Formby beach is located near Liverpool, UK- and is quite possibly one of my favourite beaches of all time. It’s a little south of Southport. Have you seen  A Sunny Day in Southport yet?

This is a unique kind of seaside destination because it also holds a red squirrel sanctuary which you can walk through and reach the beach from there. I have only actually seen the red squirrels a few times, but unfortunately this occasion wasn’t one of them.

So instead I’m going to insert a few below and link them for you.

Images: National Trust

Image:Visit Southport

Red squirrels are our indigenous species of squirrel, however after a few grey squirrels were brought here from the USA, our little guys have been forced further and further up north. Most now live in Scotland, however thanks to the hard work of many sanctuaries such as this, the red squirrel is beginning to make a comeback!

Red Squirrels don’t like hot weather (unsurprisingly, they are British after all!) and this means that most of the time when I have visited, I haven’t seen any.

We usually park up by the entrance of the Squirrel Walk, however as it was really busy we parked by the beach instead. You can literally walk over the dunes and you are right on the beach, this is great for families with young children who tire easily. Instead of heading straight over the dunes ahead, we diverted left to the Asparagus Trail. Asparagus is one of Britain’s most popular vegetables has it has a very short season, making it very much in demand when it’s fresh. It has always grown wild around Formby, and it is now being produced commercially and sold to shops and farms etc.

The dunes here are so smooth and when the weather is hot, the sand is just so warm. I’m still a big kid inside, so when I see a dune, I want to climb it, and then slide down it!

 

Archie and Millie ran straight for the sea, as always. My dad threw shells and rocks for them and they were playing constantly for over an hour!

 

We headed left, down towards the lifeguard stop. Then after a windy time on the beach, we headed in-land through the seaside meadows and the forest.

 

Millie likes to think she’s a great adventurer.

 

We eventually reached the rear entrance of the Squirrel walk, and headed around there until we got back to the car park

 

You can’t go to the beach without having an ice-cream!

 

Honestly, if you are ever in the area and want a great place to take a picnic and spend the day out, this is amazing. I love this place because it has the best of everything, and it’s also quite secluded too so it just feels like you are one step closer to nature!

(I did try to play Pokemon Go here, but the signal isn’t that great- I managed to get a Poliwag though!)

 

Have you ever visited Formby? If not, where’s your favourite beach?