It has to be said that most of the Cheshire and Lancashire coast is fairly urbanised. And as you approach through the town of Formby there's little to suggest that here will be any different. It has become a place to retire to and a commuter suburb of Liverpool. This makes Formby Point all the more remarkable.

Tall, shady pine woods form your first impression. They may appear ancient but were planted a little over 100 years ago to help stabilise the sand dunes. No one at the time could have suspected that they would become such an important haven for red squirrels. Despite a disastrous attack of squirrel pox in 2007 and 2008, the population is recovering and appears to have developed a degree of immunity. So go quietly through the pine woods and you stand a good chance of spotting one.

The dark peaty soils that occur inland of the dunes produce a variety of crops, but a particular local speciality is asparagus. It is still grown in some of the fields that border the reserve early in the walk. On the way out towards the shore you pass a lake, natural in origin, where swans, ducks, coots and moorhens breed.

Miles of dunes

The sand dunes at Formby form the largest dune system in England and are a precious but vulnerable habitat for wildlife. Rough-edged marram grass and skeletal recycled Christmas trees help stabilise the line of dunes immediately behind the beach, but spring tides and high winds can still change their shape in a matter of hours. The feet of visitors also erode the fragile dunes. The beach itself is littered with patches of shell debris. Under the sand there are many invertebrates which attract wading birds. One of the easiest to recognise is the oystercatcher, which is black and white apart from its bright orange eyes, beak and legs. Many other waders and gulls may also be sighted.

As you walk along the beach, you will see darker layers exposed by the retreating tide. These sediments were formed around 4,000 years ago, when the shape of the coast was somewhat different. In places they have been found to preserve the tracks of animals and birds, so that we know, for instance, that oystercatchers were plentiful then too. Human footprints have also been found. These suggest that people hunted and fished here, but the most evocative report is of a medley of small prints suggesting children at play.

A haven for wildlife

From the end of the beach you wind through the sand hills again, past pools where natterjack toads – one of Britain's rarest animals – breed. Two other rarities that are also found here are great crested newts, around the pools, and sand lizards, in the drier areas.

Head back up the main drive. Turn right opposite the toilet block, passing left of an information board on a path signed 'Squirrel Walk'. Go left at a junction and follow the ongoing path that curves right through the woods. Ignore all side and crossing paths, eventually emerging onto Blundell Avenue. Cross to a fainter path opposite and wind with the main path to a more open area. Bear left and keep left, curving past an asparagus field, glimpsed through the trees to the left. The path then rises to a bench overlooking a bowl of hummocky sand hills. Head across, aiming to pass left of a stand of pine trees on the sandy ridge ahead. The path then dips beside the nature reserve boundary to a meet a crossing path at the edge of houses.

Go right, soon reaching a fork. Bear right down steps and ahead past a couple of reed-filled pools. Over a crossing path, the way is signed to the beach. Approaching the dunes, curve left below them, eventually reaching a broad crossing path. To the right, it leads through a gap to the beach.

Walk away to the right for almost 1.5 miles (2.4km) below the dunes, passing occasional markers indicating inland paths. You are looking for the Gypsy Path (SD 275089), but winter storms can remove the markers and change the look of the sand hills. If you reach the outflow of a stream washing onto the sand, you are about 250yds (229m) too far north.

Turn in through a narrow gap breaking the dunes to a waymarked crossing path. Keep ahead passing one of the fenced natterjack toad ponds. Bear right beyond, heading towards the pines. Intercepting a broad path, follow it right between the trees. Keep to the main winding trail, which soon passes behind a small caravan park, seen on your right. Reaching a junction by a set of large wooden chimes go left. Again, stick to the main path, which eventually returns you to the main drive. The toilets are to the left and the car park down to the right.