Scotland

During my formative years I travelled around the United Kingdom, mainly during the summer months and mainly in the country of England. One of the places, besides the city of Liverpool, in which I spent most time, was the seaside town of  Southport, also in Merseyside (although locals would prefer it was still part of Lancashire and even choose to address letters as such!). Winter wasn’t much fun in the town but come summer it came alive with the most wonderful atmosphere.

Southport is a pretty Victorian seaside town found on the English North West coast. Visitor attractions include, Southport Pier, Hesketh Park, Lord Street, Churchtown village, the Botanic Gardens at Churchtown, Botanic Gardens Museum, Wayfarers’ Arcade plus a great many more besides. Lord Street is Southport’s famous main shopping street and all down one side of the street the wide pavements are covered by ornate Victorian iron work and, closer to the road, grow a row of lush green mature trees. Over on the other side of the street are small areas of gardens, garden beds, fountains and even a Victorian styled bandstand. At the very centre of Lord Street is one of the most luxuriant war memorials in Britain, it has a centrally placed obelisk  around which the busy traffic flows endlessly but on either side are two further monuments which feature large columns. It is along Lord Street that you will find some of the finest architecture in the town most beautiful are the enchanting shops  in the covered Wayfarers’ Arcade. Again this little shopping area is Victorian in style and makes a great place to grab something to eat no matter what the weather!

At the very end of Lord Street is the incredibly beautiful, and heavily wooded, Hesketh Park. The park gets its name from the local, and very influencial, Hesketh family who are responsible for much of the town’s character. There are beautiful hidden areas to be discovered within the park with such things as a small garden for the blind, a play park, glass house, bandstand and most prominent is the lovely lake which is home to a healthy gathering of Swans, ducks and other birds eagre to grab food from visitors.

My favourite park in Southport is the Victorian Botanic Gardens found in Churchtown which has a a river come lake which features boats for hire, an ornate bridge, ducks, swans and other wildlife and if you like animals and birds the Botanic Gardens also has a very small zoo, just opposite the museum and cafe.  If you manage to spot a small building set off the main pathway which has a small closed door do not be afraid to enter because it is a lovely hot house that, luckily, tends not to get too busy.

Outside of the Botanic Gardens is the village of Churchtown, a lovely collection of ancient white and thatched cottages, fishermen’s cottages and a superb public house or two serving food. While there it is vital that you take the time to walk around investigating, do not be afraid to look down alleys because there are one or two hidden gems well worth the effort to find.

Finding Southport bed and breakfast is not too difficult as there is a wide selection of guest houses and hotels in the town centre and in the outskirts, most of which are able to take online bookings. There are Southport hotels suitable for all budgets and tastes from from the truly luxurious to some which are far more cheap and cheerful but wholly acceptable.

We hope that you find the following sites useful in finding accommodation in Southport:

http://www.bedandbreakfastdir.co.uk/uk/southport.php

http://southport.hotelreservationhelper.com/