Heron's Reach Golf Course

Heron's Reach Golf Course sits just outside Blackpool, run by Village Hotels as part of their leisure complex. It's an 18-hole course that appeals straightforwardly to golfers - nothing fancy, nothing pretentious, just a solid round of golf within easy reach of the seafront.

The course itself is relatively flat and tree-lined, which means it plays fair but won't challenge low handicappers. It's the sort of place where you can actually enjoy a game rather than spend five hours hunting balls in the rough. Green fees aren't cheap, mind, but that's par for the course these days.

If you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks - Haven Cala Gran, Bowses Hill Farm, Broadwater, or Pointer Farm are all within a 6-mile radius - and someone in the group is a keen golfer, this scratches that itch without forcing you into a daylong excursion. You can knock off a round in three hours and still have the afternoon free for the arcades or a chip shop tea in town.

Non-golfers won't find much here, to be honest. It's not a stroll-around-admiring-the-landscape situation. The Village Hotels complex has other facilities if you want to stay longer, but as a standalone attraction, it's purely for people with a set of clubs and an afternoon to spare. Best rung ahead to check current rates and availability before you go.