1 00:00:05,719 --> 00:00:08,460 KATE MARTIN: Welcome to the National Trust Podcast. 2 00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:15,710 I'm Kate Martin area ranger at Formby on the beautiful Sefton 3 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,170 Coast and a full on nature lover. 4 00:00:19,030 --> 00:00:22,600 I'll be taking you on some amazing walks delving into the 5 00:00:22,610 --> 00:00:26,280 stories and characters that make each place so special. 6 00:00:27,350 --> 00:00:31,129 We'll be traveling all around the country from hilltop to 7 00:00:31,139 --> 00:00:35,819 seaside. We'll tread sandy paths and the polished wooden floors 8 00:00:35,830 --> 00:00:37,400 of country homes. 9 00:00:37,409 --> 00:00:41,880 Delight in birdsong, sublime views and exceptionally good 10 00:00:41,889 --> 00:00:42,930 cream teas. 11 00:00:43,669 --> 00:00:47,549 So come and join me on this journey and immerse yourself in 12 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:49,650 the wonders of the National Trust. 13 00:00:59,369 --> 00:01:02,569 The sound of the Irish Sea lapping, the incredible shape 14 00:01:02,580 --> 00:01:06,209 shifting dunes of the Sefton Coast near Liverpool. This week 15 00:01:06,220 --> 00:01:09,430 we're on my home turf at Formby where the National Trust manage 16 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:11,169 around 1000 acres of land. 17 00:01:11,449 --> 00:01:14,169 I've been a ranger here for eight years now, but this 18 00:01:14,180 --> 00:01:16,870 stunning sea view never fails to take my breath away. 19 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,230 And here we are standing on this glorious golden sandy beach 20 00:01:21,239 --> 00:01:24,730 which is just sloping very gently into the Irish Sea, which 21 00:01:24,739 --> 00:01:27,500 today is a little bit rough. So there's nice big waves just 22 00:01:27,510 --> 00:01:28,389 crashing in. 23 00:01:28,389 --> 00:01:31,879 To the south of me I can see Wales and the Wirral Peninsula 24 00:01:31,889 --> 00:01:34,349 and then to the North, I can see the tower at Blackpool and the 25 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,019 big one and then up to the western lakes and the fells 26 00:01:37,029 --> 00:01:42,129 there. 27 00:01:42,129 --> 00:01:45,389 In the summer months, hoards of city dwellers flock to Formby 28 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,440 leaving behind the hubbub of nearby towns and cities like 29 00:01:48,449 --> 00:01:52,010 Liverpool and Manchester, Warrington and Preston in search 30 00:01:52,019 --> 00:01:54,739 of wilderness and a little bit of a breath of fresh air. 31 00:01:56,139 --> 00:01:59,279 But today, the place is quite subdued. There's only a handful 32 00:01:59,290 --> 00:02:01,769 of people enjoying gentle walks through the dunes and those 33 00:02:01,779 --> 00:02:03,620 beautiful windswept pine trees. 34 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:07,500 But no matter the time of year for me really does have 35 00:02:07,510 --> 00:02:08,550 something for everyone. 36 00:02:09,169 --> 00:02:12,190 If you're a wildlife fan, This is the perfect place to catch a 37 00:02:12,199 --> 00:02:15,570 glimpse of endangered species like Red Squirrels or my 38 00:02:15,580 --> 00:02:19,059 personal favourite, the beautiful Natterjack Toad. But 39 00:02:19,070 --> 00:02:22,160 if history is more your bag, this coastline holds evidence of 40 00:02:22,169 --> 00:02:26,009 our ancient ancestors as well as relics of our more recent past. 41 00:02:26,910 --> 00:02:29,589 Today I'll be guiding you through sandy dunes, woodlands 42 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,979 and grasslands and introducing you to some of my colleagues who 43 00:02:32,990 --> 00:02:36,270 will help tell the story of this really special place. We'll 44 00:02:36,279 --> 00:02:39,169 start inland in the sweeping Formby pinewoods. 45 00:02:42,070 --> 00:02:44,779 The walk we're on now on the path. One is actually all part 46 00:02:44,789 --> 00:02:48,509 of the Red Squirrel walk, which is one of the walks available on 47 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:50,279 the Formby website. 48 00:02:50,279 --> 00:02:53,259 For those who fancy a shorter walk in Formby this route is 49 00:02:53,270 --> 00:02:56,889 perfect. It's just under two miles. So ideal for those with 50 00:02:56,899 --> 00:03:00,970 small children. One of the reasons why the woodlands here 51 00:03:00,979 --> 00:03:04,360 at Formby are particularly popular with people, not just 52 00:03:04,369 --> 00:03:08,070 locally, but people come from hundreds of miles to do this 53 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,880 walk. And it's because of our Red Squirrels. 54 00:03:12,710 --> 00:03:16,080 Oh, just through the woods there I can just see a little red 55 00:03:16,089 --> 00:03:19,119 squirrel. It's obviously an adult. It's got its full ear 56 00:03:19,130 --> 00:03:22,050 tufts going. This is quite a dark red one. 57 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,229 They're really active trying to fatten themselves up for the 58 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:28,539 winter months. And this one here is just running around, by the 59 00:03:28,550 --> 00:03:30,940 look of it- It looks like it's probably searching for something 60 00:03:30,949 --> 00:03:33,600 it's buried a while ago and probably forgotten where it is. 61 00:03:39,740 --> 00:03:44,039 These woods may look natural but they're certainly not. And 62 00:03:44,050 --> 00:03:47,630 actually somebody who knows an awful lot about this area is 63 00:03:47,639 --> 00:03:50,580 Doctor Phil Smith, a local ecologist and a real expert on 64 00:03:50,589 --> 00:03:51,600 the Sefton Coast. 65 00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,179 DR PHIL SMITH: The landscape here a couple of 100 years ago 66 00:03:57,190 --> 00:04:01,600 was absolutely totally different. The dunes were very 67 00:04:01,610 --> 00:04:03,460 wild, very open and sandy. 68 00:04:03,919 --> 00:04:09,279 And we have accounts for this area from 200 years ago by a 69 00:04:09,630 --> 00:04:13,770 chap called Richard Ayton. He describes the Formby the area 70 00:04:13,779 --> 00:04:17,589 in, in great detail over several pages and it's an absolute 71 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:21,739 revelation to to see what it was like only 200 years ago. 72 00:04:24,839 --> 00:04:28,239 He was in Formby overnight and then he says in the morning, I 73 00:04:28,250 --> 00:04:32,089 returned to the shore over a waist of sand hills on a scale 74 00:04:32,100 --> 00:04:36,339 of such grandeur and covering such an extent of ground that, 75 00:04:36,339 --> 00:04:39,850 familiarized as I was with sand, the effect was somewhat novel to 76 00:04:39,859 --> 00:04:40,239 me! 77 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,519 They extended for at least a mile in depth and were thrown 78 00:04:43,529 --> 00:04:47,579 into very exciting groups exactly resembling a range of 79 00:04:47,589 --> 00:04:50,980 mountains with all their rigids, peaks and precipices. 80 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:56,880 Many of them were fully 60ft in height, rising precipitously on 81 00:04:56,890 --> 00:05:00,549 all sides. They were all very thinly sprinkled with the sea 82 00:05:00,559 --> 00:05:04,570 bent and exhibited a scene of frightful and irredeemable 83 00:05:04,579 --> 00:05:08,269 barrenness that together with the wild confusion with which 84 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,380 they were grouped and heaped together, had something in it 85 00:05:11,390 --> 00:05:13,500 almost amounting to the sublime. 86 00:05:16,429 --> 00:05:20,239 But of course, things were were were to change partly as a 87 00:05:20,250 --> 00:05:24,769 result of planting trees and the old the memorial estates, there 88 00:05:24,779 --> 00:05:27,890 were two of them that Formby and the Weld Blundell owned most of 89 00:05:27,899 --> 00:05:28,690 the coast. 90 00:05:28,700 --> 00:05:31,500 One of the things that they were particularly keen to do was to 91 00:05:31,510 --> 00:05:35,239 make a make money out of the dunes because they were viewed 92 00:05:35,250 --> 00:05:38,779 at that time as quote " unprofitable waste." 93 00:05:38,779 --> 00:05:45,230 And so in the 1880s, one of the landowners went down to Southern 94 00:05:45,239 --> 00:05:49,700 France and he saw all the huge Conifer plantations on the, on 95 00:05:49,709 --> 00:05:53,540 the dunes there and thought this could be a way of making money, 96 00:05:53,769 --> 00:05:56,640 but that had a really dramatic effect on the coast as we see 97 00:05:56,649 --> 00:05:57,290 today. 98 00:05:57,290 --> 00:06:00,839 As a coastal Ecologist, I I prefer the open dunes which are 99 00:06:00,850 --> 00:06:03,910 far richer in species than the- than the woodlands. 100 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:10,619 KATE MARTIN: I'm coming to the end of the red squirrel walk. 101 00:06:10,660 --> 00:06:14,160 And before I set off on the next leg of my journey around Formby, 102 00:06:14,170 --> 00:06:16,779 I'm passing over to my colleague who's going to guide you to 103 00:06:16,790 --> 00:06:18,299 something rather magical. 104 00:06:23,119 --> 00:06:25,989 JAMIE LUND: My name is Jamie Lund and I'm the archaeologist 105 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:29,390 for the National Trust in the North region. If the tide is 106 00:06:29,399 --> 00:06:33,640 being friendly to us, we should see exposures of prehistoric 107 00:06:33,649 --> 00:06:37,299 footprints which might be somewhere in the region of 7000 108 00:06:37,309 --> 00:06:38,920 to 4000 years old. 109 00:06:38,929 --> 00:06:43,220 It's very simple walk to pick up the trail of. You simply park in 110 00:06:43,230 --> 00:06:46,989 the National Trust car park and follow the directional signage 111 00:06:47,010 --> 00:06:51,959 up over the small bank of dunes down again onto the foreshore 112 00:06:51,989 --> 00:06:55,279 and then look left and right and start looking for footprints. 113 00:06:56,220 --> 00:07:01,750 The sweet spot is about 70 to 80m from the toe of the dunes on 114 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:04,739 the beach. We've got this wonderful golden sand here at 115 00:07:04,750 --> 00:07:08,040 Formby, but sand isn't what we're looking for. We're looking 116 00:07:08,049 --> 00:07:12,910 for an underlying strata of dark brown muddy beds. 117 00:07:14,519 --> 00:07:18,350 Hello there. I can guess what you're doing. Have you had any 118 00:07:18,359 --> 00:07:22,219 luck? [Cross-talk] I thought you might have been looking for 119 00:07:22,219 --> 00:07:23,390 prehistoric foot prints? 120 00:07:23,390 --> 00:07:25,390 GENERIC: Yeah, we were actually and I wasn't sure where they 121 00:07:25,399 --> 00:07:25,971 are? 122 00:07:25,971 --> 00:07:27,239 JAMIE LUND: They're definitely on here- [Cross-talk] 123 00:07:27,239 --> 00:07:29,783 GENERIC: Horse shoe shaped ones up there [Cross-talk] 124 00:07:29,783 --> 00:07:34,640 JAMIE LUND: Horses are a pain you're trying to spot the 125 00:07:34,649 --> 00:07:36,369 prehistoric footprints [ Cross-talk] 126 00:07:36,369 --> 00:07:40,910 GENERIC: Somewhere around here? I think we're all day. 127 00:07:42,649 --> 00:07:43,709 JAMIE LUND: Good luck! 128 00:07:43,809 --> 00:07:44,320 GENERIC: Thank you. 129 00:07:45,369 --> 00:07:46,040 JAMIE LUND: See you! 130 00:07:47,079 --> 00:07:52,369 Oh, then what have we got here? This looks quite promising. 131 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:59,399 This is our first good plausible footprint I would say. 132 00:07:59,399 --> 00:08:00,660 It's a red deer print. 133 00:08:03,429 --> 00:08:06,929 The landscape would have looked very different to what it does 134 00:08:06,940 --> 00:08:11,109 now, at a time when the deer and the other animals and people 135 00:08:11,119 --> 00:08:13,609 that have left their footprints at Formby would have been 136 00:08:13,790 --> 00:08:18,279 walking along this area. 137 00:08:18,279 --> 00:08:22,820 And it would have been this wonderful, muddy lagoon type 138 00:08:22,829 --> 00:08:25,619 environment that would have been very attractive for animals 139 00:08:25,630 --> 00:08:29,760 wanting to perhaps wallow or find pools of fresh water to 140 00:08:29,769 --> 00:08:30,380 drink. 141 00:08:30,549 --> 00:08:33,409 And of course, where you've got herds of herbivores, you've got 142 00:08:33,419 --> 00:08:38,659 predators. And of course, at the top of that apex of hunters are 143 00:08:38,669 --> 00:08:40,299 people themselves. 144 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:46,239 Prehistoric hunter gatherers, on a single day, you could have 145 00:08:46,250 --> 00:08:49,900 gone inshore fishing. You could have collected all sorts of 146 00:08:49,909 --> 00:08:54,559 edible seaweeds and other greens that are growing in the muds and 147 00:08:54,570 --> 00:08:55,719 along the sand dune. 148 00:08:56,510 --> 00:08:59,239 We're very lucky that these prehistoric footprints have 149 00:08:59,250 --> 00:09:03,309 survived here at Formby. Once they'd actually been formed by a 150 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,659 foot going into this soft layer of wet mud, It was obviously 151 00:09:07,669 --> 00:09:08,869 hardened by the sun. 152 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:12,250 So straight away that tells us that the person must have been 153 00:09:12,450 --> 00:09:16,140 walking here in late spring or summer and there was sufficient 154 00:09:16,150 --> 00:09:21,599 strength in the sun to bake that mud and create a hard crust that 155 00:09:21,609 --> 00:09:24,450 didn't just simply smooth down and ebb way. 156 00:09:25,130 --> 00:09:30,159 It was then covered over by just a light dusting of sand and had 157 00:09:30,169 --> 00:09:34,020 the effect of, of a sheet of grease proof paper. It stopped 158 00:09:34,030 --> 00:09:37,869 all of these different layers of sediment sticking together into 159 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:39,429 one homogenous layer. 160 00:09:39,750 --> 00:09:43,739 So that today when the tide comes and starts to erode a 161 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:48,409 layer, it peels off very neatly without trying to pull off the 162 00:09:48,419 --> 00:09:50,130 upper surface of the layer below. 163 00:09:50,299 --> 00:09:55,250 Those people with a specialist eye can tell an awful lot about 164 00:09:55,260 --> 00:09:58,299 the prehistoric footprints that we can find here just looking at 165 00:09:58,309 --> 00:10:00,929 the way that the foot has landed on the ground and the way that 166 00:10:00,940 --> 00:10:04,530 the weight has been distributed across the foot, you can tell 167 00:10:04,539 --> 00:10:06,830 whether people are walking normally, whether they're 168 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:07,640 limping. 169 00:10:07,820 --> 00:10:11,030 We can spot the difference between men and women and we can 170 00:10:11,039 --> 00:10:14,640 even spot, women who are probably pregnant by the way 171 00:10:14,650 --> 00:10:18,979 that they tend to lean back onto their heels. 172 00:10:19,349 --> 00:10:22,630 So I often look at the footprints that I see at Formby 173 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:26,500 and wonder, well, are they hunting and gathering or are 174 00:10:26,510 --> 00:10:29,289 they playing? Are they simply going for a walk? 175 00:10:29,299 --> 00:10:33,169 And I think in being able to see these footprints and see the 176 00:10:33,179 --> 00:10:38,280 traces left by people 6000 years ago, it really encourages you to 177 00:10:38,289 --> 00:10:41,770 open your mind to exactly what their lived experiences might 178 00:10:41,780 --> 00:10:42,530 have been like. 179 00:10:47,969 --> 00:10:50,950 There, there was a huge concentration of a couple of 180 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:54,380 hundred footprints in one area. And after a few minutes of 181 00:10:54,390 --> 00:10:56,969 looking, we could see that people had approached the 182 00:10:56,979 --> 00:11:00,789 central point from all points of the compass as five or six 183 00:11:00,799 --> 00:11:03,119 people coming from different angles. 184 00:11:03,119 --> 00:11:06,739 And they'd come together in a huge scrum and people's feet 185 00:11:06,750 --> 00:11:09,710 were spinning around, they were rotating, they were digging 186 00:11:09,719 --> 00:11:12,510 their toes in as if they were trying to get pressure. 187 00:11:13,210 --> 00:11:16,090 And I was trying to think what, what on earth does this mean? 188 00:11:16,099 --> 00:11:19,809 What was happening here? And I thought about, you know, are 189 00:11:19,820 --> 00:11:21,140 they trying to corner something? 190 00:11:21,150 --> 00:11:24,859 Are they catching something or is this a game? You know, are 191 00:11:24,869 --> 00:11:28,229 they falling around? Are they wrestling? They're pushing each 192 00:11:28,239 --> 00:11:31,809 over in the mud and having a- you know, a whale of a time? And 193 00:11:31,820 --> 00:11:34,669 of course, you'll never know. But I think each of those 194 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:36,950 scenarios is, is very interesting. 195 00:11:42,409 --> 00:11:45,210 KATE MARTIN: That was Jamie Lund looking at the amazing ancient 196 00:11:45,219 --> 00:11:48,880 footprints on Formby's Beach and for anyone visiting Formby, it's 197 00:11:48,890 --> 00:11:51,770 definitely well worth a trip to see these footprints, It really 198 00:11:51,780 --> 00:11:52,969 is magical. 199 00:11:52,969 --> 00:11:55,799 For me, It's the idea of actually standing on the very 200 00:11:55,809 --> 00:11:59,150 same mud that these people actually walked in. That real 201 00:11:59,159 --> 00:12:01,469 connection to the people that once lived here. 202 00:12:01,799 --> 00:12:04,510 I wonder what they would have made of today's walkers. And to 203 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:06,440 be honest, they probably would have thought we were mad just 204 00:12:06,450 --> 00:12:08,869 walking around for fun and not for anything in particular! 205 00:12:09,909 --> 00:12:13,159 We heard from Jamie about how ancient people reaped food from 206 00:12:13,169 --> 00:12:16,419 this land. But let's fast forward a few thousand years. 207 00:12:16,429 --> 00:12:18,500 And the inhabitants of Formby had acquired a taste for 208 00:12:18,510 --> 00:12:20,549 something a little bit more refined. 209 00:12:20,900 --> 00:12:22,000 Asparagus! 210 00:12:22,219 --> 00:12:25,289 Now I'm headed on another short walk that's actually named after 211 00:12:25,299 --> 00:12:28,530 this fine food which was once grown in abundance here at 212 00:12:28,539 --> 00:12:29,520 Formby. 213 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:33,150 Today, Asparagus production has declined. There is only one form 214 00:12:33,169 --> 00:12:36,619 the Asparagus grower left, but you can still see the flat sandy 215 00:12:36,630 --> 00:12:39,190 fields where the crop once thrived and grew here. 216 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:43,685 There are two asparagus walks around Formby, a shorter trail, 217 00:12:43,685 --> 00:12:46,500 It's about a mile and three quarters which is suitable for 218 00:12:46,510 --> 00:12:48,080 people of all abilities. 219 00:12:48,500 --> 00:12:51,830 But the walk I'm doing today is a little bit more challenging. 220 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:55,469 It's just under three miles and joining me on this stroll is 221 00:12:55,479 --> 00:12:58,510 John Dempsey who is the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership 222 00:12:58,520 --> 00:12:59,859 scheme project officer. 223 00:13:02,299 --> 00:13:02,830 Hi, John. 224 00:13:02,859 --> 00:13:03,929 JOHN DEMPSEY: Hi Kate, how are you doing? 225 00:13:03,940 --> 00:13:04,505 KATE MARTIN: I'm alright! 226 00:13:04,505 --> 00:13:05,690 JOHN DEMPSEY: It's a lovely morning. 227 00:13:06,969 --> 00:13:07,460 KATE MARTIN: It's lovely! 228 00:13:07,809 --> 00:13:11,849 The area in front of us is very, very flat and this area is 229 00:13:11,859 --> 00:13:13,469 famous for its asparagus, isn't it, John? 230 00:13:13,479 --> 00:13:16,729 JOHN DEMPSEY: It is. I mean, this is an eye onto onto form's 231 00:13:16,739 --> 00:13:18,039 history if you like. 232 00:13:18,039 --> 00:13:20,429 The Formby asparagus, of course, is world famous. 233 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:22,229 KATE MARTIN: I don't think a lot of people who visit for me 234 00:13:22,239 --> 00:13:25,510 realize just how much asparagus changed this landscape and how 235 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,239 much the cultivation left its footprint here. 236 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,400 JOHN DEMPSEY: It's quite strange that these open areas that are 237 00:13:30,409 --> 00:13:33,690 the result of asparagus have actually ended up being almost a 238 00:13:33,700 --> 00:13:36,974 good refuge for some of the dune species that might struggle 239 00:13:36,984 --> 00:13:37,434 otherwise. 240 00:13:37,455 --> 00:13:39,484 But I don't think the guys who are planting the asparagus 241 00:13:39,494 --> 00:13:42,224 thought of it that way. As humans, sometimes we, we're 242 00:13:42,234 --> 00:13:45,085 quite unaware of the effects our footprints have on the 243 00:13:45,094 --> 00:13:45,594 landscape. 244 00:13:45,604 --> 00:13:47,560 But it's interesting nonetheless. 245 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:49,844 It's lovely just to look on some of the fields as well now at 246 00:13:50,065 --> 00:13:53,375 this time of year to see how the local wildlife moves perhaps 247 00:13:53,385 --> 00:13:56,104 from out of the dunes into these flat areas. You can see a few 248 00:13:56,114 --> 00:13:57,635 rabbits legging around over there. 249 00:13:57,645 --> 00:13:59,974 Rabbits, of course, are vital for our dune system where we're 250 00:13:59,984 --> 00:14:02,780 heading now. Because they're the natural grazers on this 251 00:14:02,789 --> 00:14:03,450 coastline. 252 00:14:03,580 --> 00:14:06,739 These are the guys we rely upon to keep the vegetation down, 253 00:14:06,900 --> 00:14:09,400 open sand means all the wonderful species we hopefully 254 00:14:09,409 --> 00:14:12,140 get in the the dunes can survive there. 255 00:14:12,340 --> 00:14:14,400 We have some wonderful species on this coast? 256 00:14:14,409 --> 00:14:16,469 Things like the Dark Green Fritillary, lovely big orange 257 00:14:16,479 --> 00:14:19,070 butterfly that we enjoy on the wind here in summer. 258 00:14:19,690 --> 00:14:22,460 It's something that loves plants like Heath Dog Violet, which is 259 00:14:22,469 --> 00:14:25,289 a dune specialist. The caterpillars feed on that 260 00:14:25,299 --> 00:14:27,190 earlier on in the year and of course, a good year for the 261 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,950 Heath Dog Violet means a good year for the butterflies. 262 00:14:33,049 --> 00:14:35,789 We're moving now into all the lovely Marram Grass, which is 263 00:14:36,090 --> 00:14:38,700 the thing that binds all the dunes together on the Sefton 264 00:14:38,710 --> 00:14:39,270 Coast. 265 00:14:39,469 --> 00:14:42,869 People forget as well. Sometimes I think that our wonderful 266 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,919 little Natterjack Toads later in the summer, they'll move out 267 00:14:45,929 --> 00:14:49,780 into the dunes and onto the tide line as well to feed. So, an 268 00:14:49,789 --> 00:14:52,820 open sandy system like this is absolutely vital. 269 00:14:52,830 --> 00:14:54,909 KATE MARTIN: Natterjacks, they're slightly bigger than the 270 00:14:54,919 --> 00:14:58,559 common toad. But the real sort of telling sign of them, they 271 00:14:58,570 --> 00:15:01,090 have a yellow stripe that goes down the back when they're 272 00:15:01,099 --> 00:15:05,690 adults, they've got the most beautiful amber eyes that are 273 00:15:05,700 --> 00:15:07,979 sort of flecked with a deeper brown. 274 00:15:08,450 --> 00:15:12,619 They crawl, they're not hoppers, like sort of common frogs. They 275 00:15:12,630 --> 00:15:16,080 are nocturnal and it's the males that come out first and then 276 00:15:16,090 --> 00:15:17,556 they will start calling. 277 00:15:17,556 --> 00:15:24,140 A sort of deep ratchet like call, that the males make, to 278 00:15:24,150 --> 00:15:28,909 call to the females and you can hear them from miles away, 279 00:15:28,919 --> 00:15:31,590 certainly a mile away. You can hear them calling. 280 00:15:35,780 --> 00:15:40,469 We've just walked out over the dune system and to this open 281 00:15:40,479 --> 00:15:42,789 expanse of gold and sandy beach. 282 00:15:43,260 --> 00:15:44,989 JOHN DEMPSEY: An incredible place to watch the ships coming 283 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,580 and going from all over the world. And of course, you know, 284 00:15:47,590 --> 00:15:50,359 we've got such a tremendous maritime heritage here, but it's 285 00:15:50,369 --> 00:15:53,700 full of wildlife as well a day like today, lovely bit of a chop 286 00:15:53,710 --> 00:15:55,669 on the sea. So it's a bit hard to spot, but there'll be Grey 287 00:15:55,679 --> 00:15:56,789 Seals out there. 288 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,530 There'll be thousands of Common Scoters, these lovely duck that 289 00:15:59,539 --> 00:16:01,909 come down and spend the winter with us after having bred up in 290 00:16:01,919 --> 00:16:04,190 the far North. Just a magnificent place. 291 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,099 There's divers out there, greebes, all sorts of wonderful 292 00:16:07,109 --> 00:16:09,820 things and of course, jellyfish, we're getting more and more 293 00:16:09,830 --> 00:16:10,780 jellyfish now. 294 00:16:10,809 --> 00:16:14,450 Which means potentially we might even have turtles off this coast 295 00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:16,739 at certain times of the year. In fact, remember Kate, that great 296 00:16:16,750 --> 00:16:20,969 big storm we had in 2013, We had a wonderful Kemp's Ridleys 297 00:16:20,979 --> 00:16:24,099 Turtle that was blown right the way across the Atlantic from the 298 00:16:24,109 --> 00:16:24,739 Caribbean. 299 00:16:28,030 --> 00:16:30,619 And the poor little fella came out on the beach just down the 300 00:16:30,630 --> 00:16:34,630 coast from us here. A bit shocked, a bit surprised to find 301 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:37,330 herself not in the Caribbean, but that's how life goes 302 00:16:37,340 --> 00:16:37,880 sometimes! 303 00:16:40,369 --> 00:16:43,359 Which just shows you a sea like the Irish Sea an incredible 304 00:16:43,369 --> 00:16:43,780 place. 305 00:16:43,809 --> 00:16:46,950 And it's a doorstep to the world. I love looking out here 306 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:48,969 even seeing the modern ships and thinking, oh, where are you 307 00:16:48,979 --> 00:16:51,440 going? Where are you come from? Absolutely wonderful. 308 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,190 KATE MARTIN: And talking about the shipping, there's also a lot 309 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:57,169 of ships that maybe weren't quite as successful on their 310 00:16:57,179 --> 00:16:59,690 voyages. And there's a good few of them that you can see off the 311 00:16:59,700 --> 00:17:00,840 coast here. 312 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:01,710 JOHN DEMPSEY: There are, Yeah. 313 00:17:01,719 --> 00:17:04,310 I love the wrecks on the Sefton Coast. My obsession with them is 314 00:17:04,319 --> 00:17:07,699 well known locally. We lead walks out throughout the year, 315 00:17:07,709 --> 00:17:10,780 but you have to go with a guide really because like any low tide 316 00:17:10,790 --> 00:17:12,814 area where we have such a big tidal range here- 317 00:17:12,814 --> 00:17:14,900 There's a lot of soft mud, a lot of dangerous channels- 318 00:17:14,910 --> 00:17:17,239 You need to know where you're going and conditions can can 319 00:17:17,250 --> 00:17:18,260 change very quickly. 320 00:17:18,270 --> 00:17:20,260 But if ever you get the chance come along because they, they're 321 00:17:20,270 --> 00:17:21,199 wonderful things to see. 322 00:17:21,699 --> 00:17:24,780 But there are some crackers. I mean, so many nice stories. 323 00:17:24,790 --> 00:17:26,780 My favourite is our own whiskey galore story! 324 00:17:26,790 --> 00:17:29,500 The story of the Pegu, which is on the beach just down from us 325 00:17:29,510 --> 00:17:31,489 at the moment, about a mile or so down. 326 00:17:31,489 --> 00:17:35,040 The Pegu was a ship heading out to Rangoon from Liverpool in 327 00:17:35,050 --> 00:17:39,229 1939 and it ran aground for whatever reason. But the most 328 00:17:39,239 --> 00:17:42,170 interesting thing about the, the Pegu was a cargo which of course 329 00:17:42,180 --> 00:17:44,199 was, crate upon crate of whiskey. 330 00:17:44,300 --> 00:17:47,140 When she ran aground, the customs men decided because 331 00:17:47,150 --> 00:17:48,209 she's a long way out. 332 00:17:48,250 --> 00:17:51,170 They decided that the wreck was safe where it was for, a little 333 00:17:51,180 --> 00:17:53,689 while. And they wouldn't need to secure it on the night. 334 00:17:53,699 --> 00:17:59,209 But the good people of Formby knew better and we're out there 335 00:17:59,219 --> 00:18:04,290 like a shot, with their carts with wheelbarrows, which 336 00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:07,359 whatever they could use and, and help themselves to the booty. 337 00:18:08,010 --> 00:18:10,430 So what they decided to do a lot of these guys was, they hid the 338 00:18:10,439 --> 00:18:14,359 whiskey down rabbit holes and buried it in the sand and for, 339 00:18:14,369 --> 00:18:17,089 for years afterwards. So the story goes, the guys would pop 340 00:18:17,099 --> 00:18:20,969 down again of an evening just to help themselves. 341 00:18:20,969 --> 00:18:23,170 No more whiskey now, I'm afraid! That's long gone! 342 00:18:25,520 --> 00:18:27,660 KATE MARTIN: We've had the beach pretty much to ourselves this 343 00:18:27,670 --> 00:18:29,819 morning. We've had a few people wandering around in the 344 00:18:29,829 --> 00:18:33,939 distance. But this area is really popular for walkers for 345 00:18:33,949 --> 00:18:37,369 all different reasons. Families coming out for nice walks and 346 00:18:37,380 --> 00:18:39,359 local people coming to walk their dogs. 347 00:18:39,369 --> 00:18:42,140 Actually, there's a lady just in front of us here with a gorgeous 348 00:18:42,150 --> 00:18:44,598 little dog. 349 00:18:44,598 --> 00:18:44,661 Her name's not Lula is it? 350 00:18:44,661 --> 00:18:45,609 GENERIC: No Lola! 351 00:18:45,969 --> 00:18:48,790 KATE MARTIN: Lola, Lola. Yeah, I think I met your husband in when 352 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:51,349 I was clearing the boardwalk the other day down Lifeboat Road. 353 00:18:52,709 --> 00:18:56,560 GENERIC: He's busy today. So I'm taking her, so I've walked down 354 00:18:56,569 --> 00:18:59,719 the other way normally and come back through the dunes, but make 355 00:18:59,729 --> 00:19:02,489 it a little bit easier today. And with the tide in it's such a 356 00:19:02,500 --> 00:19:07,479 gorgeous place and peaceful and just, just lovely. Really? 357 00:19:08,459 --> 00:19:10,199 KATE MARTIN: Yeah, I say, certainly meeting Lola the other 358 00:19:10,209 --> 00:19:12,989 day. I know she certainly likes to, get into the sea and have a 359 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:14,680 ball thrown for her on this beach. 360 00:19:14,819 --> 00:19:17,550 GENERIC: Well, she's like a child. She's just running down 361 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,880 the boardwalk, sort of full of excitement, ready for the ball 362 00:19:20,890 --> 00:19:24,439 to be thrown all the time. And you can walk along the beach and 363 00:19:24,449 --> 00:19:28,260 you hardly see a soul and it's just a beautiful place. So we 364 00:19:28,270 --> 00:19:29,119 love it up here. 365 00:19:34,739 --> 00:19:36,550 KATE MARTIN: We've come to the end of this walk here this 366 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:40,229 afternoon and this is my last podcast and I'm really sad 367 00:19:40,239 --> 00:19:42,650 because I have really, really enjoyed it. 368 00:19:43,050 --> 00:19:46,599 I've been to some beautiful places and the wonderful thing 369 00:19:46,609 --> 00:19:50,290 about North Wales and the Peak District and here at Formby, 370 00:19:50,410 --> 00:19:52,959 there are so many places you can walk. 371 00:19:52,969 --> 00:19:55,839 It's just about getting out there, strapping your boots on 372 00:19:55,969 --> 00:19:57,630 and seeing where the nature takes you. 373 00:20:02,880 --> 00:20:05,829 Thanks for listening to this episode of the National Trust 374 00:20:05,839 --> 00:20:06,670 Podcast. 375 00:20:08,579 --> 00:20:11,770 For more information about Formby and to download maps and 376 00:20:11,780 --> 00:20:14,969 information on today's walks, you can visit our website at 377 00:20:14,979 --> 00:20:18,890 nationaltrust.org.uk/formby. 378 00:20:20,510 --> 00:20:23,569 The next three episodes of this podcast will be taking you into 379 00:20:23,579 --> 00:20:26,010 the world of books and literature through some of the 380 00:20:26,020 --> 00:20:28,119 National Trust's amazing spaces. 381 00:20:29,390 --> 00:20:32,050 I'll be handing you over to my esteemed colleague, James 382 00:20:32,060 --> 00:20:35,130 Grasby, the National Trust curator for the Midlands. 383 00:20:36,599 --> 00:20:39,250 In the next episode, he'll be your trusty guide through the 384 00:20:39,260 --> 00:20:42,369 tranquil arts and crafts home of the playwright, politician and 385 00:20:42,380 --> 00:20:45,670 philosopher George Bernard Shaw, one of the most quoted men in 386 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:46,250 the world. 387 00:20:47,469 --> 00:20:50,709 That episode will be available in a couple of weeks, but there 388 00:20:50,719 --> 00:20:53,859 will be a mini episode available next week where I'll be learning 389 00:20:53,869 --> 00:20:56,640 about what's on the menu for Red Squirrels here at Formby. 390 00:20:59,380 --> 00:21:02,800 Until the next season of the National Trust Podcast, from me, 391 00:21:02,810 --> 00:21:04,400 Kate Martin. Goodbye.