| Pilling Sands | |
| Map: | Lancashire # United Kingdom Morecambe Bay # United Kingdom Borough of Wyre # England |
| Relief: | y |
| Country: | England |
| District: | Wyre, Lancashire |
| City: | Pilling |
| Coordinates: | 53.95°N -2.92°W |
Pilling Sands is a tidal marsh in the Borough of Wyre, Lancashire, England. Named after the village of Pilling, located on the Fylde coast immediately to the south,[1] it forms part of the southern edge of Morecambe Bay.[2] Cockerham Sands adjoins it to the east.
The 134miles-long Lancashire Coastal Way runs beside the sands. This section is closed from 26 December to Good Friday to protect lambs and birdlife.[3] Rare birds for Lancashire that have been spotted near the sands include lesser yellowlegs and hoopoe.[4]
In 2022, the North West Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority found that the Pilling Sands cockle fishery was, in a Habitats Regulations Assessment, in non-compliance of the North West Sea Fisheries Commission byelaw 13A, and was subsequently closed temporarily.[5] Closure notices are active until two consecutive samples return normal levels of bacteriological quality for the production area.[6]
Horse racing regularly took place on the sands in the 19th century.[7]