D203: LIVERPOOL to SOUTHPORT
Wednesday 8th April 2026
Today miles: 21.6 Total miles: 3365.2
I desperately need a new pair of walking shoes. I’ve already done my research and there’s fortunately a Go Outdoors store about two miles away, close to Everton’s football ground and the Liverpool Docks area. I left the hotel around 7.30am and after a quick visit to Wetherspoons I was back on the coastal path at 8.30am. I quickly passed the famous Liver building and then Princess Dock. I’m not entirely sure where this actually happened but I noted a fingersign which indicated that I had rejoined the official English Coastal Path. There’s several huge, old buildings around the docks and I slowed my pace down in order to have a better look around. I then popped into the Go Outdoors store and had a long chat with a friendly member of staff. He was really interested in my walk and at the checkout he offered me some staff discount, this kindly action saved me £6. I set off again, this time with a pair of shiny new shoes.
Close to the suburb of Seaforth the path turned left towards Marine Lake, and a few minutes later I arrives on the Southern end of Crosby Beach. I hadn’t heard of Crosby Beach before today but I immediately recognised the Anthony Gormley statues scattered across the beach. There’s dozens of these lifesize statues buried at various depths along Crosby Beach. I stayed on the firm sandy beach for this short one mile section but then returned to the proper coast path at the public car park, where I then grabbed myself a coffee from a small food van. The path then meandered through the low dunes and the occasional short section of wet marsh, through Hightown and around the perimeter of Altcar military rifle range.
There’s several walking tracks running through the dunes adjacent to Formby. I stuck as close as I could to the coastline, unsure whether this was the official coastal path. The next three miles takes me beyond Formby and the ECP joins the Sefton Coastal Footpath. The footpath runs along the edge of Iansdale Sand Dunes nature reserve, this is a pretty area with lots of picnic areas and nice soft sandy beaches. I eventually reach Iansdale-on-Sea, there’s a large derelict hotel close to the beach, one side decorated with a huge lizard mural. I spotted a long line of vehicles waiting to access the beach via the toll booth. More importantly (for me) there’s a small shop and public toilets.
The Iansdale train station is only a few hundred metres away and I considered ending my walk here and returning to the car. There’s still plenty of daylight and I’m feeling reasonably fresh. Southport is only three miles away, so I decided on carry on. I walked along the beach for the first hour before climbing back onto the road into Southport. I left the coastal path just beyond the pier and made my way into the town centre. There’s an awful lot of noisy motorcyclists in Southport, apparently it’s a popular meeting place for people who enjoy riding that particular mode of transport. Another great day.
