Safety on the sands
How location tracking, the indicative route and the crossing briefing work together.
Planning aid, not a safety clearance. Check the official tide table, Dee Lane board and conditions yourself. The route line was validated with a GPS walk, but the map is not surveyed or ranger-approved.
Show where I am
Your phone's position, updated while the map stays open.
The sands have no paths or signs. The map shows your phone's reported position as a moving blue dot. GPS can be inaccurate on the sands.
- Open the map — it's on the home page, the forecast and the tracker.
- Tap "Show where I am" and allow location access when your phone asks.
- Watch your dot — a "Live GPS tracking" badge confirms it's working.
- Read the line under the map — green when you're near the drawn route, red when you stray off it.
- "You're near the indicative line" — check your surroundings before continuing.
- "You're about 85 m from the indicative line" — check your position and surroundings; do not follow the line blindly.
Your location is only used to draw your dot on your own screen. It isn't sent to us or stored, and it stops the moment you close the page. See the privacy policy.
The indicative route
Where the map points you — and where not to cut across.
The drawn route was validated with a GPS walk across the sands, but has not been checked by local rangers. Walking straight to Hilbre looks shortest on a map. It isn't: the direct line crosses soft sand, gullies and the Dee channel. The map draws the way to go — and the water to avoid.
- Green line — an indicative route, GPS-walked; not surveyed or ranger-approved. From Dee Lane slipway towards Little Eye, then via Middle Eye to Hilbre. Check the Council route advice and local conditions.
- Hatched red — deep water: the Hoylake gutter and the main Dee channel. Never cross these, on the way out or back.
- Red dashes — the direct line. Soft sand and gullies that will slow you down and soak you. Don't take it.
Layer on the rain radar (animated) and live wind arrows from the map menu, and you can read the weather over the sands before you set foot on them.
Crossing plan & weather note
Calculated times and a separate AI weather concern.
Tides, two forecasts, spring tides and onshore gusts are a lot to weigh up. Choose a planned departure time. The app calculates crossing status and tide times from its rules. AI only identifies a weather concern from the Met Office and Open-Meteo forecasts; it never sets the status or times.
- A rules-based planning status. Whether your chosen time falls within the calculated window — not a guarantee of safety.
- The times that matter. When to set off, when you must leave Hilbre by, and when high water closes the route.
- The risks. The app flags gusts and poor visibility; AI identifies one weather concern. Check both forecasts yourself.
Each browser gets 3 free briefings a day, counted in your browser's own storage (no ID or IP tracking). It's a decision aid, not a replacement for checking the official tide table and weather forecast yourself — always do both before you cross.
Before you go
Check conditions and have a plan if the tide catches you.
The tools help you decide — these rules keep you alive. Check the crossing windows before you leave, and start a session on the tracker when you set off so your leave-by time is always on screen.