Neighbourhood highlights
Formby Pinewoods & Red Squirrel Reserve…
The Formby Pinewoods is a popular spot for both holidaymakers and wildlife watchers. The National Trust site attracts large numbers of red squirrels. This is because the conifers provide ripe pine cones for the squirrels to feed on. The Squirrels are used to human contact and will come closer to you than most wild animals, so a camera is definitely recommended for the trip.
Enjoy a scenic walk through the calming pine woodlands and see if you can spot an iconic red squirrel, as they run through the trees and dart across the woodland floor. Formby is one of only a few refuges left for red squirrels in the UK.
To the right of the car park is an area of lower ground that is predominantly deciduous. It is a good place for finding wild snowdrops in the late winter and fungi in the autumn.
The Formby Pinewoods and Red Squirrel Reserve is such an amazing place to visit for its dozens of different walks through the woods whether it is a warm summers evening or a crisp winters morning.
Wildlife at Formby…
The Sefton Coast sand dune system is recognised as one of the most important dune habitats in north-west Europe, and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Formby’s dunes, heathlands, grasslands and plantation woodlands create a mosaic of habitats where many rare and more common plants and animals thrive – everything from natterjack toads, sand lizards, red squirrels and internationally important wading birds, through a wide variety of wildlflowers, to over 1,000 moth and butterfly species.
Red Squirrels at Formby…
Formby is within the North Merseyside and West Lancashire red squirrel stronghold, one of a few refuges left for red squirrels across the UK. There’s nothing better than spotting one jumping through the pine trees. If you're taking a wander in the woodlands at Lifeboat Road or Victoria Road, take time to stand a while and don't forget to look up.
Formby Beach…
Formby Beach is a beautiful award winning sandy beach that is ideal for families, with a large car park, picnic areas and waymarked paths to the beach, dunes and woods.
To get to the beach you walk through a magical woodland full of pine trees. This then gives way to grass-topped sand dunes, which overlook the stretch of golden sand. Once you arrive at the beach itself, you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views of the Irish Sea, and on a clear day you can even see the Cumbrian mountains.
The coast here is undergoing erosion and the tides often reveal prehistoric mud layers, some of which contain human and animal footprints. Look out for these the length of Formby Beach from Lifeboat Road northwards of the National Trust property.
Lifeboat Road is an excellent place to start your exploration of Sefton’s Natural Coast. The 150 acre (60ha) site has a wide sandy beach, high dunes, furrowed grassland (former asparagus fields) and a belt of pinewoods.
If you fancy exploring more off the beaten track, a walk to the south through Ravenmeols Sandhills will reward you with wide expanses of dunes, even more beach, pleasant woodlands and relics of past developments.
Shipwrecks on Formby Beach…
Roughly one kilometre from the coast, you can see two shipwrecks embedded in the sand at low tide. The Ionic Star was a steam cargo ship that ran aground on the Mad Wharf sandbank in 1939. The ghostly shipwreck marooned off the British coast appears just a few times a year, when it can be spotted from the beach. The eerie vessel becomes visible during extremely low tides when it can be seen off the Formby shore.
Not far from the Ionic Star 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. The tragic loss of life makes the remains of the Bradda a poignant place on the Sefton Coast.
Discovering Formby's shipwrecks safely...
Timing is crucial for visiting the wrecks, so they're best viewed with an experienced guide and wellies. To find out about upcoming guided walks to the shipwrecks at Formby, please check the National Trust Formby website.
Formby Village…
Formby is also a great spot for shopping and eating out. Formby town centre is home to a number of high street names as well as some independently-run shops. Formby also has a variety of bars and restaurants that are well worth a visit.
Prehistoric Footprints at Formby…
The footprints of humans who lived on this site as far back as 8,000 BC have been preserved through a process of sun, sand and mud. The sediment beds that contain the footprints are exposed by tidal erosion and offer a unique insight into the prehistoric life of the area.
