The really nice Lancashire town being flooded with 'more and more scouse accents'

It's less than half an hour from the hustle and bustle of Liverpool city centre, but it'd be easy to think you were a million miles away.

Like many countryside towns, it boasts stunning scenery and array of cafes, bars, and restaurants.. Old-world architecture sits next to traditional pubs, but it's also embracing the new with trendy craft beer spots and quirky cafes popping up.

And locals say its popularity is seeing more and more scousers cotton on to the beauty a stone's throw away from their doorstep.

Burscough, situated just north of Ormskirk, lies along the West Lancs stretch of the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, becoming a popular spot for boaters, cyclists, and dog walkers charmed by its quaint character.

READ MORE

• Baby Harlow Collinge laughs in heartbreaking footage before tragic death

• New 'no flash' speed cameras issuing 234 fines a day as drivers issued warning

The most delightful way to enter Burscough is via the canal path, where a colourful procession of boats line the waterway. Here, ducklings paddle their first strokes while anglers sit in hope of a catch.

Venturing into the town along this route leads you to Burscough Wharf, a picturesque cluster of heritage buildings that house a buzzing hub of independent ventures.

Among these is Hugo's, a family-owned cafe bar offering brunch, lunch, coffee, and drinks. Owner James Smith, originally hailing from Liverpool, continues his family's catering legacy, which includes the former Bramley's Cafe on Tarleton Street and the now-closed Cafe 53 on Bold Street.

James shared: "We started building this place during the lockdown and our first opening month was 'Eat Out to Help Out' - which was just mad but also a really good learning curve. And we've been the breakfast and brunch place in the area ever since."

"At the minute we do brunch and lunch consistently, seven days a week. We make small plates depending on the weather. We're tossing at the minute between small plates and barbecues."

"An evening trade is something we are looking at. At the minute, we're only open during daytime hours except for Friday and Saturday night when we are open until late. We've got a late licence and it was always the plan to do food in the night - bar snacks, tapas, small plates."

He added: "We're very dependent on the weather here. We get many dog walkers, cyclists, people off the canal. There's also a lot of regulars, lots of locals - all good, honest people."

"There's actually quite a lot of Scousers here, especially with the new houses. So there's more Scouse accents coming into Burscough which is great."

Just a minute away from Hugo's, craft beer aficionados will be delighted to discover The Thirsty Duck across the courtyard at the Wharf.

Boasting an extensive selection of beers from around the UK and the globe, as well as wines and spirits, this establishment opened its doors in 2020 and has quickly become a favourite among both 'locals' and visitors.

Manager, Jay Davies shared: "This place is designed more towards craft and international beers like Belgian and German.

"A lot of the brewers we use are based around the area and we've got good connections in Bristol so quite a few are from down that way too. Whatever customers recommend, we'll look into it.

"There's a lot of locals who come through here but also people from out the area who hear about us through word of mouth. This is a really nice area. The people around here are lovely and all really friendly. 99% of the time there's just a really nice atmosphere."

What would a Lancashire countryside town be without a quality bakery? Fortunately for Burscough, they have The Lancashire Bread House Bakery on Liverpool Road North, which offers a variety of pies, cakes and other baked goods.

Debbie Hilton, who has run the establishment for ten years said: "We were in the Wharf for about two years until we moved over here. We've been at this location for about eight years now."

"We do fresh cream cakes and your more traditional stuff like gingerbreads, brownies, rocky roads, chocolate fudge. And we also have pies, sausage rolls, hot and cold sandwiches, salad boxes.

"Apart from a very small number of things, we make everything in house."

Even though it's June, that hasn't stopped Debbie from selling a certain Christmas treat all year round. She revealed: "We're still selling mince pies. We'll get complaints if we stop them but I would have stopped them personally."

A little further afield, but still technically within Burscough, is The Farm on Martin Lane. As the name suggests, it's a farm, but it also boasts a farm shop, tea room, bed and breakfast, and a campsite.

The Farm, which has been open for 16 years, even houses retail units that accommodate separate small businesses. Owner Catherine Grice believes these businesses "work well" with what they offer at The Farm.

Speaking to the ECHO, Catherine said: "I grew up in the house across the road. It's a family run business and we're all on the family site.

"We keep moving the business forward bit by bit. We've got outdoor seating now and the campsite has a pod and a shepherd's hut.

"We try to use local produce, we make a lot of ready meals and things ourselves. We do all our own baking and make a lot of the produce that's served in the tea room.

"We do the farmers markets as well so we try to use a lot of the suppliers from the markets within the shop and the tea room too."

She added: "We are right next to Martin Mere reserve so a lot of people come here for walking and wildlife. We're very accessible for many places - we're handy for Liverpool and Southport; we're always full for the Grand National, always full for Southport fireworks - there's a lot going on in the area."