Cleveleys Seafront

The seafront at Cleveleys stretches out with a proper old-school Lancashire charm that you won't find prettied up for Instagram. It's a working beach town just south of Fleetwood, with a promenade that's genuinely good for a long walk - the kind where you can actually think. The beach itself is sandy when the tide's out, pebbly when it's in, and there's real activity here: families with buckets, dog walkers, the occasional fisherman. The fairground rides at the northern end have a charmingly battered character that beats the sanitised theme parks by miles.

You'll get the most out of this if you're after a proper seaside stroll without the crowds of Blackpool. It's not a destination in itself - you're not coming here for thrills - but it's brilliant as part of a park holiday nearby. Haven Cala Gran is just under two miles away, making this dead easy for an evening walk or a quick morning constitutional. Even Broadwater Holiday Park at two miles is close enough that kids can scoot there without complaint.

Allow a couple of hours to do it justice. The promenade has cafes dotted along it, though they're nothing fancy - but that's rather the point. Best visited when the weather's decent; winter here is properly bleak. The whole stretch is free to access, obviously, and there's parking near the seafront if you're not staying on one of the holiday parks. It's the kind of place that grows on you rather than hitting you with wow factor, but that's exactly why it works.