Morecambe and Around

M o r e c a m b e B ay: nature on your doorstep In and around Morecambe

Welcome to Morecambe, a seafood haven for birds and visitors alike

The massive panorama of vast shimmering sands with a backdrop of Lakeland fells is as In this guide mesmerising today as it was when tourists first you will find... visited in the 19th Century. The fantastic food, · seasonal highlights heritage, and nature of Morecambe are indebted · three great days out to the vast intertidal sands teeming with sea · How to get around creatures. Don’t Miss… There’s so much to see and many On a rainy day… hidden corners to explore, but Visit Heysham Heritage Centre these top 3 highlights are not to (everyday except Mon in Summer, be missed! weekends in winter, call 01524 853465), or book a tour of the 1 Strolling along Morecambe famous Winter Gardens Theatre Promenade, sampling (01524 422180). seaside treats, and watching wonderful waders Fascinating fact 2 Discovering atmospheric Half Moon Bay is one of the few heritage sites, hidden beaches places you’ll find Honeycomb and magical mosses at Worm Reefs around the Bay – Heysham built by Sabellaria alveolata 3 A hidden oasis at Heysham worms from shells and sand. The Nature Reserve where red shank worms build their homes on hard © Andy Hay rspb images butterflies and dragonflies rock, but need sand to create the abound tubes they live in.

Seasonal Highlights This area is full of wildlife, with something spectacular and different to see whatever the time of year:

Look out for: Spring Noisy flocks of migrating pink footed geese at Heysham Head and greenshank, whimbrels and ringed plover.

Summer Heysham Nature Reserve comes alive with bees, dragonflies, and 21 species of butterfly.

Autumn The spectacle of massive flocks of knot all moving in unison, known as murmurations at Morecambe and Hest Bank.

Winter cormorant and Midland Hotel Oystercatchers meet in large numbers during winter. © Zoe Dawes See them on groynes, jetties and piers as the tide rises. M o r e c a m b e B ay: nature on your doorste p M o r e c a m b e

Morecambe Promenade 6

Morecambe’s popularity as a Morecambe holiday resort dates from the Bay 1850s when the railways arrived, connecting the town to the industrial centres of northern 7 England, with visitors drawn to 8 the clean air, beautiful scenery and the sea. Today Morecambe Promenade 1 connects Hest Bank with Heysham Head and is still a Morecambe favourite place of locals and visitors for gazing across the immense bay to the lakeland fells beyond and watching the many birds that flock here for food and shelter. • In Morecambe town the 2 stone jetty, promenade, sea groynes and sea wall are all Don’t great places to view birds as 4 Lancaster they feed in the sands and 3 forget your OS map roost as the tide comes in . Heysham Oystercatchers love Morecambe and follow the countryside because they can find their 5 code favourite food, cockles and mussels, in abundance. You’ll MAP KEY see them all year round but the 1 5 spring and autumn spectacles Morecambe Station Heysham Nature 2 Heysham Head Reserve around 2 hours before and after 3Half Moon Bay 6Hest Bank a high tide are the best times to 4Heysham Moss Nature 7Happy Mount Park see them. Reserve 8Stone Jetty • Admire the marine–inspired artwork around the town and the Tern Project installed art wife Pat runs Edmondson’s Fish works along the promenade Shop where you can buy their and stone jetty. These celebrate own recipe potted shrimps the birdlife of this special bay. as well as fresh fish. For more The iconic Art Deco Midland famous Morecambe Bay potted Hotel was built in the 1930's by shrimp try Baxters. the London Midland & Scottish • Morecambe has always been Railway and included works by a hub of entertainment, Eric Gill, Marion Dorn and Eric and is the birthplace of Eric Ravilious. Outside the hotel Eric Bartholomew (better known as Gill designed two seahorses Eric Morecambe). Get into the modelled as Morecambe seaside spirit at the Morecambe shrimps. Walk east from the Variety Festival (May), and hotel to discover the statue of other seaside festivals and Eric Morecambe complete with events held each year. In binoculars as Morecambe was summer a brass band plays in a favourite place to watch the Happy Mount Park on Sundays. birds of the bay. • Don’t forget to pop into Enjoy fresh fish at Atkinson’s Brucciani’s iconic ice cream fish and chips, the Waterfront parlour for a favourite seaside Restaurant in the Clarendon treat, or take afternoon tea at Hotel, and Edmondson’s fish the Midland Hotel. shop. Ray Edmondson has been shrimping in Morecambe Bay for Eric Morecambe statue fifty years and together with © Zoe Dawes M o r e c a m b e B ay: nature on your doorste p M o r e c a m b e

Heysham Head It’s hard to imagine this stretch of coastline before the seaside visitors arrived, but there has been some kind of settlement in here since the Stone Age, and consequently the whole area is dotted with ancient sites, including one of the finest Anglo- Viking sites in the North West. It’s also a great place for watching wildfowl, waders and passing seabirds using the East Atlantic Flyway – a major migratory route for birds that fly between Scandinavia, Europe and Africa to breed in spring and over winter in warmer climes. St Patrick's Chapel

• Follow the promenade from © David Morris Morecambe south on a 1 hour stroll (2 miles / 3.5 km) to Heysham village. Here the limestone cliffs meet the and very low in nutrients and and its home to day-flying sand and are topped with plants have had to adapt to life moths. The butterflies are a the atmospheric ruins of St here. The sundew has a clever summertime spectacle on the Patrick’s Chapel (National way to get nutrients – they reserve. Look out for small Trust) and 8 rock cut graves, trap insects like ants and flies skipper, grayling and small believed to be unique. Explore in their sticky hairs! The unique copper. The biggest spectacles the headland and discover the plants that grow here attract are the masses of common blue nature in the grasslands and different birds like lapwing, butterfly. woodlands of the Barrows. It's a shelduck, grasshopper warbler, great place for kids to play and • Linger by the ponds and reedbunting, and skylark. explore. reedbeds to watch dragonflies There are cafes and pubs where and damselflies dart around. • Heysham harbour is an you can refuel and relax in Look out for some less common excellent place to view sea Heysham village and at Half species such as ruddy darter, birds like fulmars, guillemots, Moon Bay. emerald damselfly and emperor kittiwakes, leeches petrel, and dragonfly. storm petrels as they pass by to breeding grounds elsewhere. A Hidden Oasis The reserve has a small car park Head here 2 hours either side of You’ll find Lancashire Wildlife and is accessible by wheelchairs, high tide to see oystercatchers, Trust’s Heysham Nature Reserve pushchairs and trampers. dunlin, wigeon and curlew tucked between the industrious (July to February). Look out Heysham Port and the golf for flocks of knot in autumn course. This hidden oasis has when thousands of birds move an abundance butterflies and and dance as one – known as dragonflies. murmurations. The reserve is a mosaic of • Explore the beach at Half Moon a ponds, reedbed, marsh, Bay and see if you can find grasslands, heath and cockles and shore crabs. You woodlands. might find jellyfish washed • The variety of habitats supports up – the favourite food of lots of different flowering the leatherback turtle that plants: there are over 200 migrates from the Caribbean to species. Look out for bee orchid the Irish Sea. (it looks like a bumble bee) and • Just inland from the coast you’ll yellow-wort. find Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s • The flowers provide nectar for Heysham Moss Nature Reserve. over 20 species of butterflies Mosses and bogs are acidic Bee orchid

Sailing on the Bay

Getting here We believe that a car free journey is a care free journey. • By rail, change from the main line at Lancaster for the short © Bay Seaschool journey to Morecambe • By bike, take the Lancashire Staying Longer Coastal Way from Lancaster Morecambe is a great base for a long weekend or a short break. or National Cycle Route 6 • Choose to stay at the heart of the town or in the surrounding from Carnforth village inns, hotels and guesthouses. Find out more at • Buses run frequently from www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk Lancaster • Call Morecambe Visitor Information Centre on 01524 582808 Getting Around Moving on The promenades and flat coastal lanes are great for exploring by Look out for other itineraries in this series at www.morecambebaynature.org.uk/discover boot and bike. M o r e c a M b e b ay : n at u r e o n y o u r d o o In and around r s t e p • Visit the quaint ports of Sunderland and ulverston • Take a compass and a map M o r e c a M b e b a Welcome toIn ulverston, and y : non at u r ethe o n y o ucoast r d of the Furness peninsula where the river Leven meets Morecambe ba Glasson on the mouth of the River Lune grange around o o r s t e p Explore coastal woodlands and look out for the (OS Explorer Map OL7) and rare black darter dragonfly, or follow-o thever river to magical mosses.Welcome Ulverston to has grange-over-sands, a rich cultural-sands where heritage, surroundedlimestone by spiritual pavements sites. The and wooded h y. town is a greatthe base saltmarshes to explore woodlands and mudflats and of Mor wetlands, valleys and estuaries. In this guide • Explore the unusual limestone landscape on This seaside town on the coast of the Cartmel wear appropriate clothing. you will find... peninsula is the perfect place for wat · seasonal highlights wading birds that flock here in their thousands· three great days out sculpted don’t Miss… to feed on the shellfish and shrimps hidden· How in to get aroundills merge into There’s so much to experien and around Ulverston,the estuarine sands. ecambe bay is of the essence, here are ource t in Warton Crag near Carnforth but if time ching highlights not to be mis don’t Miss…op 3 on a rainy day… sed: • Walk or cycle along the car 1 discover blackThere’s darter so drag much wildlife to Visit Aquarium of theIn Lakes this a guide at next ness natureexperience, reserve but if time is of Newby Bridge to see some of eider ducks onthe a guided essence, wa hereonfly are our top 3 our watery wildlife up closyout will find... chapel Islandhighlights not toand be missed: 015395 30153), or tak lk to to Barrow Dock Museum· seasonal ande (call highlights 2 spot red deer and rafting e the train at roudsea national1 Watch natur wonderful waders like Wading birds like knot flocklearn t find out more ·about three th great days out spiders bay in their thousands maritime heritage of Mor reserve (nnr) -curlew a very fromspe Humphrey Head · How to get around • Take the train around the Bay to Grange and habitat nature reserve,e flocks are Bayo (call the 01229 876400). e ecambe free promenades and routes largest in wintercial 3 Watch wading birds al rusland Valley2 enjoy and breath-taking views Fascinating fact ong the Look for dark red hellborine at on a rainy day… network of pathsfrom limestone pavements roudseaat in summer The hazel dormouse is explore its Visit the historic house of Holker Hampsfell, an extraordinary© David Morris north-west limit in Europe at Hall, learn on itsabout very Cartmel Priory, habitat for butterflies Roudsea Wood. Much ef or keep dry in cosy old pubs and seasonal Highlights3 explore woodlands at brown into maintaining the c woodlands heretearooms to ens fort in Grange goes or Cartmel. Humphrey Head nature reserve This area is full robinof wildlife, nature wi reserve, look out oppice survival of this tiny cr that connect Heysham, for green woodpeckers and ure the Fascinating fact fascinating fungi Look out for: th something spectacular and diffe The peregrine,eature. which you might sprIng see around Humphrey Head, rent to see whatever the ti feeds mostly on birds that it Courting lapwi catches in flight. It spots the prey me of year: Valley’s wetlaseasonalng and Highligh curlew arou © Chris Gomersall RSPB I at distance and, once positioned This ndsarea and is full mosses. of wildlife, with someth mages correctly, it stoops at speeds of suMMer nd Rusland Morecambe and Hest Bank. ts up to 180 kph for the catch. To Dark red helleboLook out for: enable the bird to breathe a speed, it has special baffles in and MossessprIng NN rine and osprey ing spectacular and different to see whatevernostrils. R. at Roudsea Woods get close to autuMn Woodland carpet of bluebells in Brown Robin t this and green winged orchids on Humphrey Head nature in woodlands its Deer in the mo and wetlands suMMersses at Roudsea and R WInter Shelduck and redshank feeding on the shores the time of year: Wrap up warm usland NNRs. • No bikes? No worries! limestoneautuMn pave and enjoy amazi Flocks mentsof knot on and Birkrigg oystercatchers,ng views from high the spring tide is the best time to see Common. them explore woodlands © Eleanor B just a short walk away WInter entall The evocative call of the curlew, the largest Sunshine Cycle Hire rent bikes Useful contacts: call or search online European wading bird

© Andy Hay RSPB I and tandems (at Coopers mages Amusements, 01524 414709) • Morecambe Visitor • Enjoy a unique side of Information Centre 01524 582808 Morecambe by boat with a • Sunshine Cycle Hire 01524 414709 fun sail or 2 day course with • Bay Sea School 07721 891615 Bay Sea School (call 07721 891615). • Heysham Heritage Centre 01524 853465 • Don’t forget the fantastic • Winter Gardens Theatre 01524 422180 train route around the whole • National Trust St of the bay. Patrick’s Chapel 01524 701178 • www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk

This leaflet is brought to you by Morecambe Bay Local Nature Partnership's Nature Improvement Area and Morecambe Bay Partnership's 700 Days to Transform the Bay scheme. It is funded by Defra, DCLG, Natural England, Forestry Commission, Environment Agency, Coastal Communities Fund and RSPB Futurescapes EU Life Comms +. The routes described are for guidance only. Please use an up to date map when exploring this area. It’s a good idea to plan your route in more detail before you set off, and to check the weather forecast and tide tables. Wear appropriate clothing and don’t forget to take food and water. The Partnerships above cannot be held responsible in the unlikely event of injury or accident whilst exploring this area. For more information on the exploring the nature of Morecambe Bay visit www.morecambebaynature.org.uk

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