Antony Gormley's Another Place has been at Crosby Beach since 2005. One hundred cast-iron figures, each a cast of the artist's own body, spread across nearly two miles of beach and out into the sea. They've been there so long that locals barely notice them. They're worth noticing.
I drove past the signs for Crosby Beach hundreds of times before I actually stopped. When I finally went: properly, at low tide, early morning, with decent light: I understood why people travel specifically to see them. The figures are eerie in the best possible way. Covered in barnacles, stained by salt and rust, staring out at the Irish Sea. There's nothing quite like it.
Combined with a morning at Formby Beach or the pinewoods, it makes a genuinely brilliant full day on the Sefton Coast. Here's how to do it.
What are the Iron Men?
Another Place by Antony Gormley. 100 cast-iron figures, each based on the artist's own body. They were originally displayed in Germany, Belgium and Norway before being permanently installed at Crosby Beach in 2005. The figures face west toward the sea, spread across roughly 3km of beach and up to 1km out to sea.
At high tide, some figures are completely submerged. At low tide, you can walk among them. The further out you go, the more weathered and encrusted they are: covered in mussels, barnacles, and decades of salt.
When to Visit: Why Tide Timing Matters
This is the thing most people don't check before they go, and it makes a significant difference. At high tide, most of the figures are submerged or standing in water: you can see them from the shore but you can't walk among them. At low tide, the beach is vast and you can walk out to figures that are normally at sea level.
Check the tide times before you go. Aim to arrive 1–2 hours before low tide: you'll have the beach at its widest and the figures most accessible. The difference between high and low tide at Crosby is dramatic. I've been there at both and they're genuinely different experiences.
Also worth knowing: the light matters. The figures look extraordinary in low winter light, especially late afternoon when the sun catches the rust. Overcast days are actually great: the grey sky against the weathered iron is properly atmospheric. Bright flat summer sunshine is probably the least dramatic option.
Getting There from Formby
Crosby Beach / Another Place
Mariners Road, Crosby, L23 6SX
From Formby by car
20–25 mins south via A565. Free parking on Mariners Road or in the Crosby Coastal Park car park nearby.
From Liverpool by car
20–25 mins north via A565 through Crosby village. Easy direct route.
From Liverpool by train
Merseyrail to Blundellsands & Crosby station, then 15-min walk to the beach.
Combined Formby & Crosby day
Start at Formby (beach/squirrels, morning), drive south to Crosby for afternoon. Works well with tide timing.
Parking is free
Parking at Crosby Beach is free: unlike Formby where you're paying for the NT car park. Street parking on Mariners Road, or the dedicated car park off Hall Road. Neither is especially large so arrive before 10am on a sunny weekend.
The Suggested Sefton Coast Day
If you're coming from Liverpool or Manchester and want to make a proper day of it, here's how I'd combine Formby and Crosby. Work backwards from the tide times at Crosby.
Formby Pinewoods: red squirrel trail
Start here while the light is good and before the car park fills. Walk the squirrel trail, then through the dunes to the beach.
Formby Beach
Wide sand, sea, dunes. Bring a flask. Kids can be here for hours. Find a quiet spot away from the main path access.
Lunch: village or NT café
Drive into Formby village for a proper lunch at Emily's or The Sparrowhawk, or grab something at the NT café if you want to keep moving.
Crosby Beach: the Iron Men
Aim to arrive 1–2 hours before low tide. Walk south from the car park to find the first figures: then keep walking. The ones further out are covered in barnacles and far more dramatic.
What to Bring and Expect
Wellies or waterproof boots
The sand near the tide line is wet. Trainers will be soaked.
Check tide times
Crosby Beach Tides: search before you leave home.
Camera
The figures are genuinely photogenic in interesting light. Go for it.
Dogs welcome
Dogs are allowed on Crosby Beach year-round. No seasonal restrictions.
No café on the beach
Bring a flask. The nearest café is back in Crosby village.
Allow 1–1.5 hours
Walk out, find figures in the water at low tide, walk back. Don't rush it.
Don't climb on the figures
They're cast iron and bolted to the sand, so they're structurally fine: but people climbing on them has damaged them over the years. Sefton Council (who manage the site) ask visitors not to climb them. Look, photograph, walk among them. That's what they're for.
Planning your Formby day out?
Beach guide, parking, pinewoods and things to do: everything in one place.
