Introduction

I have developed this blog to post reports from the Sefton Coastline, the stretch of coast north of Liverpool from Seaforth to Southport and will be posting reports from time to time.

The Sefton coastline stretches north from the docks that line the banks of the River Mersey heading out of Liverpool, the Port of Liverpool’s Royal Seaforth container terminal, the leisure lake at Waterloo and the start of the stretch of beach which is the site of Antony Gormley's Another Place installation which continues north through Crosby and Blundellsands. The artwork consists of a hundred iron men, cast from moulds of the artists body scattered along one and a half miles of beach.
The coastline continues north, the beach split by the Estuary of the River Alt near Hightown, here mud flats abound with wild fowl and wading birds, avocets, shelduck, oyster catchers and herons.
The entire stretch of coast is home to several sites of scientific interest (SSI's) with rare plants, natterjack toads and sand lizards.
Inland from the Alt Estuary the river meanders across flood plains behind the historic villages of Little Crosby and Ince Blundell at Lunt Meadows where the Wildlife Trust have a large sanctuary for many visiting birds and wildfowl, lapwings, avocets, plovers, Canada geese, greylag geese.
Beyond Hightown the military have a firing range then the coastline continues with the sand dunes of Formby point. These sand dunes continue all the way up the coast to Southport, inland is the National Trust area of Formby Pine Woods and the red squirrel reserve. Beyond Formby point the beach contains areas of prehistoric footprints from Neolithic times. 
Inland from the beach along this stretch are several golf courses including the famous Royal Birkdale, venue for several “Opens”, then we arrive at the Victorian resort of Southport with its large marine lake.
Beyond is the wide Estuary of the River Ribble with the bird sanctuary at Marshside and Crossens. On the far side of the river we see the tall silhouettes of the large rides at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blackpool Tower.