Heysham Head is one of the most atmospheric headlands on the Lancashire coast — ancient rock-cut Viking graves, a Saxon chapel, sea views across Morecambe Bay to the Lakeland fells, and a coastal path that ends at the Midland Hotel's famous sun terrace. This is genuinely one of the best short walks in Lancashire.
The Walk: Heysham village to Midland Hotel coastal path · Easy · 2.5 miles · Some headland path
Start at Heysham village (park near St Peter's Church, free). Walk through the village, past the Viking graves cut into the sandstone rock of the headland — one of the most unusual historical sites in the north-west — and out onto the headland path. The views from the top across Morecambe Bay are the payoff: on a clear day you can see the full arc of the bay from Blackpool to Barrow, with the Lakeland fells behind.
From the headland, the path drops down to the beach and continues north along the coast towards Morecambe. After about a mile of coastal walking you'll see the distinctive white art deco Midland Hotel on the promenade ahead.
The Midland Hotel is the architectural centrepiece of Morecambe's promenade — a 1933 art deco masterpiece, recently restored to its original glory. The sun terrace faces directly west over the bay. It's one of the best sunset-watching spots in northern England: on a clear evening the sun drops directly into Morecambe Bay with the Cumbrian mountains silhouetted behind. Treat yourself to afternoon tea on the terrace and stay for the sunset.
💡 The Midland Hotel terrace faces west (270°) — it's at its best from about 3pm onwards when the sun swings round over the bay. Check the Golden Pints tracker for current sun conditions before you set off.
Heysham Village — Worth the Detour
Heysham village is one of the most undervisited places in Lancashire. The St Patrick's Chapel ruins on the headland date to the 8th century. The rock-cut Viking graves are visible right next to the church path. Allow an extra 20–30 minutes at the village end of the walk to explore properly — it's worth it.
The walk works as a linear route (park at Heysham, finish at the Midland, bus back — Morecambe has good bus connections back to Heysham) or as an out-and-back from either end.
More Morecambe Bay Beer Gardens
The Midland Hotel is one of several west-facing beer gardens across the Morecambe Bay area that catch spectacular afternoon and evening sun. For the bay-facing beer gardens with live sun tracking where verified — see the Golden Pints tracker →