Unless you know the wide estuary of Morecambe Bay you’re unlikely to have heard of Hest Bank and Bolton-le-Sands; they’re tiny villages close to the shore. Between the two lies a holiday home park with a very special appeal – a short path leads from the park to a sand-and-shingle beach, and far-reaching views of almost the entire bay.

This place is only four miles north of Lancaster yet there’s a discernible change of pace as we turn off the A6 and find our way to a road called Shore Lane. This is a delightfully peaceful location yet within easy reach of the Lake District.

Owner Andrew Towers explains that the word Morecambe is thought to have its origins in Roman times, meaning ‘great bay’ and that, long before the little resort of Morecambe was established, the beach by Morecambe Lodge was the original access to the shore; horse-drawn carriages crossed the estuary to
Grange-over-Sands from here until the late 19th century.

Morecambe Lodge, in its fourth generation of family ownership, started as a touring park (and part of the park is still a 25-pitch touring area). It was a farm – and, in the early 1950s, astonishingly, some people actually made their own caravans on the park, Andrew told us. It’s surrounded by farmland and salt marshes, a haven for nesting birds especially curlews.

The beach has the second highest tidal range in Britain; the water disappears out of sight at low tide, Andrew explains. On the day of our visit, water lazily lapped among the pebbles as we took in the view of drumlins (glacial deposits) offshore and onshore; this undulating landscape is characteristic of Morecambe Bay. A shrimp boat comes into view as we watch; bay shrimps are a delicacy of this region.

There are 166 holiday home plots here, on 10 acres. Two showhomes are here – an ABI Ambleside, priced at £61,900, on a lovely plot; a large patio and hedging planted within a twin wall had just been completed at the time of our visit in May.

A Willerby Skye had just arrived; it’s parked by the gate ready to be moved to an elevated plot. That one is £36,466.

There are holiday homes for all budgets here; used homes start at £14,000.

It’s easy to see the appeal here – miles of coastal walks, excellent inland cycle routes, bird watching, a micro pub a 10-minute walk away along the shore, a café on a neighbouring farm another 10-minute walk from here – and this area is famous for sunsets.

The season is from 1 March to 30 November. Pitch fees are £2230 per year.

Contact
Morecambe Lodge Caravan Park
Shore Lane, Bolton-le-Sands, Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 8JP
morecambe-lodge.co.uk
01524 824361