Area Of Operation
The Bay Search and Rescue Team is based in Flookburgh, at the bottom of Moor Lane (opposite West Plain Farm) where we have a central access point to any part of the Morecambe Bay and South Lake District.
Information about Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310km2. Towns on and near to the bay include Barrow-in-Furness, Ulverston, Grange-Over-Sands, Kendal, Arnside, Morecambe, Fleetwood and Heysham. There have been royally appointed local guides for crossing the bay for centuries. The current Queens guide is Cedric Robinson.
For long periods the Bay is without water. A barren wilderness of sand and mud, it can be stunningly beautiful on a clear day, and offers a tempting looking walk to those who know no better.
However during bad weather winds can rip across
the 120 square miles of Morecambe Bay. The tidal
bore roars in faster than a galloping horse,
preceded by surging water that fills gullies
and channels left by the
last ebbing tide.
Anyone caught out on the sands can be cut off in seconds, quicksands can suck the unwary into an unbreakable grip. Men, women, children, horses, carts, cars and tractors have all disappeared over the years
Rescue operations are as dangerous as the ever shifting sands themselves. For hundreds of years local heroes have struggled to free those trapped by the sands.All too often their efforts have been in vain.
Most treat the Sands with the respect they deserve, but there are always going to be a few who find themselves in difficulties.
When this happens Bay Search & Rescue aims to reach the main danger areas in the Bay area quickly using an all terrain, amphibious Hagglund tracked vehicle. This can go where rescue boats can’t, transporting personnel with the skills and specialist equipment to help in any emergencies.
See our links page for useful information about the bay, the weather and the tides.
