Formby Beach has been honoured as among the best 50 beaches in the UK – and the only one featured in the North West.
The results were revealed in today’s 15th edition of The Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches.
It has taken three months and a stunning 4,211-mile trip to compile the prestigious list.
The Formby entry reads: ‘“Formby has miles of pristine sand, dunes, pine forest, red squirrels, fossils and ocean liners,” Andrew Morris from Liverpool writes.
‘But that doesn’t quite prepare you for the scale of Formby beach: 500 acres of hilly dunes, backed by woodlands of Corsican, Austrian and Scots pine that are home not only to red squirrels but also crossbills — and then the great sand sea of the beach, where bands of petrified mud bear the footprints of prehistoric beachgoers both animal and human.
‘The red brick remains of the nation’s first lifeboat station are here too. The work of the former pirate turned Liverpool dock master William Hutchinson, it was built in the 1770s and crewed by volunteers who shared a guinea for each life saved off the shifting sands at the mouth of the Mersey.
‘It’s a wild and fascinating beach, and, as Andrew points out, “it’s just 28 minutes by train from Liverpool”.
‘Note, though, that the loos are half a mile back from the National Trust’s Victoria Road car park. ‘For wheelchair access, use the Lifeboat Road car park.
‘Loos, dog-friendly, lifeguards, accessible. Water quality: excellent’.
The survey featured just one beach in the North West; 8 in Wales; 14 in the South; 13 on the east coast; 7 in Scotland; and 7 in Northern Ireland.
This year’s overall winner was Weymouth, in Dorset.
Times author Chris Haslam, who compiled the list, said: “The 15th edition of The Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches is still the only annual gazetteer of the coast where you can be certain that each of the 50 beaches listed has been visited and inspected within the past eight weeks.
“This is the first reader-nominated edition of our best beaches guide. The selection process started in early May when we invited you to tell us your favourite sandy stretches. This guide combines your observations on everything from cafés to natural beauty with information and updates from my visits.
“I spent just over a month touring the UK coastline with an 11-point inspection checklist that assesses, among other things, cleanliness, accessibility, car parking facilities, lifeguards, hygiene levels at loos and showers and whether the beaches are dog-friendly.
“Most important — given the high number of significant pollution incidents reported during 2023 — was water quality. Only beaches rated “excellent” by the Environment Agency have made the cut.
“There could only be one overall winner: Weymouth. Dorset’s much-loved seafront takes not just the prestigious beach of the year accolade but is also the regional winner for the southwest. It’s a standout area of coast with three times the nominations of its nearest rival. Weymouth won not just because of the sand, facilities and historic backdrop, but due to the care and attention it receives thanks to partnerships between the local community and the town council.
“The full 50 beaches are divided by region but you can also use our postcode checker to find the nearest one to you. Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts in the comments and on Twitter @TimesTravel. This might be the first reader-nominated Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches guide but it won’t be the last.”
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