Southport - Formby Coast Guide 

Southport is a traditional seaside resort with lots to offer the visitor - long sandy beaches, a promenade, a pier and loads of amusements and entertainments. The Southport and surrounding coastline is renowned for its beautiful beaches. Southport, Formby, and Ainsdale are regularly awarded the ENCAMS Seaside Award Blue Flags.

                                                                                   Formby beach

For details of  Southport Hotels and Holidays, Guest Houses, Cottages  and Attractions.  Go to Southport Hotels  Guest Houses and Cottages

Southport beach is ideal for families with plenty of parking and lots of space and also there are some good amusement parks such as Silcock's Funlands, which has amusements for all the family. There are also good beaches at Formby and Ainsdale, which has a Blue Flag award. 

If you're into birdwatching, cycling or walking breaks, then Southport is most definitely the place for you. Southport is part of a unique and amazing Sefton coastline stretching some 22 miles down towards Liverpool. The sandhills and dunes provide the largest area of undeveloped dunes and coastal woodland in England, home to many species of flora and fauna. The Sefton Coastal Footpath runs along here and stretches 21 miles to Crosby in the south. 

Southport is also known as the 'Golfing Capital of England' and there are around twenty courses in the immediate area including the famous Royal Birkdale - which hosted the British Open Golf Championship in July 2008. 

Formby

Formby is a small coastal town in Lancashire it is located around 4 miles south of Southport. The town is popular with people from Liverpool and the other industrial towns nearby and attracts a lot of visitors during the summer months. The main beach area consists of sand dunes and a gently sloping, sandy beach. The area is managed by the National Trust and there  are car parks, toilets and refreshments available from vans in the main season. 

Places to visit around Southport

Model Railway Village - Kings Gardens, Promenade, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1QX Tel: 01704 538001

Southport Pier - Built in the 1860s Southport pier has recently been refurbished 

Silcock's Funlands - The Promenade, Southport,  Merseyside PR8 1QX Tel: 01704 536733

Splash World - Leisure pool with slides and swimming pool - Esplanade, Southport, Merseyside PR8 1RX Phone:  01704 537160

Hesketh Park - Has duck ponds and boating lake as well as cafe and mini-golf. 

Royal Birkdale Golf Club - Venue for two Ryder Cups and numerous other golf tournaments Waterloo Road Birkdale Southport Merseyside PR8 2LX Tel: +44 (0)1704 567920

Pitch and Putt - Princes Park, Southport, Merseyside

Botanic Gardens - Bankfield Lane, Churchtown, Southport Merseyside PR9 7NB Phone: 01704 214164

Map of the Southport area

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Other sections of the guide you might also enjoy - see below.

Activities

Whether your idea of an ideal activity is sunbathing or you prefer something more strenuous, the  chances are that you will be able to pursue this at the coast. 

Attractions - see listings pages

A huge selection of attractions are available within the coastal area and this section will have details of many of them -  from piers and harbours to fun fairs and roller coasters, 

Pubs, restaurants and shopping guide

The listings section will also have details of pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and shops available in the locality. Restaurants and shops coming soon.....

Features

We will bring you feature  articles  about the coastline and  news items about life in the coastal area. contributions to this section are welcome.

Photo Gallery

A great selection of photos from the Southwest region.

Ukcoastguide