
Discover more at Formby
Find out how to get to Formby, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
Formby is a great place to take your horse for a gentle ride along the beach and through the woodlands. Here's some useful information and top tips to help you make the most of your trip and have a safe and enjoyable ride.
Head to Lifeboat Road (L37 2EB) Bay 3 to park your horse box.
Please note the event field / overflow car park where horse boxes can usually also park, particularly on busier days, is currently closed. This is due to long periods of dry weather and drought conditions which have caused a build up of loose sand and sand bowl dips on the track leading to the field.
Access to Lifeboat Road car park is via a narrow road with passing places. There is no horsebox parking available at Victoria Road car park.
Please be aware that there is no water supply or grazing area at Lifeboat Road so please bring all water and feed that your horse will need with you.
To keep the site clean and tidy for others, please remove all horse-related debris (including faeces) from the field car park and surrounding area. Please take this debris away with you and dispose of it responsibly.
The only access to and from the beach for horses is via the Lifeboat Road path. This path across the sand dunes is marked by waymarkers and can be accessed from Lifeboat Road car park. Once on the beach, you can ride south as far as Altcar Rifle Range (red flags on the dunes mark the boundary of this live firing range) and north as far as Ainsdale.
For an inland ride, there is a short section of public bridle path that runs through the woodlands from Lifeboat Road to Wicks Lane in Formby.
Please download a map of the bridle path at Formby here before you visit.
To help protect all the wonderful wildlife at Formby and prevent damage to paths horses are not allowed on any paths or areas other than those stated above and marked on the map. Thank you for your support.
Formby is on Liverpool Bay, which has one of the highest tidal ranges in the UK. This means that often at high tide the entire beach goes underwater. It is therefore very important for your safety that you check the tide times carefully for the day that you plan to ride. Avoid riding on the beach for approximately two hours either side of the high tide time.
The beach along the Sefton Coast is an internationally important area for feeding and roosting birds. A lot of these birds stop here on their migration to either their breeding or overwintering grounds. It is very important that they remain as undisturbed as possible so that they can build up a store of energy to complete their long and often difficult journey.
Please note that the Sefton Council Public Space Protection Order (PSPO - click here to view), introduced in July 2022 details specific restrictions for horse riders to help protect the special Sefton Coast landscape and the wildlife that calls it home, whilst keeping everyone who loves to visit safe;
Formby is famous for having 5000-year-old footprints of both humans and animals preserved in silt beds on the beach. These silt beds can be easily damaged by horses being ridden over them. The silt beds show as areas of dark brown muddy sediment on the beach so avoid these areas when riding.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit Formby each year and we want all visitors to have a safe and enjoyable visit. To ensure your safety and the safety of others, please be aware of the following:
Find out how to get to Formby, where to park, the things to see and do and more.
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