Foulney Island

Foulney Island lies in Morecambe Bay, a low grass and shingle island one mile south-east of Roa Island. It is one of the Islands of Furness and measures about forty acres. The island has no permanent residents and sits no higher than ten feet above high tide. A shingle and rock causeway built in Victorian times links it to the mainland. At the highest tides much of the island disappears beneath the water. The island is a bird sanctuary and part of the South Walney & Piel Channel Flats Site of Special Scientific Interest. Since 1974 the Cumbria Wildlife Trust has managed the island, protecting nesting areas during the summer months. Arctic terns breed here, the only site in north-west England for this species. Other birds include little terns, roseate terns, common scoters and Eurasian oystercatchers. Visitors reach the island by walking the mile-long causeway. Dogs are not allowed and nesting grounds must be avoided in the breeding season. The surrounding waters attract fishermen and windsurfers, while the shoreline draws cockle and mussel pickers. The area remains a quiet refuge for wildlife despite growing human activity.