Blalyt one

Verified Slow Way

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We started at Blackpool North train station then headed downhill along the route towards the sea front. The surfaces are good - there has been a lot of development in this part of Blackpool recently so everything is very pedestrian friendly. Once on the sea front, we turned left to follow the promenade. It was a lovely sunny day, with a slight see breeze. As it was the weekend, and the weather was so good, it was, as you’d expect, very busy. In between the piers it got much quieter. The sea front promenade along here was a very pleasant walk, with plenty of places to take a seat if you wanted a rest. After a couple of miles the route gently curves in front of the main tram station and then back towards St Annes. This is the main route between Blackpool and St Annes so was especially busy with traffic, however the footpaths are wide and on the side where the dunes are it is being widened for cyclists and pedestrians with lovely smooth tarmac. We stayed on the path along here, but I’d recommend going off onto the dunes or the beach for a more scenic diversion with no traffic. Once in St Anne’s, the walk goes right alongside the dunes again before reaching St Anne’s Pier, where you take a left turn and head into the town centre. There is a great variety of places to eat and drink in the town if you fancied stopping before heading onwards to the finish of this route at St Annes train station.

From Blackpool North station to the coast has recently been resurfaced and is wide, smooth, level or very gently sloping, with no kerbs and with easy road crossings. There is then about 3 miles of off-road promenade with occasional cyclists, very easy walking. Across the road there is a never-ending supply of fish and chips and seaside tat. The public toilets are all coin operated (40p), but I found free ones at the back of a penny arcade. There are wonderful views over the sea to North Wales and to the Lake District, and there are also some very nice buildings (Art Deco and older) if you can see past the modern branding and additions. After a while the entertainment venues are replaced by hotels, then the giant roller coasters, and eventually, at the end of the prom, the plotted route goes inland slightly, and along the main road for more than a mile. On one side is new housing and on the other are fairly high dunes, blocking the view of the sea. This section is boring apart from the small planes from the airport going overhead. It is all paved but in places the sand has drifted onto the pavement. Even along the smaller road into St Annes, the sea view blocked by dunes, until the pier is reached.
It is possible, tides permitting, to walk all of this along the beach itself. Access points may be restricted – from the South Pier to the dunes, wave action has caused a water-filled hollow at the base of the sea wall and the stairs to the beach are blocked off. You could also walk on top of the dunes, but the plotted BlaLyt One route is as described here.
The route from St Annes Pier to the station is very pleasant, with shops and cafés and nicely designed street furniture.

This very flat walk can more or less be completed along the sands with minimal time spent on the roads. The sands and dunes are easy to walk on and of course there are several opportunities for an ice cream or cup of tea.

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