Crosby Beach

A hundred iron figures facing the sea

Crosby Beach is a wide stretch of sand about six miles north of Liverpool city centre, and it would be an unremarkable Merseyside beach were it not for Antony Gormley’s Another Place: 100 cast-iron figures, each a body cast of the artist himself, standing scattered across three kilometres of sand and tidal flats, all facing out towards the Irish Sea. Installed permanently in 2007 after a run as a temporary exhibit, the figures have become one of the most photographed pieces of public art in the country, and the beach itself is free to visit at any time, with no ticket, no gate and no opening hours.

Getting here from Liverpool

The easiest route is Merseyrail’s Northern Line to Blundellsands & Crosby station, roughly 15-20 minutes from Liverpool Central or Moorfields, with trains running every 15-20 minutes through the day. From the station it’s about a 10-15 minute walk down to the beach itself, well signposted with “Another Place” markers. Driving is straightforward too, with a car park at Mariners Road (Crosby Beach car park) a short walk from the nearest figures — useful if you’re combining the trip with Formby or New Brighton further along the coast, since public transport between the coastal towns themselves is patchier than routes back into the city. Visitors without a car can also see a good stretch of this coastline from the water on a Mersey river cruise departing from Pier Head, though it doesn’t stop directly at Crosby.

Tides matter more than anything else

This is the one thing to get right before visiting: the figures stand across the full tidal range, so at high tide many are submerged or nearly so, while at low tide you can walk out among dozens of them on firm sand. Check tide tables for Liverpool or Crosby before travelling, and aim to arrive on a falling tide for the best combination of accessible sand and interesting reflections in the wet shoreline. The sand near the water can be soft and occasionally boggy in patches — locals know to avoid pushing too far out towards the incoming tide, and warning signs along the beach exist for a reason; a handful of visitors get caught out by fast-moving water every year.

Photography and light

Crosby Beach’s real appeal is visual: the figures rust and weather differently depending on how exposed they are to sand, salt and tide, so no two look quite alike, and the flat expanse of beach and sky gives dramatic light at both ends of the day. Sunrise tends to be quieter, since most visitors come in the afternoon or at sunset, when the low sun silhouettes the figures against the water. On clear days you can see across the Mersey estuary towards the Wirral and, on the best days, as far as the Welsh hills.

What else is nearby

Crosby itself is a quiet residential seaside suburb with a modest high street of cafes and independent shops around Crosby Village, a short bus ride or 20-minute walk from the beach — not a destination in its own right, but a reasonable stop for a coffee or lunch before or after. The beach connects loosely to a longer stretch of Sefton coastline running north towards Formby, which has its own red squirrel woodland and dunes, making a combined half-day trip realistic for visitors with a car, though the two aren’t within easy walking distance of each other.

Combining it with a Liverpool visit

Because it’s free and quick, Crosby Beach works well as an add-on to a longer Liverpool stay rather than a dedicated day trip — a couple of hours in the morning before heading back into the city centre for the afternoon, or an easy way to see something genuinely different from the museums and waterfront around Royal Albert Dock. Visitors doing a broader Merseyside coast day combining Crosby, Formby and New Brighton should budget a full day and ideally have a car, since rail connections between the three run back through central Liverpool rather than directly between them. First-timers wanting a broader orientation to the city before or after visiting the coast sometimes add a hop-on hop-off bus tour of central Liverpool to the same day.

The story behind Another Place

Antony Gormley, one of Britain’s best-known contemporary sculptors and the artist behind the Angel of the North, cast Another Place from moulds of his own body in 1997, originally installing versions of the work at sites in Germany, Norway and Belgium before Sefton Council secured a permanent home for the full 100-figure set at Crosby in 2005, with the installation formally made permanent in 2007 after a local campaign and a period of public consultation that wasn’t entirely smooth — some residents initially objected on safety and navigational grounds, since the figures sit within an active tidal beach used by walkers and, historically, by small craft. The debate has long since settled, and the work is now one of Merseyside’s most recognisable cultural exports, referenced in tourism material well beyond the region.

Unlike a gallery piece, Another Place changes constantly: the figures corrode and grow their own patina of rust, barnacles and seaweed the longer they stand in salt water, so a figure near the low-tide line looks markedly different from one further up the beach that rarely gets fully submerged. Gormley has spoken about this as intentional — the work is meant to register the passage of time and the erosive power of the sea, not stay fixed as a static monument. Photographers who return across seasons often note how the same figure looks unrecognisable a year or two apart.

Seasonal considerations

Crosby Beach is open and free year-round, and each season gives a genuinely different experience. Summer brings the longest daylight and the busiest weekends, with families and dog walkers spreading further along the sand; the figures nearest the car park get the most foot traffic, so a walk of 15-20 minutes further along the beach usually finds noticeably quieter stretches. Winter visits are colder and windier — this stretch of coast is fully exposed to the Irish Sea with no windbreak — but the low winter sun gives some of the most dramatic photography light of the year, particularly on clear, cold afternoons. Spring and autumn split the difference, with generally manageable crowds and reasonable weather more often than not, allowing for the region’s typically unpredictable forecasts.

Accessibility and practical notes

The beach itself is flat, wide sand, which makes it relatively accessible by beach standards, though soft or wet patches nearer the tideline can be difficult for wheelchairs or pushchairs — the firmer sand tends to be higher up the beach, further from the best-known figure clusters. There’s a paved promenade running along the top of the beach for a good stretch, giving reasonable views of the nearer figures without needing to walk on sand at all, a good option for visitors with mobility considerations. There are no facilities directly on the beach itself — no cafe, no toilets at the water’s edge — so plan around Crosby village, which has a modest but adequate cluster of cafes and a supermarket, or bring what you need for a longer visit. Dogs are allowed off-lead across most of the beach and it’s a well-used local dog-walking spot outside of peak visitor hours, particularly early mornings.

The beach is fully exposed with no shade, so on the rare hot day sun protection is worth carrying, and on a typical Merseyside day a windproof layer matters more than sunscreen — this coastline catches wind off the Irish Sea with little to break it, and it can feel considerably colder here than a few miles inland in the city centre. Parking at the main Mariners Road car park fills on sunny weekends and bank holidays, so an early or late visit avoids both the crowds and the parking search.

Frequently asked questions about Crosby Beach

Is Crosby Beach free to visit?

Yes, there’s no ticket or gate — the beach and Another Place installation are accessible at any time, free of charge.

What is the best time to see Another Place at Crosby Beach?

Low tide gives the best access to walk among the figures on firm sand; sunrise and sunset give the most dramatic light, with sunset generally quieter than the busier midday-to-afternoon window.

How do I get to Crosby Beach from Liverpool without a car?

Merseyrail’s Northern Line runs to Blundellsands & Crosby station in roughly 15-20 minutes from central Liverpool, followed by a 10-15 minute walk down to the beach.

Is it safe to walk out to the Antony Gormley statues?

On a falling or low tide with firm sand it’s generally safe, but the tide comes in quickly across this flat beach and soft, boggy patches exist — check tide times before venturing far out and heed any posted warning signs.

Can you combine Crosby Beach with other Merseyside coast stops?

Yes, particularly Formby’s pinewoods and dunes further north, though each stop is a separate dedicated visit rather than an easy walking route between them — a car makes stringing two or more together in a day considerably easier.