Southport Beach

Southport's vast beach and its long Victorian pier give the Sefton coast an enormous, open feel, with the sands stretching towards the Ribble estuary and the wind farms of Liverpool Bay on the horizon. The gently curving shoreline, the pier and the Marine Lake are all striking from above. Parking is plentiful along the promenade and on the beach itself where driving is permitted. Two cautions apply. First, RAF Woodvale lies about eight kilometres to the south and has an Air Traffic Zone, so stay well north around the pier and central beach and check for notified activity before flying. Second, the beach is a busy, popular place with soft mud and fast tides, so keep to firmer sand, mind the incoming tide and avoid the RSPB areas towards Marshside. There is no Flight Restriction Zone over the central seafront itself. Keep clear of the pier structure, kite-surfers and the crowds around the amusements, and launch from open sand away from people. The huge tidal range means conditions change quickly. A weekday morning at lower tide is calmest and least crowded, and sunset over the bay is spectacular.