Summer day at Formby Point

Looking north along the beach from Formby point

The sky above is clear, a cloudless dome of blue, and the horizon sharp and clear after the weekend’s rain. We walk over the dunes where clumps of yellow ragwort, adorned with the striped yellow and black caterpillars of the cinnabar moth, are attracting numerous butterflies and bees. and down onto the beach at the Gypsy Path marker, heading north along the edge of the outgoing tide up towards Ainsdale, examining the nearby mud fields for signs of 5,000 year old Mesolithic footprints on the way, but the only prints today are those of a dog that has strayed across the mud. 

The Pine Woods that lead onto the dunes at Formby Point 

Coming out of the woods

Painted Lady

Peacock butterfly

Meadow Brown

The mudflats where ancient footprints are sometimes found

The clear air means it is possible to see as far as the hills of the Lake District to the north, way beyond the nearer funfair and tower at Blackpool. The blueish mountains stretch out into the Irish Sea and as far as the mass of Black Coombe and I wonder if a faint darker blue smudge on the horizon out to the north west marks the summit of Snaefell on the Isle of Man. To the south the hills of Wales have some clouds high above them and to the east fluffy cumulus are building up far inland. There is no wind, the sand is firm to walk upon and the sea is slowly receding on our left leaving a tideline of razor clam shells, seaweed, and worm casts. As we head north we are able to walk further out across the now wide expanse of beach, following the sea as it recedes. High tide was around nine this morning so the tide will soon be at it’s lowest. It is important to be aware of the tides when walking out across the beach as sometimes the water can creep in behind you along channels in the sand if the tide is incoming. 

Looking inland from the tide line

A forest of trees, complete with roots, carved into the sand by rivulets of water

It is a lovely walk along this firm stretch of clean sand, enjoying the clean fresh salty air and observing the variety of shells, crabs, jelly fish, sea urchins and even one or two very tiny fish left stranded by the waves. Casts of worms are sticking up out of the wet sand at the water’s edge. The wet sand contains a forest of tree like shapes carved out from little rivulets of water left by the outgoing tide which continues to recede and we cross several small streams as we head north towards the unknown wreck of a ship known as the Mussel Wreck, the spars that jut out from the beach being covered in mussels.

The Mussel Wreck and beyond the hills of Cumbria, blue shadows on the horizon 

Blackpool shimmers in the heat haze behind the Mussel Wreck

Worm casts emerge from the wet sand at the water's edge

We cannot quite get to it as the sea still laps around its base and there is a wide, stream a few inches deep just before we get there. Black headed gulls, oystercatchers and herring gulls mingle along this stretch of sand, at one point a large herring gull seems to be under aerial attack by a couple of others. 

Aerial attack

Gulls and oystercatchers mingle at the water's edge, beyond the wind turbines the distant hills of North Wales

It is just after three and the tide must be just about approaching the lowest point for today as we turn around and head back towards Formby Point. Directly south of us the wet sands glitter silver in the strong sunlight and the black silhouettes of people quiver in the hot air, atmospheric distortion making it look as though they are walking on water. Out at sea the giant metal arms of the wind farm turn slowly in the quiet air. 

Figures on the beach quiver in the hot air

A sad sight, this gannet was washed up on the tide line

On the way back to the point we pass a dead gannet washed up on the higher tide line near the dunes, I wonder where that has come from, the nearest gannet colony is probably on the coasts of the Isle of Man or off the coast of Ireland north of Dublin near Ireland’s Eye.

As we approach the path that leads through the dunes at Formby point the clouds inland to the east have built up and look darker now but the rest of the sky is still blue and clear, strong sunshine blazing down on the waters of Liverpool Bay. We feel refreshed and invigorated after our walk, it has been a perfect day on the Sefton Coast.