Beer Garden Sun Tracker
Golden Pints is a live beer garden sun tracker for Lancaster, Morecambe and nearby areas. It shows you exactly which pub gardens are catching the sun right now — and which ones are in shade.
Updated every minute throughout the day.
See which beer gardens are sunny right nowWhat is a beer garden sun tracker?
Most pub finders tell you where pubs are. Golden Pints tells you where the sun is.
Every beer garden has a different orientation, different surrounding buildings, and a different sun window — the hours of the day when the garden is in direct sunlight. A south-facing garden on an open street might be in full sun from 11am to 6pm. A north-facing courtyard garden might never get direct sun at all.
The Golden Pints sun tracker calculates sun position throughout the day using each pub garden's exact compass bearing, location, and local horizon data. It updates live so you can see the current sun status for every tracked pub — not just a static guide, but a live tool.
Three sun states
Every pub on the tracker shows one of three states:
☀️
Full sun
The beer garden is in direct sunlight right now. Best time to visit.
🌤
Partial sun
The garden is catching some sun but may be partly shaded. Still worth it on a warm day.
🌑
Shade
The garden is in full shade right now. Check back later or find a sunnier spot.
The sun status updates throughout the day as the sun moves, so a pub that's in shade at lunchtime may be in full sun by late afternoon.
Plan Ahead
Not heading out right now? The Plan Ahead feature lets you check sun status for any time of day — so you can decide where to go before you leave the house.
Move the slider to your planned departure time and the tracker updates to show which beer gardens will be in sun when you arrive.
Try the Plan Ahead trackerBeer gardens tracked live
Golden Pints currently tracks 59 beer gardens across Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth, Glasson Dock, Hest Bank and nearby villages. Every pub on the tracker has been verified in person — sun bearing, garden orientation and seasonal sun window all checked.
New pubs are added regularly as the tracker expands across the northwest.
See all tracked beer gardensWhy sun tracking matters
The difference between a good afternoon in a beer garden and a bad one is often nothing more than whether you picked the right pub for the time of day. A beer garden that faces west is at its best from around 2pm onwards. One that faces south is ideal at lunchtime. One tucked behind a building might only see an hour of direct sun all day.
Golden Pints removes the guesswork. Instead of arriving somewhere and finding it in shade, you can check before you leave and go straight to the best spot.
Beer garden sun map — Lancaster and nearby
Lancaster and the surrounding area has an unusually strong pub garden scene for a city of its size. The River Lune, the canal, the bay at Morecambe, and the mix of city-centre and village pubs all contribute to a wide variety of outdoor drinking spots — each with its own sun characteristics.
Some of the best-performing pubs on the tracker for consistent sun coverage:
South-facing canal-side gardens — tend to catch sun from mid-morning through to mid-afternoon
West-facing seafront gardens at Morecambe — best from early afternoon through to sunset, with some of the best sunset views in the northwest
Open village pub gardens — less affected by surrounding buildings, often the most consistent for full-day sun
The tracker covers all of these and updates throughout the day.
Open the live beer garden sun mapLooking for a detailed guide to how a beer garden sun map works, what we track and the areas covered? Read our full beer garden sun map guide →
Frequently asked questions
How does the sun tracker work?
Golden Pints uses each pub garden's GPS coordinates and compass bearing to calculate sun position throughout the day. The sun angle is compared against the garden orientation to determine whether direct sunlight is hitting the garden at any given time.
How often does it update?
The tracker updates every minute throughout the day.
Which areas does it cover?
Currently Lancaster, Morecambe, Carnforth, Glasson Dock, Hest Bank and nearby villages. Expanding across the northwest through 2026.
Is it free to use?
Yes, completely free for anyone looking for a sunny pint.
Can I get alerts when my favourite pub is sunny?
Yes — sign up for Sunny Alerts and we'll notify you when selected beer gardens hit full sun. Sign up here →