Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve

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Overview

The Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR on the Sefton Coast of Lancashire is home to over 450 plant species, and is one of the strongholds of the rare natterjack toad – Europe’s loudest amphibian. Around 40 per cent of Britain’s dune slacks (damp valleys) are found here between the sandy ridges and dry dune grasslands. The slacks flood in winter, providing breeding pools for the toads, whose distinctive call can be heard for miles. The pools are also used by great crested newts and many dragonflies. The rabbits that graze the dunes unearth bare sand in which the sand lizards can lay their eggs, allowing the northern dune tiger beetle and the vernal mining bee to create their own burrows. Plants found in these areas include biting stonecrop, sticky stork’s-bill and heath dog violet, often accompanied by the caterpillar of the dark green fritillary butterfly. The purple flowers of the rare field gentian has its largest colony in Britain here. The rare and endangered red squirrel can occasionally be seen in the reserve’s pine forests.

Location

Woodvale

About the area

A metropolitan county on the River Mersey, with Liverpool as its administrative centre, Merseyside incorporates the towns of Bootle, Birkenhead, St Helena, Wallasey, and Southport. In the 19th century, Liverpool was England’s second greatest port, and the area has been affected by urban deprivation and unemployment.

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Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve

Woodvale

01704 578774

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Ainsdale Sand Dunes National Nature Reserve

Recommended by

Overview

The Ainsdale Sand Dunes NNR on the Sefton Coast of Lancashire is home to over 450 plant species, and is one of the strongholds of the rare natterjack toad – Europe’s loudest amphibian. Around 40 per cent of Britain’s dune slacks (damp valleys) are found here between the sandy ridges and dry dune grasslands. The slacks flood in winter, providing breeding pools for the toads, whose distinctive call can be heard for miles. The pools are also used by great crested newts and many dragonflies. The rabbits that graze the dunes unearth bare sand in which the sand lizards can lay their eggs, allowing the northern dune tiger beetle and the vernal mining bee to create their own burrows. Plants found in these areas include biting stonecrop, sticky stork’s-bill and heath dog violet, often accompanied by the caterpillar of the dark green fritillary butterfly. The purple flowers of the rare field gentian has its largest colony in Britain here. The rare and endangered red squirrel can occasionally be seen in the reserve’s pine forests.

Location

Woodvale

About the area

Area image

A metropolitan county on the River Mersey, with Liverpool as its administrative centre, Merseyside incorporates the towns of Bootle, Birkenhead, St Helena, Wallasey, and Southport. In the 19th century, Liverpool was England’s second greatest port, and the area has been affected by urban deprivation and unemployment.

Explore Merseyside

Nearby places to stay

View all (8)