I’m thinking somewhere like Formby – is there anything better that’s not much further away?

Wigan? Under the Pier? 😉

The magical delights of Rhyl are close by.

No.

Gaddings
http://www.gaddingsdam.org/

Southport? Or Blackpool ha ha ha ha!

Crosby if you’ve never seen the ‘Another Place’ sculptures.

If you intend sitting on the beaches on that coast take a windbreak or seven!

If you don’t mind driving a bit further – Talacre beach the other side of the Wirral is interesting for kids. Lots of dunes and natural pools to play in – and a lighthouse!

Formby
St Annes/Lytham
or New Brighton

All about an hour away from Manc.

Formby gets my vote, although I’ve not been to Talacre and my pal says it’s lovely. If you have kids Formby has lots to offer.

They’ve just done all the front at Cleveleys and its now very nice indeed. Its now a nice walk up to Fleetwood. You’d never know you were so close the vision of hell that is Blackpool.

We did it a couple of weeks ago, and this place is a lovely place for lunch. The food’s top notch!

West Kirby has a decent beach, if I remember rightly.

Don’t swim off Blackpool, you might bump into a “Mersey trout”.

Broadbottom beach… 😉

As Terrahawk says – Gaddings Dam

Nice swimming
Little beach for the kiddies.
Awesoime biking & walking.

& a pub at the bottom of the hill.

My preference is Ainsdale (between Formby and Southport), though it’s all the same stretch of coastline.

I once asked this question on here when I lived in Manchester – now I live nearer to the Sefton Coast, I realise how landlocked I felt in Manchester (even though it’s under an hour to the sea).

One of my favourite activities is to head over to Ainsdale beach in the evening – in the summer you can park on the beach (for free in the evening). We get takeaway pizza and lark around while the sun goes down.

Ainsdale. Moels.

ourmaninthenorth – back in the day there used to be illegal all-night raves in the dunes at Ainsdale 😀

Thanks all

I live near Broadbottom so that “beach” is quite familiar 😀

+1 Formby.

Get on an aeroplane?

With a dog?

Lytham, it’s surprisingly less brown than Blackpool. The beach is very nice. Go about 1500 when the tides in, otherwise it’s a good half hour walk out to the sea.

Half moon bay at Heysham and Morcambe beach are pleasant.

Wigan? Under the Pier?

This deserved more credit.

bwfc4eva868 – Member

Lytham, it’s surprisingly less brown than Blackpool. The beach is very nice. Go about 1500 when the tides in, otherwise it’s a good half hour walk out to the sea.

Half moon bay at Heysham and Morcambe beach are pleasant.
You know the tide cycle changes on a daily basis?

Go about 1500 when the tides in

I hadn’t noticed that – very good 😀

Is this the genuine level of understanding of the sea by urban/inland types?

West Kirby has a decent beach

Most of the “sea front” is occupied by the marine lake.

Moels

You mean Meols? Mostly sea wall, no beach when the tide’s in, mud when it’s out. If you’re measuring it by quantity Hoylake has an awful lot of beach when the tide’s out.

With a dog?

You never mentioned dogs in the original post 😈

For what purpose? Kids and sandcastles, paddling, dog walking?

Hoylake would work as a ‘it’s a beach’ more than West Kirby, i used to enjoy visiting dad when he lived at the old lighthouse…

back in the day there used to be illegal all-night raves in the dunes at Ainsdale

Spent many a Sunday morning in attendance after various parties. Happy times.

If you have kids Formby has lots to offer.

Such as passive ganj smoking, lots of clashing loud music, foul mouthed scouse scallies yelling at each other and the daily festival of litter.

A lovely place utterly ruined by the scumbags who go and throw crap all over it.

Congleton

For dog friendly then Talacre. We go there quite often with our pooch. Great beach but its got that end of the world vibe that all low budget British seaside towns seem to have- but in this case its more of a trailer park than a town.

It’s not the Yorkshire coast, is it?