Dee Estuary: Looking down onto the beach and estuary from the cliffs at Thurstaston Country Park
In Wirral we are fortunate to have on our doorstep one of the best footpath networks in the country. Wirral’s paths, bridleways and cycleways give easy, free access to a unique mix of rural and suburban landscapes. Even those living in the centre of towns like Birkenhead, Bebington or Wallasey are seldom more than a few miles from open country. Where else can you enjoy a walk through woods, over farmland and lowland heath, and along tidal marshes and sandy beaches — and all within a few mile from Liverpool or Chester?
Seashore and heathland
Wirral has one of the best and most popular networks of public footpaths and other rights of way in the UK. These paths will take you through the best of Wirral’s varied and historic landscapes. Here you can enjoy quiet field paths and extensive views from the sandstone ridge; walk across miles of open sands at low tide, or watch seals from a windswept island whose history dates back more than 1200 years.
In particular, there are short circular walks in the North Wirral Coastal Park and Thurstaston Country Park, plus Caldy and Hoylake walks, West Kirby walks, Arrowe Park and Irby walks, Heswall Dales and Dungeon walks, Landican and Storeton walks, Brimstage and Thornton Hough walks, Parkgate walks, Neston walks, Willaston walks, and Shotwick and Puddington walks.
Books that will take you on some of the finest short circular walks on Wirral include:
Circular Walks in Wirral, by Carl Rogers, Northern Eye Books, 2019
Short Walks from Wirral Villages, by Carl Rogers, Northern Eye Books, 2018
Walks in West Cheshire and Wirral, by Jen Darling, Northern Eye Books, 2007
Walks in Mysterious Cheshire and Wirral, by Tony Bowerman, Northern Eye Books, 2016