Lands End to John O Groats is a famous road trip, and the Scottish North Coast 500 gets a lot of press, but what of other drives, ones you can do in a day (or an afternoon if you feel like it)?
Well, how about a Lancashire Coast drive?
First a note about the route. This follows major roads for the most part, with the occassional detour through a nice village. It is not a proper coastal tour using barely passable minor roads. Well, for the most part.
The most southerly point is where Banks Road, Southport, enters Lancashire by the Crossens Pumping Station. The most northerly point is Cove Road, between Silverdale and Far Arnside, where the roads runs off into Cumbria, just by Silverdale cricket club. A distance of 34.7 miles, as the crow of legend flies, or 95.1 miles as the dog-rough Freelander drives.
It is disappointing that it doesn’t come to 100 miles, but with a bit of rounding, I think we can get away with calling it the LC95.
You could probably make up to 100 miles, by pointlessly driving onto housing estates, but you can also shorten the route the same way.
I’ve split it into two stages, mainly because of the restrictions that Google Maps puts on detours, put also because Fleetwood is a nice place to stop and have a meal.
So…
Stage1: Southport to Fleetwood
Crossens Pumping Station, Southport, to North Euston Hotel, Fleetwood (44.9 miles/1hr44mins).
If you want route instructions you can scroll through on a phone, so you can pretend you are doing a Rally or a Trial (and why not?):
Break time!
If you time this right, you should be just time to eat an excellent meal at the Cafe Royal, opposite the North Euston Hotel.
Stage 2: Fleetwood to Silverdale
North Euston Hotel, Fleetwood, to Silverdale Cricket Club, Silverdale (50.2 miles/1hr48mins).
If you want route instructions you can scroll through on a phone, so you can pretend you are doing a Rally or a Trial (and why not?):
So… Am I going to do this?
Well… That pretty much depends on what the next couple of months brings. If I can get the Freelander reliable again, book a holiday in Southport and get a couple of cheap Go-Pro clones, then I don’t see why not.
I usually have a holiday in Southport each year anyway, and if all else fails I can use my Dashcan to film the route. And Sharon, bless her, has no sense of direction, so wouldn’t realise what I was doing until she saw Blackpool Tower. Obviously she’d be no use as a Navigator, but as I grew up around there, I don’t think I’d need one.
Only time will tell.