For many people, Cleveleys means the promenade, the cafés and a day by the sea. But another side of the town has been quietly growing. This is the first in a six-part series celebrating the pubs, clubs and people that have helped shape one of the Fylde Coast’s most interesting pub scenes.

About this series

Discover Cleveleys is a new editorial series from Blackpool, Fylde & Wyre CAMRA. In each edition we’ll explore the pubs, clubs and bars that make Cleveleys a great place to enjoy a pint. We’ll look at the stories behind them, how the town’s pub scene has evolved and why it’s worth taking another look.

More Than a Seaside Town

Most people know Cleveleys for its distinctive seafront. From the Mary’s Shell sculpture to the wide promenade that doubled as the tropical planet Niamos in the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor, it’s one of the town’s defining features.

Visitors come for the fresh sea air, the cafés, the independent shops and the relaxed pace of life. It’s a town that’s easy to enjoy and easy to explore.

But there is another side of Cleveleys that deserves a closer look.

Its pub scene.

Not through one major development or a single new opening, but through a series of small changes that have gradually transformed the choice available to local people and visitors alike.

Today, within a short walk of the town centre, you’ll find traditional pubs sitting alongside independent bars, clubs and modern micropubs. Some have served the community for generations. Others have opened their doors only recently. Each has its own character, and each adds something different to the town.

That variety is one of Cleveleys’ greatest strengths.

You can begin an afternoon in a traditional pub, call into an independent micropub serving beers you’ve never tried before and finish the day in a venue that has been welcoming customers for decades. Every stop tells a different part of the town’s story.

None of this happened overnight.

One venue opened its doors. Another expanded its beer range. Others introduced beer festivals and special events. Established pubs continued investing in quality and good hospitality. Taken on their own, each change might have gone unnoticed. Together they have created more choice than ever before.

There is no single reason why Cleveleys has changed. It’s the result of lots of small steps taken by different businesses over a number of years. That’s the story we’ll be exploring throughout this series.

Some of the venues we’ll feature are familiar names that many readers already know well. Others may be places you’ve walked past without ever stepping inside. Each has played its own part in shaping today’s pub scene.

Our hope is that, by the end of this series, you’ll have discovered somewhere new to visit or found a reason to return to an old favourite.

Good pubs become part of a community. They’re places where friends meet, families celebrate, charities raise money and visitors discover somewhere they’ll want to return to.

Cleveleys has plenty of places that do exactly that.

And that’s a story worth telling.

Coming Next

The Pioneers

Every thriving pub scene has foundations. In the next edition of Discover Cleveleys, we’ll visit some of the long-established venues that helped shape today’s pub scene and continue to play an important role in the town.