The National Trust

Enjoy a stroll around the peaceful pine woodlands and look out for the endangered red squirrel. The woods here are one of seventeen red squirrel reserves in northern England; the reds are attracted by the large numbers of conifers, as they feed on the ripe pine cones. SD279081

Wide open skies and an expanse of space make the beach at Formby a fantastic get-away from hectic urban life. Erosion of the sand has revealed footprints from animals and humans dating back to the late Neolithic/early Bronze Age, about 3500 to 7000 years ago. SD270082

The asparagus grown among the sand dunes at Formby is world-famous. In the 1930s it was so popular that it was served to passengers on the luxury liners leaving from Liverpool. Work is currently underway to develop an 'asparagus trail', which will lead visitors through the heart of this historic landscape. SD277082

These beautiful dunes form a part of one of the largest areas of dune habitat within the UK and provide an excellent home for many rare and endangered species such as the Natterjack Toad and the Northern Dune Tiger Beetle. They are under constant threat from erosion, however, and the dunes move inland at a rate of approximately four metres a year. SD273080