Places to Stay With a Pool in Lancashire

Twenty pools, and what they're usually attached to

There are 20 places to stay with a swimming pool published on BritStays in Lancashire, and the first thing worth knowing is what kind of places they are. Fourteen are caravanning parks, five are hotels and one is camping. That shapes everything else: a pool here is more often part of a holiday park set-up with a bar and a playground than a quiet hotel spa, though both exist.

Across the 20, the facilities that come up most often are a bar (14), a restaurant (11), pet friendly (11), a playground (10), evening entertainment (9), parking (9) and indoor areas (8). Two things stand out. Parking is only listed on nine of them, so don't assume it — check before you set off with a boot full of buckets and wetsuits. And indoor areas are listed on eight, which is a useful hint that not every pool will be the sort of place you'd happily use in drizzle.

Morecambe and the coast

Morecambe is far and away the busiest area, with eight of the 20. If you want the coast and a pool in the same booking, start here. Venture Caravan Park and Six Arches Caravan Park both pair the pool with evening entertainment and a bar, which tells you the tone: sociable, family-paced, something on in the evening so you're not scratching around for a plan. Hawthorn Sands has a clubhouse and bar alongside its pool. Moss Wood Caravan Park is the quieter-sounding of the group, listing a pool, playground and toilets rather than a full entertainment programme.

Two coastal options lean more towards grown-up comfort. Riverside Holiday Park lists a gym and spa with its pool, and Cockerham Sands Country Park adds a hot tub to the pool and evening entertainment. Elsewhere on this stretch, Lakeland Leisure Park at Flookburgh combines a pool, gym and evening entertainment, and there are single listings at Hest Bank and Holker if you want somewhere smaller-feeling.

Blackpool, Lytham and the Fylde

Blackpool has two pool stays in the set. Cliffs Hotel is the obvious example, with a pool, gym and evening entertainment — a hotel that behaves a little like a holiday park, which suits families who want a swim before tea and something on afterwards. A short hop round the coast, Inn On The Prom at Lytham St Annes lists a pool, gym and spa, and reads as the calmer alternative if you'd rather swim lengths than dodge armbands.

Inland and countryside

Away from the sea, the choices thin out but get more varied. McCarthy Caravan Park at Capernwray has a pool, cafe and creche, which is an unusual and genuinely useful combination if you're travelling with very small children. Ribblesdale Pods pairs a pool with a hot tub and bar — good for a couple who want a short break without a tent. Last Drop Village at Bolton and Lancaster House Hotel at Lancaster both offer pool, gym and spa or hot tub territory, and Newfield Hall over at Skipton lists a pool with a bar and restaurant.

Families, couples and dogs

• Families: ten of the 20 have a playground and nine have evening entertainment. The Morecambe parks and Cliffs Hotel cover this best.
• Couples: look for the hot tub and spa listings — Riverside Holiday Park, Cockerham Sands Country Park, Ribblesdale Pods, Lancaster House Hotel, Inn On The Prom and Last Drop Village.
• Dog owners: 11 of the 20 are pet friendly, so you have real choice, but you'll still be ruling out nearly half. Confirm where dogs can go on site, since pool buildings are usually off limits.

What to do once you're there

A pool is a wet-afternoon insurance policy rather than a whole holiday. Lancashire gives you plenty for the dry days: Lancaster Castle and Clitheroe Castle are easy half-days, Hornby Castle and Gleaston Castle add to the castle count, and Gawthorpe Hall, Gisburne Park and Hacking Hall cover the stately home side. For indoor interest, the Museum of Lancashire, Harris Museum, Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Higher Mill and Whitakers' Mill all sit within the county. Further afield, Malham Cove is a proper walk, and if your swimmers have more ambition than a 20-metre pool, The Lakes Aqua Park and Trafford Watersports Centre are the open-water options.

When to book

With only 20 pool stays in the region and eight of them in one town, school holidays go first — particularly the Morecambe parks, where pool, playground and entertainment all land in one booking. Aim to secure late July and August by late winter. For a couple's break with a hot tub, you're really competing for weekends, so a Sunday-to-Thursday stay opens up far more.

Before you pay, ring and ask three things: whether the pool is open for your dates (some park pools run seasonally), whether session times or swim slots apply, and whether under-eights need an adult in the water. Those answers matter more than anything a listing can tell you.