The Coastal Path at Marshside — The Bit Most People Miss

2 March 2026

What it is

The Marshside Saltmarsh is part of the Ribble Estuary Special Protection Area — protected at the highest level because of the birds it holds. The coastal path runs along the top of the sea wall from the RSPB car park area, with the reserve and managed lagoons behind the wall on your left and the open saltmarsh and estuary on your right.

It's free to access. There's no entrance fee, no booking system, no opening times — the coastal path is open at any reasonable hour. Park at the RSPB car park on Redshank Road and the coastal path starts from there.

What you'll find

Tidal pools, scattered shells, old timber half-buried in the estuary mud. After wet weather the pools on the upper saltmarsh are deep and clear — on bright days the sky reflects perfectly in them. Saltmarsh grass, sea purslane, and in winter the dominant colour is tawny yellow against grey sky.

In winter: Pink-footed Geese in the fields beyond the wall, waders working the exposed mud at low tide, possibly Short-eared Owl quartering over the marsh edge. In spring: ground-nesting birds on the saltmarsh — the path is dog-zoned for this reason.

Dog rules — read this first

Dogs are allowed on the coastal path on leads. The signage is clear: keep to the track, keep the dog on the track, give feeding and resting birds space. The saltmarsh holds ground-nesting birds including Lapwing and Redshank from spring onwards.

The path is genuinely good for dogs — tidal pools, open space, interesting smells. Just be realistic about leads. The reserve has 'guide dogs only' in Nel's Hide but the coastal path is a proper dog walk.

Safety — not optional reading

The Redshank Road sign is explicit: beware soft mud and beware creeks and incoming tides. This is tidal estuary terrain. Stay on the track. The mud off the path can be deep, unpredictable and fast to flood at high tide.

In an emergency: grid reference SD 353204. Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Tell them the grid reference. This is the information on the official sign for a reason.

No drones or kites. No motorised vehicles. No fires or barbecues. No horses. The cockle beds are closed to fishing under NWIFCA Byelaw 3 — any removal of cockles from this beach is an offence.

When to go

Any season, any weather. Bright days in winter give the tidal pool reflections at their best — an absolutely still pool on a blue-sky day is worth the drive by itself. Grey days are fine too — the flat light suits the landscape.

Time your visit around the car park hours: 8:30am–4pm in winter (1 November–1 March), 8:30am–5pm in summer (2 March–31 October). The car park is locked at closing time. Don't get caught out.