NO cross-bay activity should be undertaken
without the direct supervision of
a qualified guide.

The Cross Bay Walk

Baywalkers wading across the Kent Channel in Morecambe Bay. Image courtesy of Diabetes UK

This is a popular activity used by many local charities to raise funds. See our events listings for these or see the info contact details below. However the bay is notoriously treacherous and Lancaster's Maritime Museum has a fascinating display about it, as at one time it was a regular throughfare for traffic from the South lakes to Morecambe, with occasional casualties to the tides and quicksands.

Potentially fatal dangers include:
tide: the bay is many miles broad and flat - the tide comes in faster than the speed of a running man. Although the sea may seem far away, a lacework of channels covers the bay which, once crossed, can fill up fast behind you as the tide turns. In February 2004 21 Chinese cockle pickers tragically met their deaths in this way.
Check the Tide Tables for Morecambe here.
quicksand: perfectly innocent-looking stretches of sand are in fact a thin crust over quicksand. Quicksand clings strongly, and once a person is caught in it, it can take more than one other to pull them out again. Then even if they are able to summon help, rescue becomes a race against the tide.
fog: the bay sands are flat and featureless to most newcomers. When fog rolls in it is possible to completely lose any sense of direction. Even when summoned, rescue services may find it extremely difficult to locate people in thick fog, even when talking to them on mobiles. Again the possibility of being trapped by tide is a real danger and has resulted in deaths.
hanging around In some parts of the bay the surface is just a crust over mush and where it is load-bearing you need to keep moving and spread out to avoid sinking and getting stuck.
Read the Morecambe Bay Safety Advice Booklet

Now we've covered some of the dangers it should be said that each summer hundreds of people safely complete these walks in the company of qualified guides and make a very pleasant outing of it, myself included.

Northbound guided walks generally start from the Hest Bank carpark, which is at the edge of the sands over the railway crossing at Hest Bank. or shorter routes start from Arnside prom and Silverdale. They may end at one of many points along the further shore - some routes are much longer than others and you should ensure you know exactly where walks begin and end - particularly for arranging transport home!

For a guided walk you will need:
1. To be reasonably able-bodied. You have to walk several miles across wet sand, and also wade through a couple of channels where the water is fast-running and about 1 metre deep. Most organised walks arrange to be met by a tractor & trailer at the half-way point which will pick up the children and stragglers. In my view (having bruised a tendon on one walk) this is definitely something to check for. Also good fun. From Hest Bank to Flookburgh or Grange-over-Sands is approx 9 miles.

2. Appropriate clothes and footwear - wet, salty sand is a bit clagging and will test flimsy footwear and suck at flip-flops. In some stretches the sand is quite firm and ridged however, and can be tough on soft bare feet. Either an old pair of stout (or plastic strapped) comfy shoes, or wellies that you can remove for the wading across channel/s would be my best answer. You will have to wade in over your knees, so shorts or a skirt / dress you can lift out of the way - or a long T-shirt and robust undies that will cover you decently if you remove your trousers for the crossing.

3. Food and drink. There are no shops in the bay. (Though there are at each end of the walk).

4. Sun-tan lotion / sunshade / sunhat / sunglasses. For when it's sunny. There is no shade in the bay.

5. To get home. Most organised walks will book return transport and this is worth checking out.
Alternatively go to our travel page for bus and rail timetable links.


More baywalk info Contact Alan Sledmore
tel: 01524 824693 or
email: Baywalk@btinternet.com
Details of forthcoming walks can also be obtained
See also
www.arnside-online.co.uk/crossbay.htm

NO cross-bay activity should be undertaken
without the direct supervision of
a qualified guide.