Mersey Coast & Country > Coast > Sefton's Natural Coast > Sefton Cycling and Walks

Sefton Cycling and Walks

There are plenty of places to go walking or cycling in Sefton due to the stunning Natural Coast has fabulous family-friendly walks and trails. Here are some possible routes for Sefton walks:

Trace the Sefton Coastal Footpath through the great sandhills of Ainsdale and Birkdale, home to the rare sand lizard. Wildflowers add a splash of colour in the sheltered dune slacks. Short-cuts lead to stations on the Northern Line, near to handy pubs, shops and cafes.

Follow the Woodland Path, a gently undulating walk
through the pinewoods of Ainsdale National Nature Reserve (look out for red squirrels here too) and across butterfly-rich heathland peppered with magnificent gorse bushes.

Find out more about the Woodland Path walk

An invigorating circular walk through heath, pinewoods, glorious dunes, sandy beaches and the National Trust's famous red squirrel reserve. Part of the route follows the Fisherman's Path, an ancient route to the seashore used for centuries past by local boatmen.

A walk combining coast and countryside, skirting rich farmland, old asparagus fields and wooded copses bright with wildflowers to reach the sandhills of the Ravenmeols Nature Reserve. Views across Liverpool Bay to Snowdonia can be impressive. Lifeboat Road is named after the first lifeboat station in Britain, founded at Formby Point in 1776.

The Hightown Dunes walk explores the seashore and
sandhills between Waterloo and the Alt Estuary near
Hightown, an exceptionally varied route passing by
fine Victorian sea-captains' villas and the remains of a
submerged forest.

This easy ride from Ainsdale Station takes you to the level landscape of Downholland Moss where you are bound to see geese set to flight as you cycle along the long-abandoned northern section of the old Cheshire Lines route. It feels like cycling in Holland! 18 miles.

From Blundellsands and Crosby station ride along
the coastal road to Hall Road station then inland to
Little Crosby with its fine church and hall, home to
the Blundell family in earlier centuries. Ride through
rich farmland to Hightown and continue through to
Formby, said to have been founded by Vikings.
6 or 9 miles.

Many of the trails are public rights of way over farmland or through the many nature reserves on Sefton's Natural Coast, so please observe the Countryside Code and leave only footprints behind.