Places to visit to get back to nature
CATCH YOUR BREATH
Take time to pause as you stroll along the coastal paths, and look out over the vast beauty of Morecambe Bay. The views are ever-changing, one minute the choppy waves are bouncing the boats tethered on the shoreline; the next, the water is as smooth as glass and the views clear across to the Lakeland Hills. Visit at different times of the day to experience the bay’s full pallette – the colours ranging from moody greys to bright blues and saturated sunsets of red, yellow, orange and purple.
SUN, SEA AND SUNSETS
If you experience one of these sunsets you’ll know why they’re famous! Countless visitors have captured on film the rainbow of colours as the sun goes down and the bay’s landmarks are silhouetted against the burnished sky.
During the day, you’ll find everything from sunlit blue skies, to scudding clouds, to formidable skies – the bay really does have a personality all of its own! Feel the breeze in your hair and the sea spray upon your skin, smell the salty sea air with its lingering scent of fish and chips and hear the calls of the sea birds as they swoop and wheel.
The views and experiences along this coastal stretch of Morecambe Bay will captivate you – come rain or shine!
WONDERFUL WILDLIFE
The islands, mudflats and sands, woods, rivers, wetlands and grasslands are home to many creatures – you might be lucky enough to see flocks of oystercatchers rooting for tasty treats, or a murmuration of knot – all moving together across the sky in a captivating dance.
Pink-footed geese can be seen – and heard! – at Heysham Head, and Heysham Nature Reserve is alive in spring and summer with bees, butterflies and dragonflies. Seals laze in the shallows at the tip of Walney Island, families of otters live near Halton, and roe deer can be spotted in the parks and woodlands around Silverdale.
EXPAND YOUR HORIZONS
Been inspired by the views and scenery of the Bay? If so then why not try bird watching, painting or photography? RSPB Leighton Moss is a great place to start for those who are new to birdwatching and wildlife spotting, with meandering paths leading to hides and boardwalks – perfect for spotting egrets, wrens, moorhens, ospreys and even majestic marsh harriers. Keep an ear out for the musical songs of the warblers and the echoing boom of the bittern – sometimes it takes a minute to figure out what that unusual noise could be! Take the family too – Leighton Moss offers themed family trails and activities to find out about nocturnal animals, aquatic creatures, busy insects or the plants that love the boggy ground.