Southport and Marshside

It was lunchtime when we arrived in Southport and the town was buzzing. You read a lot these days about the sad demise of the British seaside resort, but ambling around this Victorian beauty, the place was very much alive.

Southport has been transformed over the last few years, thanks largely to some inspired investment. The magnificent Marine Way Bridge now links the town centre to the seafront and the new Ocean Plaza entertainment complex straddles the Marine Lake, with its yachts and pedaloes.

We’d hatched a plan the night before to have fish and chips for lunch, so Silcock’s Embassy Restaurant was our first port of call. Of course it’s hard to visit the seaside with kids and not spend at least half an hour – and a few quid – on the amusements. Funland on the prom is designated ‘Family-Friendly’, and offers up a multitude of ways to lose two pence pieces.

Before we ran out of money we decided to head towards Southport’s famous Grade II listed pier, which runs parallel to the new bridge. Revamped to the tune of £7m back in 2002, the country’s oldest surviving iron pier is 3600ft long and, like any pier, has a strange allure. It’s like a challenge – it just has to be walked. We paced it out one way to the Pier Pavilion but took the shiny Pier Tram back, the kids by now eager to explore Southport’s award-winning beach.

The tide was well and truly out during our visit and the sea was nigh on invisible, revealing a vast, flat expanse of sand, liberally scattered with razor shells and the odd whelk the size of a small child’s fist. And stretching out from the shore was the skeleton of the pier, now somewhat fragile when viewed from below.

We strolled back to the centre for a quick brew, wandering through side streets rammed with B&Bs and evocatively named hotels like the Atlantic Lodge.

Lord Street is rightly known for it’s shopping, from discount bookshops to high fashion. But spare a moment to look up above the modern shop fronts and enjoy the turrets, gables and decoration of the buildings’ upper floors. Designed in an age when craftsmen not concrete ruled, they make a stunning skyline.

Later, we found ourselves on the Sefton Coastal Path, and we literally stumbled across Marshside, one the most important breeding grounds for wading birds in the UK.

There are two ways to take in Marshside. Simply enjoy the views of the wild salt marsh and the swirling patterns of birds as they swoop over head, all in blissful ignorance. Or pitch up with your field guide and binoculars and take a seat in one of the hides on the reserve.

My rudimentary knowledge allowed us to tick of a flight of sandpipers, as well as a couple of quite rare pink footed geese and plenty of teal, with their gorgeous green heads.

The reserve is also famous for its lapwings, once so common but now in decline. As well as their famous ‘peewit’ call, they are also great acrobats and will often tumble out of the sky, looping the loop in an elaborate breeding display.

But the real stars of Marshside are the avocets, those most iconic of British birds and of course the logo of the RSPB. And on May 12 there’s a special guided walk to see these beautiful black and white waders.

We’d hadn’t time for Southport’s revolutionary EcoCentre but had already made a note to return for the Avocet walk, so we’d though we take in the centre then, along with the model railway, the UK’s smallest pub, Marine Lake, Queen’s Jubilee Nature Trail…

 

 

Information

By car: From Liverpool take the A565, while from the M58 the A570 leads straight into the town centre.

By public transport: The nearest station is Southport Chapel Street, with direct trains from Liverpool and Manchester Piccadilly. To find out times call National Rail enquiries 08457 4849 50 

To get to Marshside catch the number 4, 4A and 104 buses alongside the reserve on Marine Drive.  For timetables contact Merseytravel 0151 236 7676

There’s also a well-stocked Tourist Information Office on Lord Street, in Town Hall Gardens. 01704 533333

For further tourist information about Southport go to www.visitsouthport.com to find out more about the Sefton coast in general visit www.seftonnaturalcoast.com

Details

For more about Marshside visit: http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/marshside/about.asp

For Southport in general: www.visitsouthport.com

There’s also a well stocked Tourist Information Office on Lord Street, in Town Hall Gardens.

For the Sefton coast in general: www.seftonnaturalcoast.com