Mersey Coast & Country > Coast > Sefton's Natural Coast

Sefton's Natural Coast

Sefton Coast

The sand dunes, beaches and marshes of the Sefton Coast are England at its most natural most important areas for nature conservation in Europe. The Sefton Coast is also an important visitor destination with popular bathing beaches and open countryside.

The perfect setting for those who want to get away from it all and explore, and with 21 miles of beach, sand dunes, woodland and farmland, the area is a haven for flora and fauna. It is an area of open space and tranquility close to the urban centres of Liverpool, Formby, and Southport, and easily reached by car or public transport.

The Gormley Sculptures of UK's North West are famous worldwide - first there was the spectacular new scultpure the Angel of the North and then came Another Place consisting of 100 cast-iron, life-size figures spread out along three kilometres of the foreshore, stretching almost one kilometre out to sea.

Each year thousand of people visit Sefton coast and countryside sites, whether for a family day out or a quiet walk through the countryside or to see the Gormley sculptures in the UK. Ainsdale Discovery Centre is situated adjacent to the beach and Ainsdale & Birkdale Sandhills Local Nature Reserve, provides local information, a classroom facility and free cycle hire.

All along this coast you'll find a string of nature reserves that provide a home to many rare and interesting species. Access to the coast is remarkably easy, with miles of open beaches and numerous accessible footpaths that criss-cross the endless dunes and adjoining woodland and grassland. As a visitor, you're always welcome to Sefton coast in England - provided you keep to the waymarked paths and respect the wildlife value of this area.

Sefton's natural coast is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) under the EC Habitats Directive, while part of the coastal area between Formby and Crosby lies within the Ribble and Alt Estuaries Special Protection Area and Ramsar site.

Another attractive area for wildlife is at Hightown, where the River Alt joins the sea. This estuary is noted for wading birds such as the bar-tailed godwit, knot and sanderling that overwinter here.

This location is ideal for picnic's too, with good facilities and endless open space for youngsters to work off surplus energy. Ainsdale's bathing beach is one of the most popular on the coast.

Looking inland you may also catch sight of flocks of ducks or geese wheeling across the flat Lancashire plain towards the sanctuary of the internationally famous Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve at Martin Mere. Closer to the urban areas of north Liverpool you can still find interesting pockets of greenery such as Rimrose Valley Country Park along side the Leeds/Liverpool Canal and Brookvale Local Nature Reserve.