Plan your journey if coming to Southport and Sefton coastline in the next few days

With its coastline expected to be very busy over the coming days as temperatures soar, Sefton Council is urging people to plan their journeys to avoid queues hours spent in a boiling hot car and disruption for local residents.

Sefton’s beaches are in easy walking distance from Merseyrail stations such as Southport, Birkdale, Hillside, Ainsdale, Freshfield, Formby, Hall Road, Blundellsands & Crosby and Waterloo. People can plan their journeys and find timetables and service updates at www.merseyrail.org.

And with the two National Trust sites at Formby often filling up first, meaning the car parks have to be closed, the Council is also suggesting people consider other destinations instead.

Southport, Ainsdale and Crosby beach are all RNLI lifeguarded beaches with natural beauty and fantastic facilities, all within minutes of Formby.

Ainsdale Beach can be found just two stops on Merseyrail or 16 minutes’ drive from Formby, using a satnav at postcode PR8 2QA. Southport beach, five stops on Merseyrail or a 20-minute drive is at postcode PR8 1SB. And Crosby Coastal Park is three stations or 29 minutes’ drive from Formby

Sefton Council is asking those who do drive to its coast to park responsibly and considerately away from residential areas and to make sure there is access for residents and emergency service vehicles at all times.

There is beach parking available with 2,000 spaces at Ainsdale and 400 at Southport, although high tides mean Southport beach parking will be closed from Friday 12th to Tuesday 16th August. Also, the high tides mean there will only be around 500 spaces available at Ainsdale over the same period.

There are over 1,000 parking spaces close to Southport Beach at Esplanade Park and Ride, which people can find using a satnav at postcode PR8 1RX. Costs are just £2 per day per car Monday to Saturday, including free bus service into Southport Town Centre.

On Sundays, the Esplanade site is a Car Park costing £5 all day. The Park and Ride Service on Sundays runs from Fairways at postcode PR9 0LA. The cost is £2 all day per car.

Seven hundred spaces are also available adjacent to the beach, on Marine Drive.

Beach parking costs just £8 per day per cars at Southport beach and £10 per day per cars at Ainsdale. Half price parking is available after 4pm subject to availability. Annual season tickets cost only £30 for Sefton residents and electric or hybrid vehicle users. Season tickets for non-Sefton residents cost £60.

The facilities at Ainsdale beach include men’s, women’s, and disabled toilets. A daily cleaning regime is in place, ensuring the amenities are kept clean and replenished during busy periods through the summer. Accessible toilets are also available at Crosby Coastal Park.

There are also fantastic food and drink outlets on offer at Crosby and Ainsdale beaches, providing much-needed refreshments in the hot weather, and everything you could need for a great day out in Southport.

With high temperatures forecast for the coming days, people can find information about staying safe and well at www.sefton.gov.uk/heatwave

The hot weather also brings greater fire risk, so we would encourage to people to use the outlets rather than lighting fires or bringing their own barbeques, which are strictly not allowed anywhere long the Sefton Coast

Information to help people enjoy their day out on Sefton Coasts can be found at www.sefton.gov.uk/beaches.