Freshfield Dune Heath, Formby

Lancashire Wildlife Trust bought this eight hectare patch from the Ministry of Defence in 2004 to stop it disappearing. Lowland dune heath is genuinely rare, and this is one of the better surviving fragments on the Sefton coast: gorse in hard yellow flower, purple heather later on, sand sedge and wavy hair-grass in between.

For children the draw is what lives in it. Red squirrels, common and sand lizards, up to a dozen species of dragonfly and damselfly over the wet bits, whitethroat and linnet in the gorse, buzzards and kestrels overhead. Footpaths from the reserve link across to the golf course and on to the Natural England reserve over the railway crossing, so you can make it into a proper walk if legs allow.

Go in knowing what it is not. There is no car park, no toilet, no cafe, no play equipment and no visitor centre. Kissing gates rule out wheelchairs and wide buggies. It is a heath with paths across it, free, open whenever you turn up, and best treated as an hour of lizard hunting on the way back from the beach.

Know before you go

Get the train. The Wildlife Trust say plainly that there is no parking on site, and Freshfield station is the way in.
Kissing gates all the way round, so a baby carrier works and a double buggy does not. There is livestock grazing the heath to keep it open, so dogs stay on a lead as well.

Worth knowing: Kissing gates throughout, so no good for wheelchairs or a wide double buggy. Grazing livestock on site.

Seasonal: Heather and gorse in flower, spring to summer. Check before travelling.

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