Formby is a coastal town in the North West of England, about half an hour north of Liverpool. We'd been looking for somewhere to spend the Saturday of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, as the weather was forecast to be hot and we didn't want to waste it inside. Formby Beach was recommended by my sister, and to be honest, once she'd set her sights on Formby, our suggestions weren't going to sway her. So on Saturday morning, we crammed the four of us, plus the dog, into my sister's Corolla and headed to the coast.
Parking
When we arrived at the Lifeboat Road car park the entrance was blocked by an unwelcome ' car park closed' sign; they were already full. I mean, in hindsight, we should have predicted this, considering we were heading to the beach on a sunny bank holiday weekend! But alas, here we were! The overflow car park was open, and most cars were detouring to park in there, but instead, we pulled our car into the main entrance to weigh up our options.
The overflow car park was further away from the boardwalk to access the beach, which would mean a harder push for me and, in turn, whoever was helping me. However, as we sat in front of the yellow blockade, we saw a few cars leave the main car park and, so, took our chance and went to hunt down a freshly emptied space. We parked in a standard bay, which meant I needed to get out of the car before my sister parked. This was a little stressful as we were holding up traffic while I dragged myself out of the car and into my wheelchair - but people were pretty patient.
I didn't see any marked disabled bays while we were there; however, when I researched it later, it turns out there are a grand total of 4 accessible parking bays at the Lifeboat Road car park. Apart from the lack of disabled bays, parking wasn't an issue for us - especially as displaying a blue badge qualifies you for free parking for an unlimited amount of time.
Toilets
There was a small toilet block area in the car park, with the mens and womens in a portacabin styled building, and the accessible toilet in a plastic portaloo. The first thing I noticed was that the toilets were only open at certain times; when we went on a Saturday, during a Bank Holiday weekend, the toilets were open from 10 am to 4 pm.
The accessible bathroom could be used by anyone, as the door doesn't require a RADAR key. As with any portaloo, they're never a particularly great experience, but for me, it did its job, and I was able to use it relatively easily. The grab rails were sturdy enough for me to transfer on and off the toilet without any issues; they were positioned along the wall, to the left of the toilet, and on the wall behind the toilet. There was no running water in there, which was frustrating, however, I had my 'toileting bag' with me, so I managed to make do thanks to that! (A post on what I pack in my bag, is on its way!)
Image Description: There are three photos taken inside the accessible bathroom (a portaloo).
Left: The toilet is accessible from the right, with a lever flush on the opposite side of the toilet bowl. The grey plastic grab rails are fitted to the walls surrounding the toilet, and a toilet roll holder is fitted to the wall.
Centre: There is a hand sanitiser dispenser fitted to the wall, on one side of the toilet door. It is operated by pushing the fitting and is positioned about half a metre above the grab rail.
Right: There is a sanitary towel bin positioned against the wall, and a grey plastic grab rail is fitted to the wall adjacent.
As you can see from the photos, the toilet is pretty small, so it isn't easy to get changed in there if needed. The size also means those who use larger powerchairs and/or need a carer with them, might struggle to fit in comfortably. It's also important to note that the toilets are in the car park, which means they are at least 10 minutes away from the beach. So if you need help to get to/from the toilet, like me, it's worth thinking about how you might manage that if there's an emergency. I needed to leave the beach once to use the bathroom, and found it incredibly frustrating to require so much help just to get to the toilet; especially as it's something I'm relatively independent with most of the time.
Beach Access
The beach was a 10-minute walk from the Lifeboat Road car park, via Board Walk Path - a sandy and stony path that weaves through the dunes. I don't think I'd class the track as wheelchair accessible for a manual wheelchair; many people were struggling just to push prams and buggies through the terrain! Much of the boardwalk was covered with sand, that was thick in patches due to it drifting over from the dunes. The sand made it impossible to push my chair forwards at points and would cause me to skid to one side when being pushed by someone. Another issue with the walkway was that some sections of the ramp were very steep and I needed someone to help me get up and down it safely.
Image Description: There is a wide path cutting through the dunes. green and hay-like grass surrounds the path and is flattened down either side of the path. The path is sandy because of the drift from the dunes.
Image Description: The boardwalk is covered in sand, so much so the wooden slats can barely be seen beneath it. Either side of the walkway is a wooden railing, separating the walkway from the dunes. There is an uneven incline, with the photos being taken at the bottom, people can be seen walking at the top.
Image Description: Two images of the boardwalk ramp down to the beach. The ramp is made from wooden planks, with a wooden handrail on one side, and a slatted wooden fence on the other side.
Left: This photo is taken from the top of the incline. The ramp is relatively steep and, on a closer look, the sand can be seen covering the bottom of the incline.
Right: This photo shows how the ramp is in three sections, with this image being taken two-thirds of the way down, where there is a 360° turn. The part of the boardwalk that is covered in sand, from the dunes, is clearer here.
The wooden ramp (shown in the images above) comes to an end at the top of the beach, and the terrain immediately changes to thick, soft sand. The lifeguard was super helpful and assisted us in getting from the boardwalk to an area where we could set up our picnic blanket.
Beach Wheelchair (or lack of)
Before visiting Formby, we'd read there were beach wheelchairs available to rent and hoped this was something we could take advantage of. So, we emailed the National Trust that morning (at around 5 am) to enquire about reserving one for our trip. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we were told that all the beach wheelchairs were in use, as it was first come first served. The man then went on to explain all of the negatives of using a beach wheelchair, stating that it would take us an hour to do the 10-minute walk to the beach if we used a beach chair. I thought it was a bit strange for someone to say that a wheelchair that is specifically designed for beaches, would be more hassle on the sand, than a standard wheelchair.
Maybe I'm a cynic, but I'm not convinced all the beach wheelchairs were rented out that day. The beach isn't huge and there's only really one way to get between the National Trust stand and the beach, however, despite sitting just meters from the boardwalk for 4 hours, we didn't see a single beach wheelchair. Plus, when we were packing the car to go home, the National Trust were doing the same with their van, yet we still didn't see any beach wheelchairs around. But you can make your own mind up on that one.
Final Thoughts
All in all, I can't say it was a bad day out. We had great weather and got to spend it in a beautiful part of the country; I love discovering new places, and finding such a well-maintained beach that's a stone's throw from my spinal unit was pretty cool. However, the lack of adequate wheelchair access made it difficult to relax, and I spent much of my time feeling angry about my physical limitations.
Having been to a few different beaches as a wheelchair user, this one left me feeling most frustrated about how much assistance I needed to access it. I'm not sure I'd visit Formby Beach again, but since my visit, I've been thinking about what could have made the trip easier - maybe off-road tyres or a power attachment on my chair? But the thing is, rather than me thinking about all the kit I'd need to return to an inaccessible space, I'd prefer to visit somewhere that doesn't remind me of everything my spinal cord injury took from me.
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