Nature reserve
Dog walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve
Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in West Lancashire, mostly woodland, 8.4 km from the middle of Ormskirk. 16 walks in the app lie mostly in it. 7 of 16 are under 3 km and 3 are loops.
See every dog walk near Ormskirk, or across Lancashire.
Three walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve
From the 16 walks that lie mostly in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, those that start nearest its middle: a 2.1 km loop, a 7.8 km there and back and a 5.0 km one-way walk.
Where these go is in the app
Create an account- Rufford loop2.1 km · 35 min · A loop
- Rufford and back7.8 km · 133 min · There and back
- Burscough to Mawdesley5.0 km · 86 min · One way
The land and what it asks of a dog
- Site of Special Scientific InterestMere Sands Wood SSSINatural England designations
- Open by permission, not by right27 hectares of the woodlandWoods For All (Forestry Commission)
- Open by right3 hectares of the woodland
West Lancashire council has a dog control order we cannot yet place on the map, so it may apply here. Signs on the ground may say more.
What the walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve are like
Every share is of the 16 walks that lie mostly in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, with Ormskirk as a whole marked on each bar.
How far they go
3 to 5 km: 5 of 16 walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, against 22% near Ormskirk.
Where the walks fall by length. The five bars add up to the whole, give or take the rounding.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Ormskirk |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 km | 7 of 16 | 42% |
| 3 to 5 km | 5 of 16 | 22% |
| 5 to 8 km | 4 of 16 | 17% |
| 8 to 12 km | 0 of 16 | 9% |
| Over 12 km | 0 of 16 | 7% |
What shape they are
One way, ending somewhere else: 7 of 16 walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, against 24% near Ormskirk.
A loop brings you back without repeating a step. There and back retraces the way out.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Ormskirk |
|---|---|---|
| A loop | 3 of 16 | 21% |
| There and back the same way | 6 of 16 | 53% |
| One way, ending somewhere else | 7 of 16 | 24% |
What is beside the path
Through a park or green space for a third or more: 11 of 16 walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, against under 1% near Ormskirk.
Shares of walks where the ground beside the path is a given kind for the stated part of the way.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Ormskirk |
|---|---|---|
| Under trees for a third or more of the way | 11 of 16 | 7% |
| Beside water for a tenth or more | 14 of 16 | 56% |
| On open access land for a third or more | 0 of 16 | <1% |
| Through a park or green space for a third or more | 11 of 16 | <1% |
| Off road for four fifths or more | 6 of 16 | 7% |
| On roads or lanes for half or more | 5 of 16 | 77% |
| Through built-up streets for half or more | 0 of 16 | 4% |
What might stop you
No busy road to cross: 8 of 16 walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, against 66% near Ormskirk.
Shares of walks with none of each thing on the way. A road counts when it runs within about fifteen metres of the path.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Ormskirk |
|---|---|---|
| Never beside a fast road | 16 of 16 | 86% |
| Never beside a busy road | 8 of 16 | 62% |
| No busy road to cross | 8 of 16 | 66% |
| No stile, gate or cattle grid | 16 of 16 | 85% |
| No steps | 16 of 16 | 88% |
What is on the way
Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road: 7 of 16 walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, against 92% near Ormskirk.
Shares of walks that start by, or pass, each of these.
| Walks that | Share of walks measured | Ormskirk |
|---|---|---|
| Start where you can park, at a car park or on a minor road | 7 of 16 | 92% |
| Pass a pub | 5 of 16 | 20% |
| Pass a dog-waste bin | 0 of 16 | 19% |
| Pass a public toilet | 6 of 16 | 7% |
| Pass a drinking-water tap | 0 of 16 | <1% |
| Pass a busy beauty spot | 0 of 16 | 18% |
Measured on 20 October 2026 from the map. How these figures are made
Walks in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve, for your dog
If you live in Lancashire, it is your home county, and every walk in it is free, for good. Tell the app what your dog finds hard and it shows you walks that suit, with anything that might stop you shown first.
Anywhere in Great Britain, even with no signal.
Further is the Trekosa subscription. 11 of its 16 walks run under trees for a third of the way or more. It brings the Further map, 1:25,000, with contours, field walls and every right of way, while you have signal. Press Offline on a walk in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve before you set off and its map stays on your phone until you remove it, for when the signal drops among the trees. Drift off the path and the phone buzzes. It also opens walks beyond your home county, if Lancashire is not yours.
The first 250 households have it for good. After that, £4.99 a month or £34.99 a year.
Questions people ask
- Do dogs need a lead in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve?
- West Lancashire has a dog order we cannot yet place, so it may apply here, read on 1 October 2026.
- How many dog walks are there in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve?
- 16 walks in the Trekosa app lie mostly in Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve.
Getting there
1 car park and 1 public toilet within Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve or at its edge, from OpenStreetMap.