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Learn to love the coast in winter

Morecambe Bay by Peter Cairns/2020VISION

Who says the coast should be saved for summer? When the temperature drops and the crowds disperse, you’re left with a wonderfully wild, windswept landscape that’s ripe for rambling.

From the rolling sand dunes of Lytham St Anne’s to rockpool-rich Half Moon Bay and the fragrant pine woods of Ainsdale, the coasts and beaches in Lancashire and North Merseyside have a special beauty during winter. Here are just a few reasons why we should all learn to love the coast in even the bleakest midwinter.

Unmissable opportunities to spot wildlife

Our regions coasts are some of the best places to spot winter wildlife, particularly birds. Shorelines, saltmarshes, and estuaries like Morecambe Bay fill with huge groups of scampering sanderling, flighty knot, hungry dunlin and noisy oystercatchers taking advantage of the protein-rich mud and sand. As you watch them pull out invertebrates with their long, probing bills you may even catch them murmurating as a peregrine falcon or sparrowhawk swoops in and spooks them into a shimmering cloud.

A sanderling foraging for invertebrates in the mud of an estuary

Sanderling by Chris Gomersall/2020VISION

These birds needs to conserve as much energy as possible while they potter about their winter roosts, so please do keep a safe distance from them to avoid spooking them into the air, and keep dogs on a lead.

Speaking of murmurations, winter also brings with it the spectacle of the starling murmuration. While some of the most well-known starling murmurations in Lancashire take place inland at RSPB Leighton Moss and Brockholes Nature Reserve, Blackpool is a great coastal spot to see one. The starlings roost beneath the pier so keep your eyes peeled along the seafront near dusk.

For many serious birdwatchers, winter is a time to hunt for rarities along the coast. The Heysham Peninsula, home to our Heysham Nature Reserve, gets its fair share of rarities, with Iceland gulls and yellow-browed warblers being fairly regular visitors. In 2018 there was a very exciting visit from a chough! Further afield, along the Sefton coast, you may even be lucky enough to spot overwintering snow buntings feeding on the tideline.

A true sense of the wild

Nothing makes you feel more alive than a walk on the coast in the coldest months. Wispy trails snake from sand dunes that seem to shift and change in the biting wind, while the surf washes powerfully in and out, in and out; tumbling endlessly onto the shore. It’s a truly wild landscape, and as you pull your hat further down around your ears and your scarf tighter around your neck you’ll feel properly part of nature.

Rockpool

Exploring rockpools on Blackpool's sea wall

Colourful rockpools

Brave the coastal cold on a calm winter's day and you may be rewarded with some unexpected surprises.

Though the water feels icy to us, it’s business as usual for many rockpool creatures. Peer inside the pools on Half Moon Bay’s rocky shore or along Blackpool’s weird and wonderful sea wall and you may spot scuttling crabs, grumpy-looking gobies, and beadlet anemones brighter than Christmas baubles.

Peace and quiet

Wonderful wildlife aside, one of the best things about visiting the beach in winter is the absence of summer crowds. The cold weather chases away picnickers and sunbathers, leaving behind a peace and quiet punctuated only by the sound of the sea and the peeping of wading birds. There’s something magical about being able to stand and appreciate the beauty of our regions coasts without the distraction of crowds, especially at some of the busier spots like Formby and Lytham St Anne’s. Why not settle back against one of the sand dunes and just listen, watch and appreciate the tranquillity?

Ice on the mudflats at Morecambe Bay

Ice on mudflats across Morecambe Bay by Peter Cairns/2020VISION

Unrivalled photo opportunities

Winter brings moody mists and gorgeous light, blue skies and furious waves – all fantastic photo opportunities for landscape and wildlife photographers in Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. Head to the coast over winter and you could capture some truly stunning scenes: perhaps shafts of sunlight breaking through the clouds and illuminating the beach? Or crowds of wading birds sheltering from the weather and squinting against the wind on a blustery beach? You may even be lucky enough to photograph the coast nestled under a fresh blanket of glittering snow.

Cockle-warming post-walk pub grub

What better way to end a blustery beach walk than by thawing out in a cosy pub or warming your hands on a tray of salty chips? These are undoubtedly two of life’s simple pleasures and a staple of winter walks up north. The good news is there is certainly no shortage of places to refuel in our regions classic coastal towns and quaint seaside villages.

Do you love wrapping up warm and visiting the coast in winter? Where is your favourite spot for a chilly stroll? Let us know!

Two swans swimming across a frozen lake at sunrise

Peter Cairns/Northshots

Spot more winter wildlife

Winter in the North West is anything but lifeless. Wading birds gather in huge, noisy flocks to forage along coasts and marshes, while starlings take to the skies in hypnotic murmurations.

It might be the toughest time of year, but even our winter wildlife is blessed with northern grit.

Where to see winter wildlife

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