Where to stay in Lancashire: family hotels and cosy B&Bs

Family days out, nostalgic trips to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the Beacon Fell Country Park, the Tolkien Trail, and an abundance of history to explore – Lancashire has much to offering visitors on short holidays and mini breaks in the area.

Lancashire’s key role in Britain’s history is evident – it’s industrial dominance, it’s bustle cities – particularly Liverpool and Manchester, which grew with their trading strength to be amongst the largest in England.  Mill towns, cotton and collieries marked the region as a centre of capitalist growth, and today those things have helped to set it apart as a place for tourism as well.

That said, Lancashire is also an exceptionally beautiful part of the world.  Outside the cities, the coastline of Morecambe Bay with its rich wildlife and status as an Area of Outstanding Natural beauty, the undulating fells and moorland of the Forest of Bowland and Pennines in the east, and the flat and fertile coastal plains around Ormskirk and the Ribble Estuary mark it as as opportunity to explore, hike, walk the dog and discover a multifaceted Lancashire while on holiday here.

The region’s diversity is reflected in its hotel offerings.  The likes of Hipping Hall, a countryside gem at Cowan Bridge, epitomise the area’s rural splendour – it’s warm charm and welcome, vs Raffles Hotel & Tea Room in Blackpool; a good value traditional hotel close to particular tourist attractions including the Winter Gardens, the promenade and the beach.  Wherever you go, the promise of an excellent cup of tea, cake and a hearty greeting abound.