This blog site often receives hits in regard to people who are looking to visit Blackpool Pleasure Beach for the day looking for somewhere to park their car. Some people are searching for car parks some are looking for cheaper options such as street parking but being close enough to be able to walk to and from the Pleasure Beach. For those of you that land here looking for the Post Code for your Sat Navs it is FY4 1EZ.

On this basis I have put to together this authoritative guide which should make everyone’s life a little easier when they are researching somewhere to park their car.

The main entrance to Blackpool Pleasure Beach lies at the Northern end of the park adjacent from the Promenade and the junction with Balmoral Road.  This entrance comprises the tickets office which dispenses unlimited ride wristbands which are booked online, and this is where they will be collected from. Balmoral Road also contains one of the two Pleasure Beach owned car parks (see map below). If you purchase car parking alongside your wristbands it will be this or the car park on Bond Street where you will allocated parking. Balmoral Road is also where the Pleasure Beach offer Coach parking.

It should be noted that the Pleasure beach does not always offer parking with online bookings. On that basis these car parks do have a manned entry and usually close 1 hour after the Pleasure Beach closes (you will have to remove your car in this window). The pleasure beach sometimes offer free parking with tickets and also vary charges so I will not append charges here as they will likely be incorrect.

In addition to these there are numerous local authority car parks available:

1. South Beach South is across the road from the entrance and beyond the Tram turn around station (reached from the Promenade) It is a pay and display and again has 195 spaces and in August 2011 was charging £10 per day. Or £7.50 for 12 hours Open7 Days 24 Hours

2. South Beach North is across the road from the entrance (reached from the Promenade) It is a pay and display has 195 spaces and in August 2011 was charging £10 per day. Or 7.50 for 12 Hours Open 7 Days 24 Hours.

3. Lytham Road lies to the West of the Entrance around half a mile and sits at the top of Station Road South Shore. It is pay and display has 38 spaces and charges £9. for 8 hours £12 for 12 hours and £13 all day. Open 7 days 24 hours.

4. Car Park South lies at the Southernmost end of the main visitor car parks which line the Yeadon way into central Blackpool. Adjacent to the Lytham Road car park visitor will cross the railway via the footbridge and access the Pleasure Beach down Station Road. It has 1049 spaces and is pay and display £7.50 for 12 hours £10.00 all day. Open 7 days 24 hours.

5. Bolton Street lies to the North of Waterloo road just behind Yates on the Promenade. Just over half a mile from the Pleasure Beach visitors would walk south along the Promenade. 17 spaces and is pay and display (restricted opening hours see map for prices and times).

6. Car Park Central Beach lies to the north of Waterloo Road and is reached from Seasiders way which is the extension of the Yeadon Way. At Almost a mile from the Pleasure Beach this is the furthest out. It has 617 spaces is pay and display and pricing is typical of the others at £10.00 a day. Open 7 days 24 hours.

In addition there is street pay and display parking available along Ocean Boulevard alongside the Pleasure Beach and South of the main entrance. Bond Street also has a few spaces and runs parallel to the Railway line behind the park.

Free Street Parking will be available you will simply have to look for it. There are very few controlled parking zones within Blackpool and what there is tends to be right in the centre of town. Subsequently there may be free parking in the residential streets adjacent to the Pleasure Beach.

In all instances visitors should consult the local parking plates and never park on tallow lines or across drives. Traffic Wardens are active in South Shore and will ticket if they see illegal parking. Vehicles parked illegally will be towed and a hefty fee levied for release.

Balmoral drive is the closest street to the park. It has double yellow lines down one side but unrestricted parking on the other. Spaces tend to go very quickly as this street is used by Pleasure Beach Staff.

Next Street along is Osbourne Road this street is a mixture and B&B’s and residential one side is double yellow lines the other is unrestricted parking.

Next Street heading North is Withnell Road this street is a mixture and B&B’s and residential one side is double yellow lines the other is unrestricted parking.

The same applies for Station Road which is the next street to the North. This is commercial, and a mixture of cheap hotels and residential flats. At the top of Station Road is the Lytham Road car park referred to above.

Other options for parking within easy walking distance of the ticket office of Blackpool Pleasure Beach are Dean Street, Rawcliffe Street, Moore Street, Bright Street and Hill Street. Again all of these streets contain a mixture of small hotels and residential housing and will be bordered one side with yellow lines with the other offering unrestricted parking.

The potential for the visitor who does their research to save a few quid in parking charges is good. There are online tools available which will show where the best car parks are and indeed this guide which establishes which local streets offer free and unrestricted parking in South Shore and in the proximity of Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Of course the best option would be to spend more than one day and choose a great B&B Blackpool where you could park your car free for the duration of your stay. Blackpool has so much more to offer in 2011 with all the recent regeneration work coming to completion and new attractions either opened or due to open in the next few weeks. In the Spring of this year Nickelodeonland was opened at the Pleasure Beach meaning that to get the full experience two days should be spent at the park. The Sandcastle water park the largest of its type in Europe stands across the Promenade from the Pleasure Beach and with its water based white knuckle rides. On the first of September and to coincide with the 2011 Illuminations season the new revamped Blackpool Tower visitor attraction opens for business complete with its ‘Blackpool Dungeon’ attraction which is modelled on the London equivalent.