Southport: A hole lot more than great golf
Dec 30 2009 By Christina Savvas
SOUTHPORT is best known as England’s golfing capital but I discovered a whole lot more when I visited.
With seven championship courses, including Open host Royal Birkdale, it’s clear to see why golfers flock to the resort.
But there is so much more to discover in the seaside town which is less than two hours away from the Midlands, located in the north west of the country.
This was not my first visit to Southport, having studied at Liverpool University, I took the 30 minute trip on a few occasions to sample the nightlife and enjoy fish and chips on the pier. But things have changed a lot since.
Despite in the past living in the shadow of nearby Liverpool, Southport has worked hard to reinvent itself and is unrecognisable after re-branding as England’s Classic Resort following a £200 million investment.
It has retained its coastal charm but become more stylish at the same time, with an ultra chic boutique hotel, an abundance of great restaurants and all sorts of shops from traditional arcades to unique boutiques.
During a weekend visit we stayed at the Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa, a 15-minute taxi ride away from the town centre.
It is a luxury four-star hotel set within 135 acres with an 18-hole golf course and amazing spa.
On the first evening we dined in the hotel’s Brasserie where the food and wine were fantastic.
The next day we took a guided tour around the town.
We visited the Botanic Gardens, set in Churchtown village, which is laced with Victorian elegance, award winning floral displays and a fantastic aviary.
In the afternoon we made our way to the Grade Two-listed Victorian pier, the oldest surviving iron pier in Britain.
Instead of taking the tram that runs its 3,600-foot length, we chose to take a gentle stroll, stopping to admire the messages on the decking in memory of holidaymakers who graced the windswept structure in its heyday.
We then enjoyed lunch at The Wine Cellar, situated in Lord Street. It has been created from the unlikely conversion of an underground toilet transformed into a stylish bar and restaurant which serves up a range of dishes.
After lunch, we walked around the wide and tree-lined street, typical of the boulevards which have earned the town its other title – England’s Paris of the North.
Here, history is on Southport’s side. The young, exiled Louis Napoleon, before rising to power as Napoleon III, lived on Lord Street and was so impressed by it that he ordered his architect to rebuild the centre of Paris in a similar style.
