STAGE 60 – BLACKPOOL TO ST ANNE’S
6 miles – 2.5 hours walk
25 feet climbed – highest point 79 feet unless you go up the Tower!
Blackpool – what an introduction to the Western Loop. You will see this famous seaside town in all its glory including its iconic Tower.
A map of Stage 60 can be found below courtesy of Ordnance Survey maps. You can subscribe yourself using this link, https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk, which will enable you to import the GPX file which can be downloaded below.
Download file for GPS
To download the GPX file for this stage click on the link above.
ROUTE DECRIPTION
The Stage begins at Blackpool North Railway Station. This is easily accessible from the Western Mainline – London to Glasgow. From the front of the station bear right past the taxi rank and head for the pedestrian stairs/ramps ahead of you. These take you up to the main road with a large Sainsbury’s to the left. Turn right and follow Talbot Road down towards the sea. NB there is much development taking place in the area so please take care when following these directions. Take the second left into Abingdon Street and head past the old Post Office with many red telephone boxes down to the Winter Gardens, which is straight ahead of you. You may want to explore the square in front of Theatre with its great street art. Turn right along Church Street and then take the second left into Coronation Street which takes you to another entrance to the Winter Gardens. Turn right here down Victoria Street. From here you get the first real view of Blackpool Tower. Then turn right again along Bank Hey Street and then left along Church Street to the Front. Use the pedestrian crossing to cross to the promenade and the Tourist Information office. From here we will now head south mainly along the front to Lytham almost 12 miles away.
These directions may seem complicated but will hopefully give you an interesting walk down to the sea and essentially the start of the route to Lytham. However, if you have time you may like to wander more or if you have little time then just follow Talbot Road down to the sea.
Our first sight on our walk along Blackpool’s famous Promenade is probably the most famous of all, Blackpool Tower. Infront of it is the Comedy Carpet, one of the largest pieces of public art commissioned in the UK. The artwork features catchphrases from the UK’s most loved writers and comedians. The tower was opened in 1894 and was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It is 518 feet high and as well as the steel structure it also comprises of the Tower Circus, Ballroom, roof gardens and more recently a Dungeon! In the 1920’s there was talk of demolishing the tower as it had not been painted properly and was badly corroded. Fortunately, the steel was replaced and its still stands today. It is now owned by Blackpool Council. You can enter the foyer and use the toilets but access beyond that and you to have to pay to gain admission.
From the Tower continue along the Promenade with the sea to your right. There are various levels at which you can walk along the whole promenade – whether seashore or higher. It is not important which you take – just enjoy the walk.
The fantastical and magical at Blackpool
Take in the experience that is Blackpool – a real contrast to most of the rest of the Lancashire Way. Pass the RNLI station and the Central Pier. Along this section you are walking along the Great Promenade Show, a series of ten outdoor installations set on the 2km of sea defences, commissioned by Blackpool Council. The vision for the artworks is that of an outdoor gallery or a visual variety show, a programme of ‘acts’, each one reflecting an aspect of Blackpool’s diverse character. The ten are
- Waterwings – Bruce Williams, 2001. Laser cut stainless steel
- The Wind Looks Like This – Stephen Hurrel, 2002. Aluminium poles
- Life as a Circus – Sir Peter Blake, 2003. Bronze casts, steel base plates
- Desire – Chris Knight, 2001. Corten steel slabs with stainless steel spikes
- Glam Rocks – Peter Freeman, 2001. Sprayed concrete rendered with marble-lite and fitted with stainless steel and glass light points.
- They Shoot Horses Don’t They – Michael Trainor, 2002. Steel framework, fibreglass shell and mirror squares.
- The High Tide Organ – John Gooding, 2002. Concrete base, corten steel reflector clad in copper sheet, polyethylene inlet pipes, zinc organ pipes. Now removed!
- The Frankenstein Project – Tony Stallard, 2001. Steel, glass and neon.
It is not always easy to identify which is which other than the great “Mirror/Glitter Ball”. All, however, are interesting and add to the walk along this section.
The Glitter Ball
The Great Promenade Show
Along the road you will see amongst the many fast-food outlets, hotels, B&B’s and amusement arcades, the SEA LIFE Centre, Madam Tussauds, and just after the sad South Pier, the unusual Grosvenor Casino and Sandcastle Waterpark.
The next section is dominated by Blackpool Pleasure Beach with the “Big One”, which you can often see from many other parts of Lancashire on a clear day.
The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Finally, our walk along the sea defences stops as we round the back of Starr Gate Tram Depot. From here you can take a tram all the way to the ferry terminal at Fleetwood – useful to know if you want to split the walk into linear sections.
Make sure you keep to sea side and when you round the back of the depot, Blackpool changes in an instant. All the razzmatazz of the past few kilometres is replaced by the sea, a vast stretch of sand with dunes masking any remains of Blackpool. It is the perfect antidote to all the noise of the resort.
The sands south of the Tram Depot
The end of the sea defences at Starr Gate
The Lancashire Coastal Way and the King Charles III coastal path follows the road on the landward side of the dunes. But avoid this if the tide allows, which it usually does, and join many others by walking along the sands. There are steps down to the sands. It is often quite an exhilarating walk and an antidote to the noise and colours of the past few miles although it can be soft under foot but worth it. Find the harder sand to save those legs.
Keep the dunes on your left for the next three kilometres until you are about 300m from the next pier, St Anne’s, which is a much more modest version of those in Blackpool. Find the path through the dunes which brings you into a car park. Turn right and head through the car park to the front of the Pier but stopping off at the walled “Peace and Happiness Gardens, which is between the two. This includes a statue in memory of Les Dawson, one of several on the Lancashire Way, commemorating the Comedians that grew up entertaining the many visitors to this part of Lancashire.
Les Dawson – another great comedian from the North West
The Stage ends at the end of the Pier. To access, enter the Amusement Arcade, and walk through and out on to the Pier and to the end.
The entrance to St Anne’s Pier – quite modest compared with those of its noisy neighbour.
END OF STAGE
St Anne’s has a railways station, which can take you back into Blackpool or on to Preston. On the front you will be able to buy refreshments and even Fish and Chips if you time it right and have an appetite!
