Formby Pool
Formby kept the separate learner pool that most places quietly dropped: 12.5 metres, stepped access, a shallow end of 0.65 metres, which is the depth at which a two year old can stand up.
Formby Beach & Pinewoods
Formby, Merseyside
Red squirrels in the pinewoods, then some of the biggest sand dunes on the coast, then the beach. Three days out stacked into one National Trust site, and the dunes alone will absorb an hour of any child's energy.
The car park genuinely fills by mid-morning on sunny days, and when it is full it is full. Arrive early, bring everything down to the sand in one carry, and squirrel-spot on the woodland path rather than the beach route.
Know before you go
- Arrive before mid-morning on sunny days - when the car park is full, it is full.
- Squirrel spotting is best in the pinewoods on the way to the dunes, not on the beach.
Looking for more days out in Formby?
What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.9 across 46 Google reviews.
Read all 46 reviews on Google - filter by star rating thereAlso in Formby
Duke Street Park
Formby's main park, a short walk from the station: a large play area, six hard tennis courts you can book for nothing, bowling greens and football pitches. New play equipment was ordered in June 2026.
Freshfield Dune Heath
Eight hectares of lowland dune heath behind Freshfield station, run by the Wildlife Trust. Red squirrels, lizards and dragonflies, grazing livestock, and no car park, no toilets and no cafe of any kind.
Deansgate Lane Fields
Playing fields on the Freshfield side of Formby with a woodland sculpture trail running through the trees along the edge. Free, open, and honestly more pitches than park.
What’s on near you, every Friday
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.