We’ve all heard the quote from Ian Brown, “Manchester has got everything except a beach”, and it’s true. But if you’re after some fresh sea air and the chance to feel the sand between your toes, there are some lovely beaches just a short journey away from Manchester. Located around one hour west of Manchester by car, Formby Beach offers escapism from city life, history, rare species and scenic views that you’ll definitely want to send postcards of.
Described as “a coastal nature haven for both wildlife and people” by The National Trust, Formby Beach, located north of Liverpool, spans 13.2 kilometres but it is not solely sea as it offers so much more for a day trip out. Featuring some of Europe’s most important and protected sand dune habitats, the beach is home to many rare species including sand lizards, natterjack toads, great crested newts and Northern dune tiger beetles, as well as a range of shoreline birds.
However, one rare animal in particular that draws many to visiting Formby Beach is the red squirrel. Formby has its very own nature reserve, which is within the North Merseyside and West Lancashire red squirrel stronghold, one of a few refuges left for red squirrels across the UK. If you’re lucky, you may see some scampering up the pine trees within the woodlands, but as wild, solitary animals they are spread out across the nature reserve and local area – so don’t forget to look up!
As well as being a habitat for rare species, the sand dunes are also home to over 450 species of flowering plant, including 33 that are locally or regionally rare like petalwort and liverworts found around the edges of damp slacks. Other flowers that carpet the dune slacks in summer time include yellow bartsi and round-leaved wintergreen, plus various orchids and helleborine. During the spring, glades bluebells and celandines flower across the woodland floor of Formby. You might also spot herb robert, rose bay willow herb, red campion and white deadnettle.
While Formby boasts stunning coastal views and an abundance of rare wildlife, the beach is also steeped in history, from prehistoric footprints to old shipwrecks. And would you believe it that before the Second World War, asparagus used to grow in the Formby area with local growers using the port of Liverpool to export their crop around the world by ship.
Roughly one kilometre from the Sefton Coast, you can see two shipwrecks embedded in the sand at low tide – The Ionic Star and the Bradda. The Ionic Star was a steam cargo ship that ran aground on the Mad Wharf sandbank in 1939, and not far from it is a lump of metal and a line of wooden spars – all that remains of the Bradda, which came to grief in 1936, claiming the lives of all but one of her crew.
You’ll also find the preserved (using a process of sun, sand and mud) footprints of humans who lived on this site as far back as 8000BC. The sediment beds that contain the footprints are exposed by tidal erosion and offer a unique insight into the prehistoric life of the area.
And if that’s not enough, there’s always a good splash in the Irish Sea. However, Formby Beach shouldn’t just be reserved for the summer time, as during the spring, autumn and winter months it still remains picturesque. Plus, it’s a lot quieter for those coastal strolls.
For more information about Formby Beach, head to The National Trust website here.