attractive village within Morecambe Bay and the Arnside and Silverdale AONB. Facilities include a number of cafes within the village.
- The beach extends northwards from North Pier, continuing to Bispham. The section between North Pier and Cabin is most popular with visitors as it is closest to Blackpool’s local services, hotels etc. Lifeguards in the summer and all the facilities of Blackpool.
- The North beach at St Anne’s consists of a sandy beach and dunes. Site of Special Scientific Interest which is full of interesting wild plants and animals.
- Half Moon Bay is a sandy beach with grass covered dunes and low cliffs. At low tide you have a great expanse of flat sand. The beach is backed by the small town of Heysham, and to the south a power station and a harbour serving passenger ferries to Douglas (Isle of Man) and Belfast (Northern Ireland). The beach is also known as Heysham sands. Parking, beach cafe, grass area and access to facilities within Heysham itself.
- Clitheroe Castle is a ruined early medieval castle in Clitheroe in Lancashire. Today the buildings on the site are the home of Clitheroe Castle Museum. The main museum area is in the former Steward’s House, a Grade II listed building, originally built in the 18th century whilst the former courthouse houses a temporary exhibition space. Its main collections are around social history and geology but it also has smaller collections of natural history, local art and period costume, and the archaeology collection includes items recovered from excavations on the site. The 6.4-hectare (16-acre) castle grounds site was established as a public park after the castle site was acquired by the council.
- Arnside beach and the Arnside area is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. Arnside is on the estuary where the River Kent enters Morecambe Bay and has sites of scientific interest because of the rare butterflies and alpine plants. There are many lovely wooded walks around the National Trust owned Arnside Knott (520ft high flat rock), up to the “Pepper-Pot” at Silverdale or around the coast with its cliff top walks and sea views. Arnside promenade has some shops, pubs, cafes and you have car parking available.
- Morecambe South beach is a sand and shingle beach within a traditional seaside town with amusements and promenade. Facilities include toilets, cafes, parking, promenade and amusements.
- Hest Bank beach is a sandy beach within Morecambe bay that is backed by a grassy area. The sandflats and saltmarshes form the Morecambe Bay Hest Bank RSPB reserve. Facilities include car park, toilets, food, shops and campsite. Do not go out onto the saltmarsh or inter-tidal area as there are dangerous channels and quicksand.
- Hightown beach is mainly sandy backed by sand dunes and is the site of a former wartime military base known as Fort Crosby. The beach is actually split either side of the River Alt.
- The beach at Cleveleys is mostly pebble with some sand backed by a promenade and sits a few miles north of Blackpool. Facilities include parking, promenade and nearby the traditional seaside town with shops and options to eat.
- Pilling Sands beach is located on the southern corner of Morecambe Bay and is really a salt marsh with large areas of sand when the tide goes out. Pilling Sands is not really a traditional beach to visit but is a popular beach for activities including kite sports, horse riding and walking. The Pilling Sea Embankment runs along the coast here and was built to protect the agricultural land from flooding from the sea and is part of the Lancashire Coastal Way, this sea defence is a good location for bird watching, although dogs are NOT allowed on the embankment. Parking is at Lane Ends Amenity Area where you can also find a picnic site, and for other amenities like a pub, you will need to visit Pilling village.
- Fleetwood lifeboat station was established in 1859 an operates inshore and all weather lifeboats. RNLI Shop and station only open by appointment.
