Spring has sprung and it times to get out and about with the family. This wonderful walk meanders through woods, the remains of a ‘lost resort’ hidden under the sand dunes and ventures to the edge of the mysterious Devil’s Hole on the Sefton coast. It will likely take a couple of hours at a slow pace and travels over undulating terrain.
Just up the coast from Liverpool stands the village of Formby, where Liverpool and Everton players and managers have set up home over the years. Their millionaire mansions can be seen around Victoria Road, which runs down to the pinewoods and beach. But well before they arrived, the town had already been the subject of a massive property investment.
Back in 1875, a group of Victorian businessmen raised £50,000 to build a luxury coastal resort called Formby-by-the-Sea, with plans to rival nearby Southport. A massive promenade was constructed, luxury villas were planned and houses were built, but the resort would never be completed.
Unfortunately for the Formby Land & Building Company, the coastal railway track was never extended out to the resort. The investment failed and the sand dunes reclaimed the land.
A signposted coastal walk now guides you across the old site and you can still see the crumbling steps of the promenade, the foundations of the luxurious villas and the road that runs out to the Lost Resort.
This walk begins at St Luke's Church in Formby - a short walk from Formby station - and takes in the Lost Resort, nearby natural wonder Devil’s Hole and returns to the same location.