This is a great place. They have recently moved accross the road to 6 & 8 Portland Street Southport…read morePR8 1JU tel 07714 32 22 52

It's impossible to wander around Parkinsons without remembering the old Yellow Pages advert where…read moreJ.R. Hartley tries to track down a copy of his Fly Fishing book. A characterful, old building that occupies three floors, it's packed floor to ceiling with all kinds of secondhand books from new and old to Victorian and antiquarian. What makes browsing here more fun is the fact Parkinsons also stocks antique coins, shells, badges and memorabilia - which are housed in wooden cabinets or stacked haphazardly between shelves and piles of books. As for the books themselves, there's a real mish-mash of material from old issues of National Geographic to weighty tomes on archaeology, astronomy, physics, nature, travel, religion, theology and philosophy. I'm sure there's also at least one copy of Fly Fishing too...

This is a great used book shop in Southport--one of those places where you never know what you're…read moregoing to find, and where you almost always find a bargain. There are several floors, and a great selection of genres, paperbacks and hardcovers, old and new. Prices range from high to bargain. You could easily spend a couple of hours in here and still not browse through everything. Definitely an afternoon well spent for book lovers of all kinds.

There aren't many places in Southport (if any) where a collection of shops can vary in products so…read moremuch as in the Royal Arcade on Lord Street. I would review each shop individually, but many of them don't have separate names and I feel it's better to review them all together under the Royal Arcade name to get a sense of the eclectic nature of the shops there. The items on sale in the different shops in there (about 3 or 4 altogether but they pretty much blend in to each other) vary wildly, such as the shop as you enter the arcade that sells a rather impressive range of cowboy boots that my girlfriend and I picked several pairs we would 'buy' from. Opposite from there is a shop that sells various types of watches and jewellery which whilst not expensive, are of a decent quality for the money you're paying. Then there's the shop at the back which sells various antiques and collectibles, such as a reasonably-sized sword at the front which fascinated me, as well as a selection of vinyl near the back of the shop (including a copy of the original Band Aid single). If that's not enough, there's also an upstairs section which is FIVE TIMES bigger (something they're happy to point out to you). Odd, but fascinating nonetheless.

This is one of those bookshops that makes you love literature again, not that you'd ever fall out…read morewith it. A labyrinthine warren of wonderment at every turn, I came here on the offchance when I started my Postmodernism module at university. I was seeking out a book by Jane Rogers called Mr Wroe's Virgins, and I was quite excited to be studying a writer that I'd actually been compared to in my creative writing class the former semester. Oh yes, my head was feeling pretty huge. Anyway I hadn't found the thing anywhere, and my father suggested we pop in here and have a looksee. Well, they had the book, of course. There's nothing this place can't do. They had the book in hardback. Have you realised what a great condition hardbacks actually stay in? Mr Wroe's Virgins has been thumbed, pencilled, dragged with me back and forth to the lectures of a certain Dr Rowland (the only reason I did so well in my final semester was because of my all-consuming crush on that man), I've fallen asleep on it in the wee small hours while writing essays and drooled on its pages and the book still looks fresh as the driven snow. Gotta hand it to the hardbacks. You could literally spend hours here. Not only is there a 'new' bookshop for the non-second-hand stuff, but there are no less than eight second-hand book rooms, two rare book rooms, a book-binding and restoration service and school supply as well as there being an open fire in the middle of all this. The only thing it's missing is a cafe - get some hot drinks and brownies on the go and I'll actually move in. No joke. The place is incredibly atmospheric and beautiful. Your head swims with the scent of well-thumbed, well-loved tomes that carry the echo of the laughter, tears or comfort they might have caused. This is my favourite bookshop in the world. The staff are experts and you can tell they adore books, which is always reassuring to anyone browsing or seeking out something specific. It's been going since 1926 and long may it continue.

*** Important Note ***…read more This is currently located at White Dial Farm and not Pippin Street. It moves from time to time (probably to rest the fields. I love Burscough car boot. It's a popular venue and it's massive! My partner is the driver behind us attending these - he's a toy collector and he's found a few hidden gems at this boot sale. Me? I just go for the second hand books! (Honestly- it's an addiction. I came home with 11 this week!) There's toilets on site. It's well worth using the paid for ones. There's also the obligatory meat man, hot dog stand and ice cream van. It's not just people selling their old crap either. There's loads of pillows (there's always pillows. 2 for a fiver and well good!), food sales, American sweets, Toiletries and home cleaning products to stuff for your furbabies. One week I bought a load of home made wax candle melts which are really nice as well. Highly recommended!