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Morecambe Beach

Morecambe is a seaside town in Lancashire.

Get in

Morecambe is approximately five miles from the county town of Lancaster (and indeed forms a small conurbation). It is well placed for explorations of Lakeland, Bowland, and the western side of the Yorkshire Dales.

It is located close to the M6 motorway, the main west-coast arterial road in Britain.

Rail services from Lancaster are frequent, Lancaster itself is served by the West Coast Main Line. Services also run to Manchester Airport and Leeds.

Get around

Although access is beset with difficulties from Lancaster, due to an excess of traffic, Morecambe itself is relatively easy to get around. Try parking on the front, and then simply walking along the Prom.

See

  • Morecambe Bay. one of Britain's largest tidal areas. This makes for an excellent haven for wildlife, particularly birds. The view of the Lake District is particularly picturesque, and the sunsets are often impressive.

Do

Morecambe has a long promenade, which extends from the ancient fishing village of Heysham in the south-west, along Sandylands to the Battery in Morecambe's West End. It continues from there along the entire length of the seafront in Morecambe, passing the newly renovated Midland Grand Hotel, the Stone Jetty, Eric Morecambe Statue, Clock Tower, and Lifeboat Station before reaching Happy Mount Park in the north-east. In all the length of the promenade is around five miles, and it is completely flat, making it popular for those on bicycles, wheelchairs, or with prams. Most of the Promenade has been regenerated in the past fifteen years, initially through the 'Tern Project' which reflects the biological diversity of the area through a number of states and sculptures of bird life. Many of these are along the Stone Jetty, a former ship breaking point which extends out into the bay.

Eric Morecambe Statue

The Eric Morecambe Statue, in roughly the centre of the promenade, celebrates the life and interests of Morecambe's most famous son John Eric Morecambe, one half of Morecambe and Wise. Unveiled by the Queen in 1999, the statue is depicts Eric in a characteristic pose, surrounded by inscriptions of some of his most famous catchphrases.

More recently, emphasis has moved towards providing high quality children's play areas along the Front and other public art works. Many of these are in Morecambe's West End and the area known as Sandylands, which extends towards Heysham, and also in Happy Mount Park, a large public park at the end of the Prom.

  • the Platform. a theatre in a converted station which hosts live music and comedy, a four screen cinema, twenty lane bowling alley, and Megazone, a laser tag centre in a converted Music Hall.

Buy

In between many of the cheap and cheerful shops on the Front are some extremely high quality gift shops offering art, jewellery and crafts at very reasonable prices. Icecream is something of a local speciality, with Brucianni's and Lewis's offering their own makes, and English Lakes available in many restaurants.

There are still many arcades on the Promenade, offering a range of traditional seaside games such as tuppeny pushers and bingo (the term itself originating in Morecambe, along with helter skelter), one armed bandits, and videogames.

Eat

Morecambe has a wide variety of cafes and restaurants, plus some good pubs in the locale.

Among the best:

Cafes:

  • Lubins. tea, coffee, milkshakes, wide selection of cakes, some savoury dishes
  • Chill. smoothies and such like.
  • Artisan. more bohemian affair, offering excellent coffee and home-made cakes.

Restaurants:

  • The Bow Window. excellent foods at great value prices with a selection of hand crafted cakes and delights.

mmmmm delights :)

Drink

Sleep

  • Midland Grand Hotel. symbolic of the resort's decline, has been the focus of much of Morecambe's attempts to revitalise itself in recent years. It has recently reopened as a forty-eight bedroom luxury hotel with spa and restaurant.
  • Crown Hotel and Pebbles restaurant. offers boutique accommodation with views over the Bay to the Lakes, with food by an award winning chef.

There are many other hotels and guest houses throughout the town and in the surrounding villages which provide an excellent base for exploring the Lakes, Dales and northern Lancashire.

Near By

Heysham, a fishing village with medieval origins is accessible on foot. The Lakes are around half an hour's drive. The film Brief Encounter was shot at Carnforth, which has a visitor centre at its station. Lancaster is an attractive small city, as are both Kirkby Lonsdale, and Kendal.

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