Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced it’s closing five of its rides for the season, as well as reducing its opening hours, after reporting a pre-tax loss of £2.8m.
The beloved North West attraction has been pulling in families and thrill-seekers since it opened in 1896, famed for rides like the Big Dipper – a classic wooden rollercoaster – and The Big One.
Despite being such a popular tourist attraction, finances are biting for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and it’s reported that five rides will close for the 2025 season.
The news comes almost exactly a year after it announced the heartbreaking closure of Grand Prix after 64 years.
The theme park has said that visitor numbers still haven’t fully recovered from the pandemic, leading to altered opening times to ‘maximise efficiency and cost’.
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Five ‘less popular’ rides will be closed this year – Red Arrows Skyforce, Eddie Stobart Convoy, Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, and Gallopers.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach said that 2025 is an ‘exciting but transformational’ year for the theme park.
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In a statement, they said: “This year we’ve made the decision to close some of our smaller, less popular rides during the 2025 season: Eddie Stobart Convoy, Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, Gallopers and Red Arrows Skyforce.
“The smaller rides were already being run on reduced opening times and our rider data showed that they have some of our lowest throughput, while Skyforce is 10 years old this year.
“After a great deal of thought, it was clear to us that the right decision is to make changes which will allow us to reinvest into a bigger and better future.”
The Gyro Swing will be the largest of its kind in the UK, leaving riders ‘completely weightless’ as they dangle from a spinning pendulum that swings 120 degrees and reaches 138 feet at its highest point.
Recent accounts show that Blackpool Pleasure Beach made a loss of £2.8m in the last financial year, compared to a £789k loss the year prior.
Beaches close to Manchester that you don’t need to drive for hours to reach
Danny Jones
Now, when we’re lucky enough for the sun to hit big and hard in and around the North West, it’s common for people to start searching ‘beaches close to Manchester’, and that’s exactly why we’re here – you’re welcome.
Ian Brown of The Stone Roses famously said, “Manchester has everything but a beach”, and while he’s technically right, we are lucky enough to be close to a fair few.
Whether it’s down the other end of the Mersey, over near our friends in Yorkshire, or up in nearby Cumbria, you can get to plenty of beaches and/or similar settings that are roughly 90 minutes or so from Greater Manchester.
Let’s not waste one more single second of sunbathing time, shall we?
The top 10 best beaches near Manchester
1. Urmston Beach – Trafford
First up, we’re going with the only kind of beach in the 10 boroughs that comes to mind: Urmston Beach, not far from the nearby Meadows, Ashton-upon-Mersey, Sale and other parts of Trafford and the surrounding areas.
It may only be a little one and more of a stony/gravely affair as opposed to the boundless white Belize (let’s be reasonable now), but it’s still a beloved local attraction perfect for a day out with family, friends, or if you just need some time to yourself near the water with a good book.
— Monica NAUGHTON Crimmins (@MonicaCrimmins) April 18, 2021
2. Gaddings Dam – Todmorden
Heading over to West Yorkshire now and the town of Todmorden in Calderdale, Gaddings Dam is a surprisingly intimate slice of sand next to a Victorian reservoir, with the embankment serving as an ideal spot for a mini beach day.
Less than an hour away by car – and not too awkward to get to by train, either – it still feels like a bit of a hidden gem unless you’re from closer to the region yourself, where plenty of people flock over the year; it’s also dubbed ‘Britain’s highest beach’, but we will warn you that it’s fairly remote with no real facilities.
The first of a few from our Northwestern cousins and football rivals down the river, many of you already know and love Formby Beach, but for anyone who hasn’t tried it before, it’s well worth the short journey up the M62.
You can also get there by rail as fast as an hour and 20 minutes if you time the right service, and once you’re there, you’ll see why so many make a regular pilgrimage to see the sand dunes and pinewoods frequented by red squirrels. Great parking and dog-friendly – no-brainer.
4. Ainsdale Beach – Southport
Not too far from Formby and further along the same Sefton coast, a criminally unsung alternative is Ainsdale Beach near Southport, which boasts great facilities and family-friendly activities such as swimming, watersports and the nearby nature reserve.
It’s another one that’s super easy and affordable to get to on public transport; they even hold a Blue Flag award for top-notch conditions when it comes to water, safety, environmental education, conservation and all-round coastal management.
Next on the list from our specific ‘Mer-seaside’ selection (you can have that one for free) is arguably the other best-known one besides Formby: Crosby.
Just five miles from central Liverpool, lots of people visit not only for the sands but also for laid-back leisure at The Bus Yard Bar, and striking public open-access installations like Sir Anthony Gormley’s Another Place, known colloquially as the ‘Iron Men’. Well worth seeing for yourself if you haven’t before.
Moving over to West Kirby on the Wirral, this picturesque part of the peninsula promises more than 300 metres of reasonably soft beaches, more Liverpudlian sand dunes and its stunning Marine Lake.
One of the best things to do here is wait for low tide when you can walk out to the Hilbre Islands nearby – but please, as always, be safe and responsible whenever you’re doing anything like this.
Also in roughly the same vicinity – though this one is technically in the town of Wallasey within the wider Wirral borough – New Brighton Beach certainly does a decent job of living up to the name.
It’s renowned for various landmarks including the recognisable lighthouse, shops and street art in and around the Victoria Quarter and along the promenade, not to mention the Floral Pavilion, Fort Perch Rock, ‘The Mermaid Trail’, restaurants, bars and MUCH more. There’s even a pirate, yes, pirate ship.
You can really make a full weekend out of this one.
A similarly Victorian-era seafront setup can be found in the affluent area of Lytham, known not only for its popular music festival but also for golf courses, a historic Georgian Hall and, of course, the beach.
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The sands themselves are almost as luxurious as the area itself, and it’s probably one of the most ‘golden’ surfaces you’ll find in this part of the world – perfect for a game of bat and ball. With buses, trains and driving routes all clocking in at just over an hour, it’s an ideal option for a day out.
Our penultimate pick is – surprise, surprise – the iconic seaside town and home of the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, where we’ve enjoyed so many memories throughout our childhoods, adolescence and well into adulthood, too.
Whether you just want really good fish and chips, a stick of rock, foot-long sausage butties on sub rolls, a go on the Grand National ride, or actually want to walk down from the seaside and onto the beach itself, it may never have become the ‘Las Vegas of the North’, but there’s still plenty to entertain you.
For instance, they’ve got a brand new live music festival that should draw extra crowds moving forward.
Last but not least, it’s definitely more of a lakeshore than a traditional beach, but you’ll still see plenty of people treating it like the latter, especially during a heatwave.
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You don’t need to be told how lovely it is to spend time travelling up in the Lakes, but if you’d rather a scenic trip up to Cumbria to enjoy the stunning vistas whilst lying on your back, soaking in the rays and maybe dipping your toes in a few slightly smaller bodies of water, this tourist hotspot is a great choice.
There’s a resident parkrun event, watersports and boat hire available, an aquarium close-by and plenty of other stuff to do besides pretend you’re on a little holiday.
Here’s hoping we’ve given you a few decent suggestions when it comes to beaches near Greater Manchester, and if we’ve missed any off the list, please do let us know in the comments.
We’re sure you will, as always.
Meanwhile, if you’re happy to stay within the region but still fancy a taste of waterside leisure sometime soon, how do you fancy hopping in a canoe?…
Image credits — Michael D Beckwith (WikiCommons)/Alex’B (Flickr)/Mike Pennington (Geograph)
Travel & Tourism
You can paddle a canoe down a Greater Manchester canal to a floating cafe and bar
Daisy Jackson
Fancy swapping the city streets for a few hours on the water?
Just a short tram ride from Manchester city centre is a spot where you can hire a canoe, kayak or paddleboard, and explore the beautiful Bridgewater Canal from a completely different perspective.
Tucked away down the stairs by The King’s Ransom pub, Grip Adventures has been part of Sale for the past four years.
Whether you’re after a relaxed paddle in the sunshine, a fun day out with friends, or a family activity, there’s something for everyone.
You can choose from single canoes, kayaks and paddleboards, or hire a double canoe if you’d rather explore as a group.
One of the best parts is that the canal is lined with great places to stop.
Paddling along the Bridgewater CanalStunning scenery along the Bridgewater CanalBaby ducklings spotted from the canoeGrip Adventure is right on the canal in SaleFloating cafe Walton PerkThe canoes parked up outside the Kings Ransom pub in Sale
Walton Perk sits right on the water, making it the perfect halfway coffee break. As well as coffees and cakes, you can even pick up a takeaway Aperol Spritz from here – without even setting foot outside your boat.
If you’re visiting on a Monday or Tuesday when it’s closed, Grapefruit Coffee is just across the road, so you can grab a takeaway before heading down to the canal.
Grip Adventure is run by Glenn Rees, who has spent more than 20 years leading outdoor adventure camps and is passionate about making the outdoors accessible to everyone.
Alongside paddle hire, Glenn also delivers alternative education and outdoor learning programmes, works with Trafford Young Carers, and even runs land-based adventure games around the canal.
You really don’t have to travel far to enjoy an idyllic day on the water. In fact, one of Greater Manchester’s best summer days out has been hiding in plain sight just along the Bridgewater Canal.
Daisy Jackson -
25th March 2025 
