The Mythic Coast Art of Cleveleys Beach: A Coastal Walk from Rossall Beach

Standing on the sweeping promenade at Cleveleys as a fresh Irish Sea breeze sweeps across the Fylde Coast is an experience that instantly clears your head.

Just a few miles south, the bright lights and bustling energy of Blackpool dominate the coastline, but up here on the stretch running through Cleveleys and along Rossall Beach, the atmosphere shifts completely.

The horizon opens up into vast, unobstructed skies, the air tastes heavily of salt, and the tide reveals wide, dramatic sands that stretch out toward the Wyre estuary.

Whether I’m out early to catch the quiet morning light or walking with my dogs, Malc and Pete, as the sun dips low over the water, this coastline has become one of my favourite Lancashire coastal strides.

What makes it truly special, though, is how a major coastal defense project was transformed into The Mythic Coast—a remarkable open-air art trail that weaves local folklore, children’s literature, and maritime sculpture directly into the beach.

Rossall Beach: Golden Hours and Wide Horizons

Before you even reach the main sculptures, the northern stretch along Rossall Beach sets the tone for the entire walk.

Unlike the concrete stepped defenses further south, Rossall Beach features a rugged, natural shingle bank that gives way to expansive sands as the tide recedes.

For dog walking, it is pure freedom.

Malc and Pete love the wide-open space here, where they can run against the sea breeze while you take in panoramic views that, on a clear day, stretch right across Morecambe Bay to the distant peaks of the Lake District fells.

If you can time your visit for dusk, Rossall Beach delivers some of the most dramatic sunsets in the North West.

As the sun sinks toward the Irish Sea horizon, the sky lights up in brilliant fiery oranges, pinks, and deep purples, reflecting off the wet sand and casting long, striking silhouettes against the coastal defenses.

It’s equally atmospheric at sunrise, when the coast is dead quiet, save for the sound of calling seabirds and the gentle rhythmic pull of the tide.

The Origin: Where Sea Defenses Meet Local Folklore

One of the things I love about travel blogging across the UK is coming across places where civic engineering is turned into something genuinely artistic.

For decades, Cleveleys faced the unrelenting force of Irish Sea storms.

When the local council undertook a massive project to build modern sea defenses to protect the town, they made a brilliant decision: rather than installing cold, functional concrete slabs, they decided to tell a story.

Artist Stephen Broadbent collaborated with author Alan Denton to create The Sea Swallow—a custom storybook rooted in Lancashire coastal myths.

The book tells a tale of giants, sea ogres, mythic coastal creatures, and the brave local characters who saved the village from the ocean’s fury.

Walking south along the beach from Rossall today, those storybook pages come to life in massive scale.

Carved poetry winds its way into the concrete sea wall, bronze sea-chests sit embedded in the paving, and monumental steel sculptures stand guard against the waves.

The Complete Trail: Heading South from Rossall to the Blackpool Boundary

Dropping down onto the beach near the Rossall stretch at low tide allows you to track the complete art trail sequentially as you head south toward the town center and beyond.

1. Into the Waves: Mary’s Shell

As you transition from Rossall Beach onto the northern end of Cleveleys’ stepped promenade (opposite Jubilee Gardens), the first monumental sculpture you encounter on the sand is Mary’s Shell.

Weighing an incredible 16 tonnes, this colossal rusted stainless steel shell looks as if it washed ashore from a mythological sea.

What makes Mary’s Shell so remarkable is its interaction with the sea and light.

At low tide, you can walk right up across the sand, step inside its hollow interior, and read the words carved into its inner walls.

At sunset, the low evening light shines directly through the rusted iron ribs, creating an extraordinary sight for photography.

At high tide, the sea sweeps back over the beach, completely swallowing the shell until only its top curved crest breaks through the crashing foam.

2. The Sleeping Giant: The Ogre

Looking seaward directly from Mary’s Shell toward the end of the neighboring stone breakwater groyne, you’ll spot The Ogre.

Carved from a single 15-tonne block of limestone, this monstrous stone face peers out from the sand, looking across the beach directly toward Mary’s Shell as if watching over it.

The sea sweeps over the Ogre twice a day, gathering sea kelp and barnacles that add to its eerie, mythic character as the water recedes.

3. The Ogre’s Oar (The Giant Paddle)

Stepping up off the sand onto the upper promenade deck directly above Mary’s Shell, you come face-to-face with The Ogre’s Paddle.

Measuring an impressive 9 meters long and carved from purpleheart hardwood, this massive timber sculpture looks as if it washed ashore after the Ogre lost his grip while stirring up sea storms.

The paddle is inscribed with text from The Sea Swallow book and serves as a fantastic spot to rest and take in views across the beach.

4. The Sea Chest and Story Steps

Continuing south along the lower promenade deck toward the central sea defenses, keep your eyes on the ground details. Embedded into the sea wall paving is a heavy bronze Sea-Chest, looking like forgotten pirate treasure resting on the stone.

Surrounding it are the “Story Steps”—grand concrete seating terraces where verses from The Sea Swallow book are carved in large lettering, inviting walkers to sit, read the poetry, and look out over the waves.

5. The Soaring Beacon: The Sea Swallow

Reaching the top of Victoria Road where it meets the seafront, you reach The Sea Swallow.

Looming 30 feet above the promenade, this striking white steel sculpture mimics the graceful, swooping flight of birds over the coastline.

It catches the coastal light dramatically against a blue sky or a stormy Lancashire cloudscape, serving as a magnificent visual anchor for the entire seafront.

6. The Lost Sailors Monument (Shipwreck Memorial)

Finishing your southbound stride at the southern boundary where Cleveleys meets Blackpool (opposite Kingsway) stands the Shipwreck Memorial.

Constructed from 4.5-meter-tall weathering CORTEN steel, this striking “wall of words” serves as a poignant monument to every recorded ship lost off the Fylde Coast between 1643 and 2008—from Civil War sailing vessels to the Riverdance ferry that ran aground here in 2008.

A circular aperture carved into the rusted metal frames a photographic view right along the coast.

Timing Your Visit: Tides and Photographers’ Light

If you are planning a photography trip or a dog walk to explore Rossall Beach and the Mythic Coast, timing makes all the difference:

For the Sculptures: Aim for low tide or mid-ebb tide. Arriving an hour or two before low water ensures that both Mary’s Shell and The Ogre are completely uncovered by the receding waves, giving you plenty of time to explore the beach safely.

For the Sunsets: Arrive about 45 minutes before sunset at Rossall Beach. You can catch the changing light across the shingle and water before walking down to shoot Mary’s Shell framed against the glowing evening sky.

🧭 Explore More Along the Fylde Coast

If you are planning a longer coastal trip around the Lancashire coast, here are some of our favorite nearby walks and hidden spots to add to your itinerary:

Heading North: Rossall Point Tower & Fleetwood Seafront Walk – Take in panoramic views across Morecambe Bay towards the Lake District fells from the iconic observation tower.

Sheltered Inland Trails: Wyre Estuary Country Park Walks – Peaceful, tree-lined riverside paths along the Wyre, ideal when the sea winds on the beach are gusting too hard.

Heading South: St Annes Sand Dunes & Nature Reserve – Explore wide, sandy trails weaving through protected coastal dune habitats rich in wild flora and birdlife.

Historic Coastal Heritage: The Lytham Windmill & Green Walk – A gentle, scenic stroll along the Ribble Estuary featuring Lytham’s iconic 1800s landmark.