Hundreds gather on Formby Beach for a magical evening watching the Solar Eclipse of 2026

What a fantastic night it was on Formby Beach this evening, as hundreds of people headed down to the coast to experience a spectacular solar eclipse together.

Families, children, couples and groups of friends spread out across the beach and dunes, creating a wonderful atmosphere as everyone waited for the Moon to move across the Sun.

The eclipse began at around 6.13pm, reaching its maximum at approximately 7.10pm, before coming to an end shortly after 8pm.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/fc350e_585c458c1a0c4a8d9089d7720870c724/file

As the eclipse approached its maximum, the light noticeably changed across Formby Beach. It did become darker, although certainly not completely dark, giving the beach and surrounding landscape a really unusual and beautiful evening light.

But the magic of tonight was not simply about how dark it became.

There was something very special about seeing hundreds of people gathered together on Formby’s beautiful coastline, all looking towards the sky and sharing the same extraordinary experience.

• 

• 

• 

Children were watching through eclipse glasses and homemade viewers, people were taking photographs and there was a genuine sense of excitement as the eclipse reached its peak.

And Formby Beach could hardly have provided a better setting.

With its huge open view towards the western horizon, it was a wonderful place to watch the eclipse unfold as the Sun became lower in the evening sky.

So when is the next one?

There will be another partial solar eclipse visible from the UK on 2 August 2027, although it will not be as dramatic from Formby as the eclipse we experienced tonight.

For something much closer to a total eclipse, there is a considerably longer wait. An eclipse in September 2081 is expected to obscure as much as 99 per cent of the Sun in some parts of Britain.

And incredibly, the next total solar eclipse visible from the UK will not happen until 23 September 2090.

That makes tonight’s gathering on Formby Beach feel just that little bit more special.

A beautiful eclipse, hundreds of people enjoying themselves and a fantastic atmosphere on one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the country.

What a wonderful summer evening to remember in Formby. 🌒❤️

If you were on the beach tonight, we would love to see your photographs of the eclipse and the fantastic crowds who turned out to watch it.