It’s early June and well into summer, but nobody told the weatherman as it is pretty awful today! Where is the sunshine! Today we were off to Formby, a small town in Merseyside, England, 14 miles north of Liverpool and 7 miles south of Southport. Just a few miles west of the town itself is Formby Beach and our main destination for the day. It is the second closest beach from our hometown (after the beach at New Brighton) and just 45 miles away.
The area is a popular tourist destination during the summer months, with day trippers attracted to its beaches, sand dunes and wildlife. The area is conserved by the National Trust and designated a site of Specific Scientific Interest. Formby Beach is ideal for families because as well as the beach itself, you also can explore beautiful woodlands surrounding it, home to the rare (and endangered) native red squirrel. There are a few different walking trails you can do, including the red squirrel walk. The high dunes offer excellent views across the Irish Sea and on clear days after rain, even the mountains of Cumbria can be seen. Not today though!
We went shell hunting on the beach and found a huge pile of shrimp shells. Apparently, the town’s early recorded industry points to cockle raking and shrimp fishing, so maybe someone is still in business! Before we left just time for a “shellfie” 😂 sorry for the joke my Dad would be proud of, couldn’t resist 😜
On the way home we stopped at the Vue Cinema in Southport to watch Assassin’s Creed (cool film) and then went for food at Frankie and Benny’s, where we experienced possibly the slowest service ever in our entire lives and I am not exaggerating! It wasn’t even busy, but come to think of it, maybe that’s why.