Happy Mount Park
A proper old-fashioned seaside park: the splash park is the summer draw, with trampolines, adventure golf and a cafe for the flask-and-chips crowd. Pair it with an ice cream on the prom.
Heysham Coast and St Patrick's Chapel
Morecambe, Lancashire
This is the best free hour on the Morecambe side of the bay. A short walk down Main Street from the village car park brings you to St Peter's Church, and from there the path climbs over cobbles to the ruins of St Patrick's Chapel, one of the oldest religious buildings in the north west. Next to it, cut into the bare sandstone, are eight body shaped graves. They are Grade I listed and unique in Britain, and irresistible to anyone under twelve. Beyond the chapel the headland opens out into the Barrows, coastal grassland and quiet woodland that used to be laid out as a picturesque garden, and the National Trust marks a circular trail taking in the headland and the older parts of the village. The whole thing is free. Dogs are welcome under close control.
The catch is the surface. Steep cobbled sections, stone steps in Rectory Woods that go greasy after rain, and gates at either end of the grassy headland path. A confident four year old will manage. A pushchair will not. Parking is Lancaster City Council's, at £2.20 for two hours or £3.50 for the day, and the cheaper Half Moon Bay car park down the coast is £2.20 for 24 hours if you fancy the longer walk in.
Know before you go
- The rock cut graves are the hook. They are child sized and open to the sky, and every single visitor lies down next to one for a photograph. Lead with those, not with the word chapel.
- Park in the council car park on Barrows Lane and not on the village streets. It has 210 spaces and a 2 metre height barrier, so roof boxes and high vans will not get in. Do the loop down to Half Moon Bay only if the tide and the weather are behaving, because the path off the headland to the beach is rutted and slippery after rain.
Worth knowing: Steep cobbled sections and stone steps. Not a buggy route.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Morecambe?
Also in Morecambe
The Stone Jetty & Eric Morecambe Statue
Morecambe's free seafront hour: walk the 1853 jetty past steel bird sculptures and pavement games, then get the photo at the Eric Morecambe statue on the prom. On a clear day the Lake District sits across the bay.