The National Trust reserve at Freshfield, Formby is one of the best places in Great Britain to see, feed and photograph red squirrels.

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The National Trust Reserve

Situated on the Sefton coast, just north of Liverpool, the National Trust owned Freshfield reserve is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Northern England.

The reserve offers visitors an oppurtunity to explore the beach, sand dunes and coastal pine woodland. Within the stands of Corsican and Scots pine is a large population of wild red squirrels. However, unlike most other populations, the Formby animals are so used to people that they can be fed by hand.

Red squirrels will frequently approach within a few feet of visitors, indeed it is not uncommon for the little creatures to take peanuts from the palm of your hand. The red squirrel population typically numbers 3-4 adult squirrels per hectare making it possible to see several animals together. However in the last year there have been a series of devastating disease outbreaks amongst the squirrel population, and consequently numbers are low.

The photograph below was taken within the reserve during 1996. It illustrates just how close a view visitors get of the squirrels, and it also shows just how dark the animals are. Many animals have black tails and some even have dark skin pigment. The reason for this is that the population is largely of continental animals which were released during the early part of the last centuary.

Formby Point Red Squirrel Reserve National Trust, Victoria Road, Freshfield, Formby, Merseyside, L371LJ Tel: 01704-878591
Open all year during daylight hours. £2.70 per car. Coaches £15.00 all year (must be pre-booked). School groups must book in advance. For further details visit: The National Trust Freshfield 'Red Squirrel' Reserve website.