National Trust Car Park - Victoria Road woodland

Okay, so this is the smaller of the two National Trust car parks on Victoria Road in Formby. It gets you straight into the woods and dunes, which is great for a wander. It’s about a 15-minute walk through the trees to the beach, so a bit further than the main Lifeboat Road car park if you're dead set on building sandcastles. Weekends can get chocka, especially when the sun's out, so get there early if you want a space.

The postcode will get you close enough. It’s a decent-sized car park, but not massive, and the surface is gravel, so leave the stilettos at home, ladies! Charges apply unless you're a National Trust member - have your card handy to scan. People seem to rate it pretty well on Google, 4.3 stars from 64 reviews, so not bad at all.

It's open the same hours as the woods themselves really - dawn till dusk. There's no height restriction, but the entrance is a bit narrow, so larger vans and motorhomes might struggle a bit. I’ve seen a few try it though.

Just a heads up – the machine can be a bit temperamental, so download the National Trust parking app before you go; it makes paying a whole lot easier.