This walk around Ainsdale National Nature Reserve and the adjoining countryside is about 6 miles (9½ km) in length. There is a nice variety of terrain: pinewoods, dunes, wetlands, scrub and seashore. The stretch along the shore is exhilarating, especially with the waves alongside, but it is impassable near to high tide, so you will have to check the tide timetable. If necessary you can always move into the dunes, where there are several trails. A good deal is over sand or sandy trails and the wetlands can be just that: wet. The rest is on firm, though sometimes muddy, tracks. Adorn your feet accordingly. This is a circular route and it is possible to join it from the beach car park at Ainsdale (a short walk along the shore) or from Freshfield Station (along the eastern side the railway track and then over an unsupervised crossing and the golf course - under a mile or 1½ km).
The relevant
Ordnance Survey 1:25000 Explorer map is No. 285. For
further information on the locations visited, click on
the images.
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Detailed
mapping and satellite photography for this walk
courtesy of Bing Maps |
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Printer
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