Everyone’s Asking… When Will Victoria Road Squirrel Reserve Fully Reopen? Here’s what’s happening…

4 days ago
2 min read

Victoria Road Squirrel Reserve Begins Trial Reopening Ahead of Full Return.

The Victoria Road squirrel reserve in Formby has officially entered a trial reopening phase, marking the long awaited return of one of the area’s most popular tourist destinations.

After being closed since May 2025, the National Trust has confirmed that the site is now opening on a temporary basis, with the new Victoria Road car park operating through a series of trial openings over recent weeks.

There is currently no confirmed full reopening date. Instead, the reserve will continue with these controlled trial periods until everything is fully ready, at which point it will move towards remaining open permanently.

This phased approach allows the National Trust to safely manage visitor access while final work is completed on site.

At present, facilities remain limited, with the toilet block still under construction, meaning the site is not yet operating at full capacity.

The careful reopening follows a major conservation project which has seen large scale improvements across the area, including the removal of significant amounts of rubble from the beach and surrounding landscape.

Ten Disabled Parking Spaces available in the new car park

While the transformation is already clear, the focus now is on ensuring the reserve can reopen in a way that protects both visitors and the fragile природ environment it supports.

For visitors, this means access may vary during this period, with trial openings continuing until the site is ready to fully reopen on a permanent basis.

After nearly a year of closure, the gradual return of Victoria Road signals an important step forward, with a full reopening now firmly on the horizon

National Trust Formby:

This conservation project is part of our long term commitment to look after this very special part of the Sefton Coast and promises significant benefits for both people and wildlife. The project involves removing the existing beach car park and tonnes of associated construction rubble. Most of the unsightly rubble is being processed on-site and repurposed to create the sub-base for a replacement, similar sized and more sustainable car park further inland.

Alternative Parking: Use Lifeboat Road car park (L37 2EB), which remains open but has limited space.