Exploring The Very Best Of Lancashire’s Coastal Region.

Andy Mossack enjoys a romp around Lancashire’s coastal region and finds fantastic food, golf and plenty of hidden history.

Lancashire’s stunning coastal region has a storied past. From the wealthy cotton barons to the industrial working class. From fashionable beach towns to tiny coastal hamlets. And let’s not forget the world-class golf course that is Royal Lytham & St Anne’s, one of the top golf courses on the planet. It’s a story of proud foodies, faded glamour and lost fortunes and I wanted to pick out some of those gems that make Lancashire such a special county.

Blackpool

Once dubbed the “working class Las Vegas of the north,” Blackpool has certainly had its fair share of critics, but there is lot going on under the bonnet right now to give this grande dame a new lease of life.

The opening of a new Promenade all along the Blackpool’s famously squeaky-clean beaches has kick-started a movement of regeneration beginning with the new five-star Boulevard Hotel on Ocean Boulevard by the North Pier that I recently reviewed.

Strictly Come Dancing has elevated the famous Tower Ballroom to superstar status, and with the news that Merlin is handing the Tower management back to Blackpool Council I sense some much-needed TLC is in the offing. However, the regular afternoon tea dances up on the third-floor ballroom are a Blackpool staple. What a magical way to enjoy a cream tea with a few dances around that historic ballroom to the sound of Chris Hopkins on the Wurlitzer.

A haven for foodies however resides just opposite the Tower. The Beach House Bistro is another example of Blackpool’s gradual gentrification. Super position right on the beachfront and a super cool vibe inside. There’s a retractable roof for summer days and it was super-hot when I was there, almost tropical, with people strolling hand in hand along the sandy shore. A great mediterranean-style menu including steaks and lobster, but it’s also a perfect spot to sit on the terrace and sip a coffee and cake. The Cornish Orchard raspberry and elderflower cider was delicious!

If fish chips are more to your liking walk along the Promenade in-between the Central and South Piers and you’ll see two chip shops bookending a row of shops and B&Bs – one called the Cod Father and the other the Cod Mother. They’ll make you an offer of fish and chips you can’t refuse!

The Pleasure Beach Resort is still an iconic family-owned theme park based at the south end of the Promenade. Some terrifying roller coasters including The Big One over 200 feet high. Guests of the Boulevard Hotel get free admission and VIP entry directly from the hotel.

Lytham Hall

The two coastal towns of Lytham and St. Annes may be Blackpool neighbours just a few minutes’ drive away, but the difference is quite remarkable. Two well-heeled towns that have visibly retained their wealthy heritage with large houses and leafy streets. Lytham Hall was once the fanciest of all, the plush seat of the landed gentry Clifton family for over 200 years and once sitting in 8,000 wonderful acres.

You can see the Clifton name all over Lytham: in Clifton Street the main shopping area to the biggest hotel, the Clifton Arms. Sadly, Henry de Vere Clifton eventually gambled away all the family money so much of the estate land was sold off and the stately home lay abandoned and rotting for years.

Fast forward to 2018 when Peter Anthony and Paul Lomax were appointed by the Lytham Trustees to commence a project of refurbishment and renovation to the house and the remaining 78 acres of parkland. Today, through fund raising, volunteering, local business donations and sheer hard work, the transformation is incredible. This hidden gem, literally on the doorstep of locals and entirely ignored for decades, has been beautifully and painstakingly restored and visited by over 30,000 people every month.

The grounds are free to wander around (Just a parking fee of £1.50) while there’s a charge to tour inside the magnificent house. The restaurant café is a regular lunchtime magnet as are the afternoon cream teas in the house and the collaboration of artisan shops. Regular events and concerts take place all year round.

One thing’s for sure, taking a full day at Lytham Hall will not be enough to see it all. But it is a glorious day out. I bet old Henry is mightily relieved.

Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club

A golfing institution almost as famous as St. Andrews, Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club is one of the World’s premier links courses, the host to eleven Open Championships and two Ryder Cups. It is quite simply a golfing Mecca. Any golfer would be honoured to walk its legendary fairways in the footsteps of golfing greats such as Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, and Bobby Jones. I had the privilege of reviewing it on my recent visit and on a very windy day still managed a respectable score. My tip for any aspiring golfing visitor? Stay out of the bunkers!

Eating out in Coastal Lancashire

There are some outstanding restaurants hidden deep in the Lancashire countryside that simply cannot be overlooked for anyone visiting nearby. From my base in Blackpool these two restaurants are unmissable.

The Cartford Inn. Little Eccleston

The Cartford Inn is not only a dining destination, it’s also a restaurant/pub with rooms. Not just any rooms mind you, individually designed beautiful spaces. Owned by Patrick and Julie Beaumé and perched by the bend of the River Wyre next to a very cute little toll bridge (70p a car), the Cartford Inn is one of the most eclectic dining places you might ever encounter.

With all kinds of knick-knacks and artworks personally curated by Julie, the interior is a mishmash of colours and creativity with tables tucked away in nooks, crannies and cubbyholes. There’s no messing about in the main dining room though with huge windows gazing out at the riverbank and the tapestry of wildlife.

Just walking around the property you’ll see how its expanded over time from its 17th -century roots; the two stilted lodges – Ziggy’s’ and Robins Nest – (there’s a definite Bowie obsession at the Cartford Inn), the TOTI Deli (Taste of the Inn) in the courtyard art gallery and the kitchen garden.

Have a pre-dinner cocktail (perhaps their own recipe TOTI gin made at a local distillery) and nosh on nibbles fresh from the garden (we had raw peas in the pod and radishes).

Chef Chris Bury, a local lad with a global CV and now over a decade here, is a culinary wizard. The pork belly with honey, chilli, watermelon and cucumber starter and oxtail and skirt suet pudding main were outstanding.

Just a 20-minute drive from Blackpool you won’t want to miss this.

Twelve Restaurant and Lounge Bar At Marsh Mill

Another excellent award-winning resto sits over at Thornton Cleveleys, a 15-minute drive from Blackpool. Twelve Restaurant adjacent to the Marsh Mill an 18th-century tower windmill has been a local staple owned and run by Caroline and Paul for over 25 years. Plenty of top chefs have earned their chops here including the aforementioned Chris Bury.

Set over two levels, this former grain store has a very funky vibe with plenty of graffiti style pop art including Lennon and Bowie (I see a pattern forming here). This is a well-oiled service team which should come as no surprise as Caroline and Paul also run an established outside catering business including weddings and corporate events.

That said, the new summer menu is delightful, running through July you get three courses and a cocktail for £34. We had a fresh heritage tomato salad with a pulp chutney and basil emulsion starter followed by an excellent Chicken Ceasar schnitzel, triple cooked chips and sauteed greens. Let’s not forget a memorable vanilla panna cotta to round it all off. The standard a la carte menu has more than enough variety to please any palate, and the cocktails are very reasonably priced.

Frankly, any restauranteur that can celebrate a quarter century anniversary should be put on the Honours List and Twelve thoroughly deserves its accolades.

The Beachside Restaurant at the Boulevard Hotel Blackpool.

The Boulevard Hotel is the new luxury face of Blackpool, offering a five star stay and outstanding coastal views. Owned by the Thompson family who have also owned the iconic Pleasure Beach Resort Park for over 90 years, they know a thing or two about hospitality.

The hotel is a statement project to transform Blackpool’s reputation, and the Beachside Restaurant is a worthy inclusion for my eating recommendations. Particularly if you’re staying at The Boulevard. Fresh locally sourced ingredients, excellent value and a terrific cocktail bar are all the ticked boxes you’ll need for a good night out.

Royal Lytham &St. Annes images (C) Gary Lisbon Golf Photography. Food and Ballroom images (C) Andy Mossack