Formby sits on a gently shelving stretch of the Sefton coast, and the tide here behaves quite differently from a steep resort beach. At low water the sea can retreat a considerable distance, far enough that it sometimes disappears from view, and at high water it can come right up towards the dunes. The beach you arrive at is rarely the beach you leave.
Tide times also change every day, each high and low arriving roughly an hour later than the day before. A time you remember from last weekend will be wrong this weekend, so it is worth checking the table above before every visit. Look at both the next low tide and the next high tide: low water tells you how much sand you will have, and high water tells you when it will be gone.
Predictions are exactly that. They are calculated from the movements of the sun and moon, and real conditions on the day can differ because of weather, wind and atmospheric pressure. A strong onshore wind or low pressure can bring the water in higher and earlier than the table suggests.
If you walk out across the sands at low water, stay aware of your route back. The flat sand fills quickly on a rising tide, and channels behind you can fill before the water reaches your feet. These pages are for general visitor information and must not be used for navigation. Anyone heading out on the water should use official Admiralty sources instead.