Lancashire (Morecambe Bay, seaside towns & cities)
Lancashire is a fairly large county that’s known for being home to the cities of Manchester and Lancaster (and the seaside resort of Blackpool). But outside of these areas, it’s mostly rural villages or the vast swathes of Morecambe Bay, a paradise for England’s wetland birds.
If out walking, follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe. If at the coast, read up on keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Morecambe Bay (a northwest wetland bird paradise)
Morecambe Bay is a broad expanse of water in Lancashire (spilling into the Lake District), known for its shifting sands and wildlife. Flowing from the River Lune, it’s a wetland paradise for over 200,000 wading birds.
Morecambe Bay has quicksand, so avoid walking on areas with warning signs. Keep yourself (and dogs) at least 50 metres away from birds, as disturbing nests could cause them to abandon chicks.
Morecambe covers around 300 square km (115 square miles in old money). It’s also the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sands in England, and an important estuary for waders, wildfowl and gulls (and home to rare brown fritillary butterflies).
Lancashire is a county mostly known for being home to the city of Manchester and the seaside resort of Blackpool. But outside these areas are numerous pretty countryside villages, and many seaside resorts.
Grange-Over-Sands (a pretty Morecambe Bay town)
One little gem (over the border in Cumbria) is Grange-Over-Sands. You can walk a promenade overlooking the lake, or enjoy quiet gardens and parks nearby.
The ‘over-sands’ part is not just for show. Back in the 1800s, the local vicar got fed up of his letters ending up in Grange (Borrowdale) near Keswick. So he changed the name, to receive his post!
Manchester: Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
The canals still remain in Manchester, a city where cotton mills produced enormous wealth. And the terraced houses of workers still stand, like a scene from Coronation Street, which is set in the city.
David Neilson (who plays Roy Cropper) owns the shopping bag that is as famous as he is – his late mother took the bag to Loughborough market for years. He now uses it carry scripts around!
Manchester is known for its music. It’s the city that birthed The Smiths and folk singer Ewan MacColl (who wrote Dirty Old Town and was father to Kirsty MacColl).
Another local was Letter from America’s Alistair Cooke, who presented on BBC Radio 4 for decades. A tragedy after his death is that illegal gangs sold his bones to the medical industry (he died from bone cancer, so the tissue was not even healthy). All in a country that Alistair spent his life endearing us to.
Unicorn Grocery (a thriving Manchester food co-operative)
Unicorn Grocery is a thriving Manchester food co-operative that is owned by its staff (who get paid a real living wage). All items are vegan (2500 foods) and fresh produce is from its own farm.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets. Indie shops can learn which plants and flowers are unsafe near pets, to know what not to sell to people with animal friends.
It even has England’s first living roof on a commercial building, to support habitat of the endangered black redstart bird):
It also offers organic beers and eco-refillable beauty and household items, sold in plastic-free packaging. Salads and olives are sold in reusable tubs, and there’s even a soup cup deposit scheme.
Get discounts with the loyalty card. Prices are very good (due to no shareholders and most produce is local). A few items cost more (like homemade organic flapjack).
The ‘Good Stuff’ apple logo indicates favourite companies. With no plans to expand, you can download their free Grow a Grocery guide to bring the same to your town!
Blackpool: a classic seaside break in England
Blackpool tram has a proud history, but spent years running older slower cars that creaked along the seafront. Today it has had a revamp, with wider platforms and new trams that go at higher speeds and are more accessible.
They have spacious low floors for step-free boarding, modern ticketing systems and upgraded tracks. While the old trams had around 3 million annual rides, today it’s nearer 5 million.
The Blackpool Tower took seven years to build, and is indeed modelled on the Eiffel Tower, and known for its ballroom-dancing competitions. The floor is designed to sway in high winds. It opened back in 1899.
The ballroom sits inside the Tower complex, and it feels like entering a brighter, slower era. Expect ornate décor, a famous dance floor, and music that suits everything from a gentle waltz to a proper spin across the room. Even if you don’t dance, the atmosphere makes it worth the visit.
The town has been known for decades as the home of its ‘Blackpool landladies’ who run hundreds of local bed-and-breakfasts. The 5pm rule years ago meant many guests were ‘booted out’ after breakfast (no matter the weather) and not allowed to return until ‘high tea’ at 5pm!
Alas the town is one of the few seaside resorts that still offers donkey rides for children. Unlike abroad, donkeys here are inspected for welfare, but most parents now are choosing to move on from donkey rides.
Blackpool is where sticks of rock were created, made by folding and stretching coloured toffee or sugar crystals into hard sticky sticks, which will pull all your fillings out! Keep rock, candy floss and pebble sweets away from young children, due to choking hazards.
The upcoming sugar tax means that many brands will likely go bust (unlike soda drinks, it’s likely more complicated to make them with artificial sweeteners). Blackpool Rock was first sold around 1902 (or created in the 1870s) when Ben Bullock began to make sticks with words like ‘Whoa Emma’ at his Yorkshire factory, after a holiday in Blackpool.
Sticks of rock fell out of favourite during the sugar-rationing of World War II, and men were not around to do the heavy lifting of the sugar mix. Typical ingredients of a modern stick of rock are refined sugar, glucose syrup, flavours and the colours E153, E100, E122 and E129 (the two red ones are linked to hyperactivity in children).
Blackpool Illuminations: tackling light pollution
Although astronomers are aware that the Blackpool lights bring in substantial tourism income, they are concerned over plans to create an artificial ‘aurora borealis’ (northern lights) by way of a 1KW laser to shine in the sky.
This would not just blight the night sky, but ruin views across the county (and also for Merseyside, Cumbria, North Wales and even Isle of Man).
The major towns & cities of Lancashire
- Lancaster has a castle that gives the city a strong silhouette, and the centre feels human in scale. After a look around, a stroll by the River Lune helps you reset.
- Preston is often the place people pass through, yet it works brilliantly as a hub. You can spend a morning in the centre, then head out in the afternoon without hassle. Parks give you space when the streets feel busy, and the rail links make day trips simple.
- Lytham St Annes does seaside without the shouting. The promenade is made for a gentle walk, and the air feels cleaner the moment you arrive. Lytham’s Green is wide and open, and the windmill nearby is a classic.
- Blackburn makes a strong day out if you like places that feel lived-in. Start in the town centre with a market lunch, then add a cultural stop for an hour or two. After that, you’re well placed for a short drive or bus ride towards moorland edges and reservoirs.
Vegan Lancashire Hotpot: Perfect Comfort Food!
Lancashire hotpot was invented in the days of the thriving cotton industry, when potatoes and lamb were cooked over a low fire. This vegan Lancashire hotpot (The Veg Space) is made with tinned lentils, mushrooms, Maris Piper spuds and ready-made vegan sausages.
So good, people from Yorkshire may even try it!
This recipe uses Maris Piper potatoes for best results, along with tinned lentils for taste and protein. The ‘lamb replacement’ in this case are vegan sausages. We like Moving Mountains as they aren’t owned by a meat company (like Richmond) and very tasty, affordable and easy to find.
If you prefer not to use ‘fake meat’, you can sub with tinned borlotti beans instead. Serve this vegan hotpot with steamed green beans and broccoli or mashed carrot and swede.
Keep this recipe away from pets due to unsafe ingredients (garlic, onion, mushrooms). Read more on food safety for people and pets.
Just bin alliums (onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives) as like tomato/citrus/rhubarb scraps, acids could harm compost creatures. If using tinned ingredients, pop lids inside or pull ring-pulls back over holes before recycling, to prevent wildlife getting trapped.
A Coronation Street ‘hotpot’ Legend!
What a stunner!
Betty Driver was an actress and singer whose name will ring bells for fans of Coronation Street. Born in Leicester, she became famous for her role as Betty Williams on the long-running soap.
Her warm, down-to-earth character was a staple on screen for decades, and her roots in the city remained a point of pride. Leicester has always had a strong connection to the arts, and Betty’s story highlights the city’s role in sending talent to the national stage.
Betty in real life was a vegetarian and awful cook, laughing that she wouldn’t be able to make a hotpot to save her life! Still her healthy lifestyle led her to live to 91.
Lancashire’s Oato Drink (also sold in groceries)
Oato is another oat drink brand, born in Lancashire and sold online at Milk & More. The milks locally are still in glass bottles. In strawberry, coffee and chocolate flavours. This brand has recently gone on sale in Waitrose. Due to logistics, the supermarket version is in plastic bottles (easily recycled at kerbside).
Oat drink is not a substitute for formula. Always talk to your GP and midwife about dairy alternatives, for babies and weaning. Keep away from pets (due to nuts, chocolate etc).
