
National Trust - Formby
National Trust - Formby
Manchester, England
Seaside reserve encompassing a long beach, sand dunes & pine woodland, popular for coastal walks.
Last updated: February 11, 2026
Overview
Seaside reserve encompassing a long beach, sand dunes & pine woodland, popular for coastal walks.
Opening Hours
Visitor Reviews
**★★★★★ Ergun Sahillioglu — a week ago
Wonderful woods to walk the pooch on a rainy day.
Great location, 20 minutes gentle walking from Freshfields train station.
Opportunity to take creative photos, educate and breath in the clean sodium air.
Could do with some bins scattered around to stop some irresponsible dog owners from hanging poop bags on trees.
Would highly recommend.
**★★★★★ David Hands — a month ago
Beach carpark closed until spring 2026 but plenty of on street parking and the other national trust carpark is big. Nice walks in pine woodland and beach up to 2.5 hours, fairly flat but the sand near the dunes can be tough going.
**★★★★★ Dom Wilcz — 4 months ago
Really lovely and gorgeous place to go for a walk or a run. I always enjoy going there over a weekend when the weather allows to have a nice walk around the woods and finish at the beach. Spacious and so well maintained. We need more National Trust spaces for everyone to enjoy and unwind.
**★★★★☆ Shel Jones — 5 months ago
Amazing place to visit with family and young children, it gets very busy on sunny days leaving the car park full/closed however you can walk from the outskirts of the village down through the dunes. The beach is a very fine soft sand ideal for sandcastle building and the area is very extensive to explore. I've been a few times both when busy and quiet.
**★★★★☆ Sandra Fudala — 9 months ago
I visited Formby Beach on a Monday, which turned out to be the perfect choice — it was fairly quiet and peaceful, with only a few other people around. The beach itself is really beautiful and quite clean, with nice soft sand and lovely views.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re planning to visit: the walk from the car park to the beach is around 15–20 minutes through forest and sand dunes. It’s a nice walk, but definitely something to be prepared for, especially if you’re carrying stuff.










