[chevvron]

Birkdale has been mentioned earlier in the thread, but these were clearly Southport - just South of the pier.

Maybe he just landed very long?

Rob P

The section of beach used was shown on charts as 'Southport, Birkdale Sands'.

[Lockhaven]

I think I have been misquoted as mentioning 'Birkdale' it was PaulB who posted it earlier.

I seem to remember a Cessna (poss a 172) when I lived there as a kid... (that'd be the mid 70's)

I may be mistaken.....

Well, I was correct with the aircraft but wrong with the decade.... or should I say that I'd acquired a camera by the time this pic was taken in May 1982. (It would have been a Canon AE1 bought from Comet on Lord Street, Southport)

Birkdale has been mentioned earlier in the thread, but these were clearly Southport - just South of the pier.

[PaulB]

Birkdale has been mentioned earlier in the thread, but these were clearly Southport - just South of the pier.

Maybe he just landed very long?

The section of beach used was shown on charts as 'Southport, Birkdale Sands'.

Ahh... so are we saying that there was just the one landing area on the sand and that it was *called* Birkdale Sands, despite not actually being Birkdale Sands (as it's clearly Southport Beach). (I'd have said that Birkdale started further south along the Coast Road as opposed to Marine Drive, although to be fair they are quite close together.)

[chevvron]

www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/South ... ying-sites says aka Birkdale Sands and shows a Pooley Guide diagram from the 2000 edition.

[PaulB]

Thanks for that..... Looks like the same place..... I guess it's a local thing..... If you were to go to the beach at Southport, you'd drive on by the pier of a little further South on the Marine Drive. If you were to go to the dunes/beach at Birkdale, you'd drive on further down the Coast Road.

All that said, the Pooley's image in the link you gave ties in quite nicely with my photos - whatever it was called!

[Lockhaven]

As towns Southport and Birkdale are more or less joined, the original airport was Hesketh Park until approx 1912 then the aerodrome was moved on to the beach just south of the pier and became Southport Sands aerodrome, in later years it was named Southport/Birkdale.

Over the years there have been many different users and historic flights that have taken place right along the area of the beaches from Ainsdale through to Southport ending at the pier.