Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. Llandudno is the largest seaside resort in Wales, having been developed as a resort in Victorian times, to include a still grand promenade and a substantial pier. Thus wandering around taking in the sea air is likely to be part of a day trip, but there is also a tramway up the craggy Great Orme for some coastal views, as well as museums, shops and eateries. View across the pier to the promenade. What's here? Llandudno spans a peninsula that reaches into the Irish Sea, close to  Conwy . I parked and started my visit on the West Shore, where there is a sandy beach and a few cafes / hotels, but the action is mostly based closer to the North Shore, which is a 20 minute walk across town.  Between the town and the end of the peninsula is the Great Orme, a limestone hill and nature reserve that offers good views along the North Wales coast. The Greate Orme can be climbed by road, cable car or turn-of-the 20th century tramway , and a fair number of paths that traverse the h...

In Brief. Lytham St Annes is a town immediately to the south of Blackpool, and the coast faces the Irish Sea over substantial beaches in St Annes. Thus St Annes is essentially a somewhat sleepy seaside resort that most likely is not especially envious of its glitzier neighbour. Following the coast round to the Ribble estuary, Lytham has coastal defences, but feels more like a market town, with a refined shopping and restaurant area and an annual music festival . Statue of a shrimper in Lowther Gardens, Lytham. What's Here? In visiting a town that occupies a substantial stretch of shoreline, I decided to park at St Annes, walk to Lytham along the coastal path, and to walk back along the slightly more direct cost road (perhaps 4 miles each way).  This turned out to be a reasonable plan, with changing coastal scenery, a variety of attractions, and periodic eateries. In my visit in September, it was warm, occasionally sunny, and calm, though during a previous visit in October the coast...

In Brief. Southport is a substantial seaside resort on the Irish Sea, though on my visit the tide was out, and it was hard to see the sea over the expanse of sand, even from the end of the Pier! Is it a tired throw-back to another era (think Every Day is Like Sunday )? Well, it's a British seaside resort, so not everything on show was invented in the last 20 years, but near the front there is a modern cinema with associated restaurants alongside artefacts from Victorian times. So, if you are open to the British seaside experience, the beach is vast, the pier is long, the entertainments are numerous, and a modest amount of effort may also uncover some lower profile things to like, such as the distinctive eateries, independent shops, a modern cultural centre ... and perhaps even the shiny new crazy golf course that was being completed in time for the school holidays. As well as reaching out to sea, the Pier goes some way inland! What's Here? With a population of over 90,000, Sout...