Blackpool is a seaside resort built on the English North West coast, which remains intensely popular with tourists coming from the close by towns and cities which include Liverpool, Warrington, Manchester and more. Blackpool is also fanatically popular with visitors from all over Scotland who often turn up in large numbers in a similar fashion to the groups of factory workers of the past on their factory day out. Occasionally it would seem as though the resort is smothered in hotels and entertainments and although there is a great deal of Blackpool bed & breakfasts it is advisable to book in advance to be sure. Accommodation varies from cheaper lodgings to classy five star. You will find many on the sea front but, if you would prefer book somewhere less

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there are some further inland.

Blackpool began to see its first visitors in the eighteenth century who came to indulge in  the new craze of sea bathing. When the railway arrived, in 1846, the town experienced an increase in the number of tourists to “take the cure” as it was called. These days tourists can travel to Blackpool by railway, automobile or plane arriving there much faster than the Victorian workers who could take up to 48 hrs from as nearby as Manchester.

The Blackpool Pleasure Beach

The most busy attraction in the seaside resort of Blackpool, in Lancashire, which entices approximately seven million customers a year, is Blackpool Pleasure Beach. The Pleasure Beach is an incredibly large funfair with fear inducing big rides, for example Grand National, Ice Blast, Valhalla, the Big One, Zipper Dipper and Wild Mouse, and including many, many more sideshows, food booths, children’s rides, thrill rides, sidestalls and games. The most recent big thrill is Infusion, the first ride in the world to feature a suspended looping type of coaster entirely over water.

 Please remember: If you are planning to visit the Pleasure Beach as a group or family it is possible to make considerable savings by purchasing a wristband for unlimited rides especially if you will be staying until you have been on nearly every ride as individual prices soon amounts to a great deal.

How To Get There And B&B Accommodation 

As mentioned earlier in this article, Blackpool is very easy to get to nowadays as it is possible to travel to the town by automobile, railway or air. If you are arriving by train you will, most likely, be arriving at the main train station in Blackpool, Blackpool North found on Talbot Road. Just a short distance further down Talbot Road is where you will find Blackpool National Express Coach Station, Blackpool’s main bus station. The other rail station, Blackpool South, is at Waterloo Road, which is much closer to the Pleasure Beach. Blackpool’s airport is located approximately 2 miles south of the town centre and was previously known as, Blackpool Squires Gate Airport, one of the oldest British airports.

Blackpool bed & breakfast accommodation is priced fairly low. Accommodation is less expensive in the off season and more expensive on weekends. Hotels in Blackpool are at their most costly during the Blackpool Illuminations, which is really peak season in Blackpool.

A handy tip: Some hotels can be extremely busy and rather noisy especially those found between Central Pier and North Pier. If you rather stay in a quieter location try booking accommodation beyond the North Pier.

During these difficult times many people are currently seriously examining the way they run their affairs and attempting to save money. One way in which many are reducing expenditure is to take a vacation in Britain the reason being that the British pound is so weak against other currencies leading to the situation that vacations abroad for those living in the U.K. are expensive than in years gone by and much cheaper for visitors coming from Europe and the US. In the article below I introduce the seaside resort of Southport, England.

Southport is a delectable seaside resort found on the English North West coast. Visitor attractions include, Southport Pier, Hesketh Park, Lord Street, Churchtown village, the Botanic Gardens at Churchtown, Botanic Gardens Museum, Wayfarers’ Arcade and more. Lord Street is the main street in Southport. All the way along one side of Lord Street the broad pavement are covered by superb Victorian iron work plus a fine row of deciduous trees lining the road. On the facing side of the road you will discover  gorgeous flower beds and small gardens with pools and fountains plus a Victorian bandstand. Right at the very centre of Lord Street is most probably the most incredible war monuments in the land with an obelisk in the middle and 2 other memorials on each side which have large columns. Lord Street features some of the finest architecture to be found in Southport and it is where you will discover the enchanting Wayfarers’ Arcade.

The incredibly beautiful Hesketh Park is found at the end of Lord Street. Hesketh Park gets its name from the Hesketh family just like Lord Street the park has plenty of trees. There are beautiful hidden areas to be discovered, a play park, glass house, bandstand and more to be found within Hesketh Park however the most prominent feature is the gorgeous lake.

You will find another wonderful park, the Botanic Gardens in Chruchtown which features a lake laid out like a river which has plenty of wildlife, swans and ducks plus an ornate bridge and boating plus if you like animals and birds the Botanic Gardens also has a very small zoo, just in front of the cafe and museum. Churchtown village itself is a gorgeous collection of old cottages, fishermen’s cottages and houses the majority of which are white and some of them have a roof of thatch. It is vital that you take a walk around and that you are not afraid to look down alleys because there are a small number of hidden areas well worth the trouble to discover.

Finding bed & breakfast in Southport is relatively easy with a large choice of guest houses and hotels in Southport available online. There are hotels and guest houses suitable for all budgets and tastes from cheap and cheerful to luxurious in Southport’s town centre or just outside.

Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands, was granted city status in two thousand and one and at this moment in time is the only Highland city. Strangely Inverness has no statutory boundaries which causes problems with people estimating population. The situation is exaggerated because of the fact that the population of the city is sharply increasing, Inverness has the highest growth rate in Great Britain. One thing we can say for certain is that Inverness has a very content population, Inverness was ranked 5th in a survey taken, by the Telegraph (2008), of 189 UK cities for quality of life. Following on we can say that Inverness is a pretty cool place in which to spend time and this is most probably one of the facts which make the city amazingly popular with tourists. Crucially there is a great deal of Inverness bed & breakfasts with the majority of it being able to be booked online.

Inverness is also often called the gateway to the Highlands of Scotland for the obvious fact that it is best placed to make the most of the Highland public transport system and a large amount of visitor attractions are relatively easy to get to. Probably the best way to reach them is by going on a tour or day trip. A few tour companies visiting places such as, Urquart Castle, Loch Ness or Culloden or for the more adventurous visitor it is possible to visit Orkney and John O’Groats in a single day. It is also possible to go on a small selection of city tours, such as those run by City Sightseeing.

A small amount of visitors stay in two different cities or towns in the Highlands of Scotland as an example Inverness and, later, Fort William. Fort William is more popular with sports people especially ramblers, mountaineers and hill walkers who take their chances getting to the top of Ben Nevis which is only a short distance from the town’s center. In a similar way to Inverness bed & breakfast in Fort William and rather like all bed & breakfast accommodation in Scotland it is commonly cheap, excellent value for money and incredibly tidy, clean and comfortable with the best hospitality.

An important thing to remember is that the airport for Inverness is, roughly, 7 miles away at Dalcross. You can catch a bus or hail a cab to the small and busy airport which is not too expensive. If you will be needing a map of the area then you should get one of the free ones at the tourist office, on Castle Wynd. While you are in Inverness you should make a point to visit Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, Inverness Castle, the ’stone of tubs’ and Mercat Cross especially the Castle Garrison Encounter, a fun interactive experience.