Old Mill Lane

Old Mill Lane is your best bet for free parking if you're heading to Formby beach. It's right off Victoria Road, maybe a ten-minute walk to the National Trust entrance that takes you through the woods and onto the dunes. Weekends, especially in summer, it fills up fast – like, by 11am you'll be circling. So get there early if you want a space.

It's not a massive car park, maybe holds about 50 cars, and it's basically just a gravel area, nothing fancy. But hey, it's free, and that's a big plus when you're trying to keep the costs down for a family day out. Plus, being that bit further from the beach means the walk keeps some of the crowds away.

Just so you know, there aren't any toilets or anything like that at the car park itself, so bear that in mind, especially if you've got little ones. You'll need to walk to the beach for those.

One last thing: if it's a really hot day, take water – that walk through the dunes can be thirsty work!