I must be one of the only people who can't stand Blackpool - I find it tacky, noisy, expensive, a nightmare to park and I hate having to go.

We live fairly close to Blackpool (about 30 minutes away) and have a son who is always wanting to go to the Pleasure Beach there - when we do take him , we drop him off amidst the crowds of girls in pink t-shirts with smutty slogans on and we spend our time at the much nicer Lytham St Annes - just a few minutes up the coast.

Lytham St Annes is actually a combination of Lytham, St Annes ( proper name St Annes on Sea), Ansdell and Fairhaven and is situated just three miles south of Blackpool.
In complete contrast to Blackpool this is a far more relaxed area where you can enjoy peaceful parks, beautiful gardens and admire some beautiful buildings.

The population of this area tends to be generally in the older range as it is a very poplular place to retire too and there are also a lot of retirement and nursing homes but there is still plenty to do for younger people.

Lytham itself lies in the south west of the Fylde area of Lancashire on the estuary of the River Ribble and is a traditional coastal village. Originally it was a rural community, relatively poor and backward for centuries.The Manor of Lytham passed through several hands until in 1606 the Clifton family came to Lytham. this family made an incredible impression on Lytham and did a lot to build it up to a prosperous little town.
By the mid-1800s the Victorians were constructing not only a seaside town for visitors but also, encouraged by improved communications including a new railway, a wealthy town for Lancashire industrialists to live in - there are still some wonderful houses that belonged to such families in the town.

Parks, baths, libraries, theatres, hospitals, a pier, and a port followed the houses with the Clifton family donating much of the land and many of the buildings. Lytham Hall between 1765 and 1766 is a wonderful Georgian house just one mile from the centre of town that was the home of the Clifton family.The hall has Grade One listed status and its parkland is also registered with English Heritage.

There isn't a beach as such at Lytham because it's on the mouth of the Ribble estuary, but it does have "Lytham Green" a long stretch of green grass to play ball, sunbathe or picnic on. It is lovely to walk along the Green, which overlooks the estuary of the River Ribble and the Welsh mountains - it is on this Green that you will see the famous windmill which is a landmark of the town. The windmill now holds a wonderfully illustrated exhibition of the town's history as well as being a major tourist information point, is open to the public during the season and entry is free of charge.
This coastline here is one of the best in Britain for birdwatching.

As well as the lovely promenade and Green Lytham has an excellent shopping centre, with many quaint shops as well as the larger stores, there are also some great eating places. Also the Lowther gardens and Pavilion, is a pleasant place to walk or to take in a show.

In between Lytham and St Annes lies the lovely Fairhaven Lake, this measures 1200m by 400m and is 1.2m at its deepest. This is somewhere that we love to visit at any time of the year - it is lovely for walking around.

The lake has motor boats, canoes, rowing boats, kayaks and pedalos for hire or for the less adventurous there is an electrically powered motor launch that carries up to 20 passengers around the lake on a 10-15 min cruise.
Around the lake is a very pleasant park that holds a decent café, a skate park, small shop, playground, basketball court,14 tennis courts, bowling greens - both crown and flat and a RSPB Discovery Centre.In the summer there is usually a bouncy castle on the lawns. There is a large selection of wild fowl on the lake including a group of more than 250 Canada Geese, several Swans (including a solitary Black one) and many coots, water hens and other smaller waterfowl.

Just a little further along the coast you come to St Annes.
St Annes is a charming little seaside resort with miles of unspoilt sandy beach. Because the sea lies a good way out, and the tide comes in slow and gentle and gentle it is an ideal place for small children to play. There is alos a beautifully restored Victorian Pier and some elegant parks and gardens.
It really is a quintessentially English seaside resort where you can enjoy an ice cream, take the kids for a paddle in the sea or paddling pool, take out a rowing boat, jump on a trampoline, play golf or take a donkey ride, but all without the commercialism that is so evident a few miles up the road at Blackpool.

We spent a lovely day there yesterday - we had a lovely lunch in the old railway train cafe ( really worth a visit), enjoyed a game of mini golf, had a stroll around the gardens and spent a little time in the arcade and playing ten pin bowls. There is a tiny cinema which has a rather good tapas bar above it and lots of little attractions for children of all ages.

A short stroll takes you into the lovely little town itself with top-class modern shopping facilities and restaurants.

We are lucky enough to live close enough to this area to make it a regular place for us to visit - at all times of year and I would really recommend it as an alternative to its more tawdry sister - Blackpool, or like us somewhere for the parents to go while the kids enjoy the pleasures of Pleasure Beach.

Summary: A great place for the young and the not-so-young,