The conurbation of Lytham St Annes is very much the ying to neighbouring Blackpool’s yang. Although it is a seaside resort and has been since Victorian times, Lytham doesn’t go in for the noisier pastimes that characterise so many holiday spots. Instead it makes the most of a wonderful beach, a magnet for birders as well as young families; its golf courses, including Open venue Royal Lytham and St Annes; and some rather swish independent shops in its leafy streets. The settlement is also a commuter town for nearby Preston and particularly for the BAe plant at Warton, which along with its retired population makes for a pleasantly sedate and civilised sort of place.