Save this one for your next Dote day

Walk through the dunes at Ainsdale, part of the biggest stretch of sand dunes in England, then out onto the beach for the long stretch back towards Southport or on to Formby.

Why it's a good date: Wild, windswept and nearly always quiet once you're a few minutes from the car park. The dunes are home to natterjack toads and sand lizards, so keep dogs out of the pools and the fenced areas, and from 1 May to 30 September the beach is dog-free for 200 metres either side of the main entrance.