Morecambe

AS IT’S SUCH a fine spring day, My Good Lady asks me, as a little birthday treat, to take her along for a stroll along Morecambe promenade and especially to see the area around the old Midland Hotel and the stone jetty out to the old lighthouse.

They’ve done it up rather nicely, I must say.

The celebrated hotel has been completely restored, and we’re due to attend a wedding reception here next year.

The Art Deco building in fact looks a bit like a giant folly – a piece of whimsy on the part of its builders – a white concrete ship moored permanently at the edge of Morecambe sands.

Local papers have described the place as Morecambe’s great white hope – the beginning of the old seaside town’s modernisation and renovation.

Morecambe certainly needs it; compared to other such north-west towns like Blackpool and Southport, it really is in a sad pass.

This is a great pity, because Morecambe’s location, overlooking the wide expanse of the bay and the distant views of the Lakeland fells beyond, is really quite wonderful.

They’ve made a good start with the Midland and the stone jetty behind it, but there’s still much to be done with the rest of the town if it’s ever to compete with other English holiday destinations.

I just hope someone’s has the vision – and the money – to pull it off.