Crosby Beach (Another Place)

Crosby's wide, flat sands host Antony Gormley's 'Another Place' - 100 cast-iron figures staring out across Liverpool Bay - and they make a genuinely unusual subject for aerial work. The beach is council-managed foreshore, open to responsible flyers, with huge unobstructed sightlines north toward Formby and south toward the Seaforth container terminal, dockside cranes and the Burbo Bank wind turbines on the horizon. Launch from the firm sand near the Mariners Road slipway or the promenade; keep well clear of the working port to the south, which is busy with shipping and has its own security sensitivities. The exposed coast means near-constant sea breeze, so trim for wind and watch for salt spray on the lens. Tides here run fast and far - the outer statues submerge and the sands can cut you off, so check the tide table and never walk out to chase a shot. There is soft, sinking mud in patches beyond the main beach; stay on firm sand. Early morning delivers low side-light across the figures and the calmest air. Popular with dog-walkers and photographers, but the beach is vast enough to find clear separation from people before you take off.