A popular beach that’s just over and hour drive from Manchester has been named one of the best UK beaches for dogs in the UK.
A trip to the beach is a family summer day out that’ll never go out of fashion.
But for those of us with four-legged friends in our lives, it’s not just about a paddle in the sea, soaking up some sunshine, and grabbing a portion of fish and chips and an ice cream to top off the day, it’s also about making sure our dogs have a cracking time too.
Most dog owners usually have a couple of favourite dog-friendly beaches they like to visit, but now, a new guide of the best beaches for dogs in the UK has named a North West gem at the top of the list.
Vets Now – an out-of-hours emergency veterinary care provider, with a branch based in Manchester – has got to work examining beaches right across the country.
Not only that, but the digital guide has also taken into account the safety of each beach on the list, as with potential dangers such as fish hooks, jellyfish, low tides to be aware of, it’s important we keep the welfare of our pups in mind too.
Bispham Beach – which is just north of Blackpool, and takes just over an hour to drive to form Manchester – has taken the coveted top spot.
Bipsham Beach claims the top spot on the 50 Best and Safest Dog-Friendly Beaches in the UK guide / Credit: Geograph (Steve Daniels)
This Lancashire beauty spot has got the seal of approval from experts thanks to its sweeping expanses of sand, and the fact that on a quiet day, there’s a good chance that you and your dog could have large swathes of the beach all to yourself.
“The team were really impressed with Bispham Beach,” said Laura Playforth, Professional Standards Director at Vets Now and one of the authors of the Best Beach Guide.
“Especially its pet friendliness and facilities on offer, and we believe it to be an ideal destination for the UK’s dog lovers.”
She continued: “Unfortunately, pet emergencies don’t take summer holidays and each summer we witness a significant rise in emergency cases that are related to beaches and the sea [so] we’ve only chosen beaches where water quality is deemed high, dogs are welcome all year round, parking and access is good, and a daytime vet is based nearby.
“All the beaches featured are within an hour’s drive of a Vets Now pet emergency clinic or hospital, so if you’re at the beach in the evening or weekend and suffer a pet emergency, you know you’re never far from expert help.”
You can read the 50 Best and Safest Dog-Friendly Beaches in the UK guide in full here.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.
And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.
That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.
With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.
Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.
Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…
Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.
Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.
Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.
Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.
“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.
Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.
In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?
Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK
Emily Sergeant
Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.
That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.
Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.
So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.
The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.
Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.
You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.
This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.
“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.
“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”
Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.
Emily Sergeant -
9th July 2021 
