Southport December 2022

With Sue having lived in Southport for a while this was going to be a nostalgic return for her. We booked a pitch on the Caravan and Motorhome Club site https://tinyurl.com/5yemwh6x on the Esplanade and started researching dog friendly places to go.

With our evening meals for the duration of our break booked and a plan of our activities made we set off with the plan to get to the site in daylight. The December days can be short so we set off early. We had forgotten that a year earlier to the day the UK had suffered significant snowfall amid a big freeze, and we thought ourselves lucky to have avoided a repeat, although the temperatures were subzero. We were to rely heavily upon the motorhome air blow heating system, which was only possible as we were linked up to the site’s electricity.

We arrived at the site at 2.30pm in the afternoon, and set about connecting up, and thereafter, with our thirst and hunger taking over, we set off into Southport to find a dog friendly cafe or bar.  The Staff at the site recommended Morrisons, which would not have been dog friendly, so we set off in search of the Marine Lake Cafe, which we knew was.

After, what appeared like miles, walking along the front we had not come across the cafe, and needed to ask for directions from passers by. The time was getting late and with the daylight fading we finally found the cafe, only to find it shut up for the day. We then decided to try Lord Street, the main thoroughfare, in the hope of finding refreshments.

As we turned into Lord Street we were welcomed by the sight of Cafe Nero, which was dog friendly. After settling down on a table by the window we enjoyed our drinks, sausage roll and scone. We enjoyed the heat, and the time to relax our legs as the distance we had walked had been significant. We were not in a hurry to get back to the motorhome as our next appointment was an evening meal at a restaurant in Birkdale Village at 6.00pm that night.

After basking in the heat and resting our legs, as we watched the world go by on Lord Street, we decided to get back before darkness fell. My only complaint with the Southport site is that the walk back to it is via a dark and secluded road, and with the night advancing we were pleased to see the lights of the site getting nearer.

We returned to the motorhome, switched on the heating and prepared for our night out. Our GPS told us that The Clubhouse in Birkdale Village was an half hour walk away, and we set off with time to spare. I had trepidation as to whether we had a valid table booking as the website states that bookings were only valid once a confirmation had been sent, and I couldn't find a confirmation on my computer, and there was some confusion over the name of the venue. Once we reached the venue, which I was expecting to be The Allotment,https://allotmentbar.co.uk I entered The Clubhouse, and checked whether we had a reservation. Luckily we had, and we were quickly shown to our table. It transpires that The Allotment had changed hands and altered it's name. It's sister restaurant of the same name, had not been taken over, and was currently trading in Southport Market. Our meal was very good, and we decided to eat the next day in the Southport Market to test  whether The Allotment provided similar quality food.

On the way to the restaurant we took a circuitous route as Sue wished to revisit some locations  of interest to her. Finn also provided the contents of a full poo bag that meant a search for a bin was needed for it to be binned. We took a shorter more direct route back to the motorhome to settle down for the night. The temperature that night was very low and I took advantage of  an old ski jacket, hat and gloves to keep me warm. When we got back on board we reaped the benefit of the heater which we had left on for the duration of our excursion to the restaurant. We had also planned ahead and brought the duvet from our bed at home, and discarded the lighter one we normally used. We were not bothered by the subzero temperatures that night, and awoke to a bright sunny day.

Sue, as normal, took Finn out for his morning walk, exploring the beach and the sandhills. Sue was shocked to see how much the marram grass had reclaimed the beach with the shoreline being barely visible from the Esplanade. Whilst she was out I was putting the motorhome in order, and preparing the dishwashing to take to the communal dishwashing area. Sue returned and made breakfast whilst I dealt with the dishes. We cleaned ourselves up and set out for the day, with our first task being to visit Sue's old home, 37, Palace Road. The biggest shock she had when we arrived there was the construction of a block of flats, next to the house, on what had been open land.

From there we took a circuitous route to Lord Street, with the aim of visiting Russell  & Bromley  to buy Sue a pair of boots. We walked up and down Lord Street looking for the shoe store, and Sue concluded as we walked past an empty shop that the Southport business must have closed down. She was correct, and as we now had more time on our hands we decided to visit the Southport Market to explore the possibility of an evening meal there.

We left Lord Street in search of the Market, and we’re amazed, when we found it, what had once been a market hall full of stalls was now a huge food hall, https://southportmarket.com with a large bar in the centre, and a number of different food vendors, including The Allotment, around the sides. It was also dog friendly, so we entered and found ourselves a table. The variety of food was extensive with Chinese, Greek, Mexican, Canadian, Italian and English available. The process of obtaining some food involved a stroll around all the vendors before selecting your preferred cuisine. Once the food is ordered the customer is given a small handheld device which the vendor can use to notify the customer that their food is ready, by initiating a buzzing noise. There were many people walking around with buzzers in their hands. I chose a meal from The Allotment whilst Sue chose some haloumi fries from the Greek stall. We also took advantage of the bar for a cider and a cappuccino. I was very pleased with my meal and, rather than walk the distance back to the motorhome, we decided that we would return later for an early tea. We now needed to find something to occupy us for the afternoon, and a visit to the Lawnmower Museum was mentioned, but we decided to return to the bustle on Lord Street.

After a while walking aimlessly in Southport we agreed that the weather was not good so took respite, again, in Cafe Nero, this time taking advantage of the sofas on the upper level. Our timing was excellent as we missed a downpour. Finn, as ever, was attracting attention from our fellow customers. We both collapsed into our seats, weary from the walking, and being unsettled as we were away from home. I could have quite easily fallen asleep. After we had replenished our energy levels we decided to take a circuitous route to the Market to take our early evening meal. On the way we stopped at a few shops but we still managed to arrive at our destination before the evening rush.

On this second visit to the food hall I selected a Chinese noodle dish whilst Sue, still full from her earlier meal, just opted for a cake from the on-site bakery. Again we took advantage of the bar facilities. As the light was fading we decided to return to the motorhome before it got too dark. Again, we were quite wary walking down the secluded road to the site.

We awoke early the next day to, yet again, a clear freezing day, and Sue took Finn out for his walk, whilst I sorted out the motorhome for the trip home. There was another bowl of washing up to take to the communal washing up area, the seats to turn around to be road legal and all loose items to be fixed securely. Following a relaxed breakfast we switched off the gas and disconnected the electricity before leaving the pitch, for once, earlier than  the prescribed deadline.

We were leaving early as we had appointments in Lytham St Annes and Blackpool, and our journey home was noneventful.

We found, other than Sue reliving an earlier life, that there was little to do in Southport in December, and will not be repeating the trip.