Formby to Crossens 16th September 2021

After two nights of playing cuckoos in the nest, as guests of our friends in Cressington, we move ourselves and caravan to a small caravan site near Ormskirk.  We are happily ensconced in our new home by midday, so have plenty of time to continue our cycle quest northwards along the coast.

Having ended yesterday’s journey at Freshfields, we decide to drive to Southport and park the car for the day. The train takes us the few stops down the line to Freshfields, from where we can recommence our coastal quest.

A residential road adjacent to the station, gives way to an easily cycled bridleway taking us north alongside the railway line until we find a level-crossing point into the hallowed territory of Formby Golf Club.  You can tell it is one of the posher golf clubs on the ‘Golf Coast’ because it doesn’t attempt to promote itself to the general public.  It doesn’t even have a proper sign at its main gate.

“Don’t want any riff-raff you know.”

Even in these enlightened times, it is a male only preserve, although I gather it does have a separate ladies golf club.  Our friend in Cressington is a keen golfer and is a bit of a big cheese at Formby Golf Club.  He apparently has some responsibility for the greens and fairways, so I can’t resist sending him a photograph as we cross ‘his’ land.  The long rough appeared to be unsurprisingly dominated by common heather, which does well on the acidic soils of sand dunes.

The dreaded heather rough of Formby Golf Club

A couple of club swishers take their charges by push-chair over the fairway 

Leaving the well-heeled club swishers to their little white balls, we find the track through the forested dunes of Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve quite easy going.  I am still bemused that the Sefton Coastal Footpath decides to shoot off into the trees on an unmarked path of its own before rejoining our ‘Traffic-free Cycle Route’.  Part of me would desperately like to explore the dunes on foot, but we have a fair bit of mileage to cover before we lose daylight.  

Betty says to me, “there’s nothing of interest to be found there is there?”

I almost go apoplectic at this statement from a gardener whose idea of interesting is some gaudy bloom bred in a greenhouse, that has limited value for wildlife.  But that’s what you get when a conservation botanist and a gardener partner-up.  At least she enjoys being out in the wilds, even if she is not stimulated by the more esoteric aspects of my interests.  I confess that my lack of excitement with regard to her flowers is equally limited.  We both still have a lot of work to do on the other.

Ainsdale Sand Dunes Interpretative Board (just to prove how interesting the area is!)

Our cycle along this relatively smooth track quickly brings us to the outskirts of the town of Ainsdale.  Here we are required to cycle alongside the fairly busy road on national cycle route 62.  It may be a cycle route and greatly heralded by the likes of Olympian Chris Boardman, but I’m much more of an off-piste cyclist.

National Cycle Route 62 – built for speed, rather than aesthetics

Having left behind the temptations of Ainsdale Dunes, the only notable aspect of this part of the cycle route was overtaking a quad bike busily spraying herbicide onto the track surface, whilst we held our breath.  We did pass yet another 3 golf courses, but when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.

By now we are good and ready for our lunch break and discover a suitable spot sandwiched between the road and the saltmarsh.

Lunch completed a group of starlings present me with a stalking opportunity.  As I move ever closer it is fascinating to observe each individual’s reaction to this would-be predator.  I am intrigued as to why some wait longer than others before taking flight.  Are they more streetwise about humans, or perhaps just plain lazy?

Down beyond the salt marsh we can see two tractors busy cockling on the mud flats.  One returns back to the compound where I earlier photographed the starlings.  It is about 3pm and his day is done it seems.  It must be a different lifestyle – with your working life controlled by the tides.  I wonder, does he have another job which he goes to at high tide?

Birkdale Sands saltmarsh and Cockling Tractor returns to base

The only previous time that I can recall visiting Southport was back in 1978.  An entomologist friend and I visited the town, intent on exploring the sand dunes that we have just skirted.  It was a quite fascinating expedition where we not only got to see and hear Natterjack Toads in full voice and lots of interesting sand dune plants, but also the famous steeple-chaser Red Rum exercising on the beach (well we thought it was Red Rum, but based on my limited knowledge of horses, I suppose it could have been the milkman’s nag having a day out at the seaside!).

Southport looks nothing like how I recall it from 43 years ago.  Back then it was a sleepy little seaside town, but with a hint of class – perhaps more like Broadstairs than Blackpool.  Perhaps I am suffering from shifting baseline syndrome, but I just can’t get my head around the geography of the sea front which has evidently changed a great deal over the last 43 years.  One giveaway of changes since the 19th Century is the relative stump of a pier which used to be about 1km long.  The landward end has been swallowed-up by dry land, as the coastline has been reclaimed.  Now it only projects 500 metres out to sea.  It is now a sort of ‘amphibious pier’ I suppose – living half on land and half on water.

Likewise, the Promenade no longer divides the sea from the land, but is now some 500 metres inland.  

However, doing my research, it seems most changes occurred before the 1950s.  So much for my memory then!  Closer inspection of the enclosed comparative maps (1958 v 2021) shows that there has been extensive reclamation and development since 1958, with a major bypass (Marine Drive) taking much of the town centre traffic away.  Good for the town, but less good for us to cycle along.

Southport 1958

Southport 2021

Shelters on Southport Promenade now overlook the Marine Lake, rather than the sea.

As we cycle along the new Marine Drive, which is the modern equivalent of The Promenade, we are regaled with views of a fun park, car parking, grassy areas and the large Marine Lake.  None of it much to my liking I confess, but I’m sure it brings the punters and cash rolling in – kerching!

All the Fun of the Fair and The Seaward Half of Southport’s ‘Amphibious Pier’

The RSPB Nature Reserve and Betty cycles the Sea Wall towards Crossens Pumping Station 

The northern end of Marine Drive passes an extensive RSPB nature reserve focussed on the salt marsh and mudflats.  This is Crossens, where we intend to pause our northerly cycling and return to collect the car near Southport Station.  Just before we do, we find a footpath along a flood bank as far as the large pumping station at Crossens which regulates the flow of water from the surrounding low land.  As sea levels rise, it is going to be faced with a much more challenging task getting excess water into the Irish Sea between tides.

Our journey back to Southport Station takes us through Churchtown and along The Promenade.  We take the opportunity to visit the Botanic Gardens, which are well worth dropping in on, offering a glass house, an aviary, ponds, refreshments and landscaped pathways – all free of charge.

The Botanic Garden Fernery and Glass House.

The Botanic Garden Arboretum and Flower Beds