The short section of pavement walking alongside the Coastal Road was safe but not that enjoyable. The final section through Formby was OK but with hindsight I should have stuck with the pavement of the relatively quiet Freshfield Road rather than the double crossing of the railway via bridge...

David Sanderson

My inclination would have been to follow the canal towpath from New Lane Station to Burscough Bridge Station (slightly shorted with easier navigation), but I enjoyed the rest of the route as it’s plotted, through a few more fields, although they weren’t quite as good as the earlier ones. The route uses a flight of stairs from Burscough Bridge Station platform up to the road, but I think these can be avoided by following the footpath, not the platform. A pretty good route, although it’s difficult to see how to avoid the A570 plod....

Mary Oz

Over the field, we join a tarmac path, and, once over a footbridge, and the path continuing after a road crossing, it runs between a steam and the hospital. After a long uninteresting walk, we finally hit our next footpath: running between fences before opening up into a field, following the treeline all the way to the next road, a quiter rural residential road, paved on the left. Passing a social club, we rejoin the road, crossing the often busy junction in Scarisbrick, before heading up the paved roads of Bescar, where, past the church, we take a cul-de-sac road, and passing a thatched cottage, tracks and paths across the fields....

Hiking Historian

A scenic route, pleasant and very easy to follow, on generally well maintained paths. After leaving Formby, the route passes through a golf course, into a pine forest and then follows the trans pennine trail for a section next to sand dunes. Recommended...

spurgeon

A wonky little bridge carries us into another large field, eventually joining a track to Drummersdale Lane. Whilst unpaved, there is great visibility as it is embanked above the fields, but we soon exit, joining a track behind a run-down barn, which, at its end, crosses the railway, bookended by stair stile access. A track brings us from the road to the railway once more, but we follow a grass footpath running alongside until we reach New Lane station....

Hiking Historian

From here, the often busy rural road is now unpaved, but we leave it at the next farmtrack: a long straight, often muddy, path through the massivw, flat fields. A short unpaved road, then a path alongside the old railway, and soon we're in the small village of Haskayne, where, once we're through, we take a small path by a playing field to the towpath of the Leeds And Liverpool Canal and so eventually come to the Scarisbrick Arms, and the end of the route, with its nearby bus stops....

Hiking Historian

First, the footpath to Plex Moss Lane suggests you go straight across to the road, but there's no way across the deep ditch, so you need to follow the track to join the road....

Hiking Historian

I walked from Formby to Southport on a grey day that started with drizzle. The good bits: the sumptuous smell of pine woods after the rain; a carpet of violets (and bluebells to come); the dunes are a magical magical maze full of wildlife; a variety of landscapes; quirky seaside shops under a ironwork arcade....

Strider

New Lane is a nice unpaved rural road with minimal traffic, but, again, chunks of it are gated with private signs, and where it joins Long Meanygate, this too has private road signs....

Hiking Historian

The way to leave Formby Station depends on whether you start from the southbound platform, as I did, or from the road that crosses above the railway. From the lower level there is a path straight from the station, below and to the side of the road. The road next to the railway, a short bit further on, was almost traffic-free and very pleasant, only used by residents. Crossing the busy Coastal Road was manageable but not fun. The fairly short dune path (narrow track, lots of ups and downs, but easy to follow) brought me to a pavement running along the side of the housing but away from the road. A short section of the busy Coastal Road brought me to the main difference from ForSou1. Having looked on Google Street View at the Coastal Road, I know I would have given ForSou1 only 3* at most....

Mary Oz

At Crossens, it was very frustrating that the route followed the busy, noisy roads, when the England Coast Path and cycle track 62 cut the corner here, in what would have been a much nicer route (see OS Aerial view within my photos). The coast road was very busy with cars, but there were good views from the wide pavement, potentially excellent if the air had been a bit clearer!...

Mary Oz

A good mix of paved roads and footpaths along the coast and through the countryside. Here we break away from the main road and start along unpaved country lanes. Past this, more unpaved roads, a long farm track, and another unpaved road until we reach the outskirts of Tarleton, where it was now paved, and a short walk into the village centre....

Hiking Historian

From Formby station, we pass along a few residential streets before we join our first footpath, running between fences, which brings us to an unpaved road that runs alongside the railway. We're soon running alongside the railway once more, before we join the coastal road....

Hiking Historian

There is a railway crossing (not a bridge) that is located at Formby golf course and some slopes within the woods that may restrict accessibility. Starting the walk from Freshfields station is an option....

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Walked Southport to Formby, have cycled opposite direction many times....

Barrie Woodcock

Two short sections of busy road without pavement requiring care and one on a quiet country road....

Barrie Woodcock