Wirral Country Park - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Wirral Country Park is a country park

Country park

A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...

on the Wirral Peninsula

Wirral Peninsula

Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, lying both in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral

Metropolitan Borough of Wirral

The Metropolitan Borough of Wirral is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, in North West England. It has a population of 311,200, and encompasses of the northern part of the Wirral Peninsula. Major settlements include Birkenhead, Wallasey, Bebington, Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby. The city of...

and the county of Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

. It was the first designated country park in Britain, opening in 1973.

The park is based around the Wirral Way (Ashton Park to Hadlow Road railway station

Hadlow Road railway station

Hadlow Road railway station was a station on the single track Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England...

) which follows the track bed of part of the former Birkenhead Railway

Birkenhead Railway

The Birkenhead Railway was formed on 1 August 1859 as a result of the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Railway merging with the Chester and Birkenhead Railway. The new company was originally called the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway, but in 1859 shortened its name to The...

route from West Kirby

West Kirby

West Kirby is a town on the north-west corner of the coast of the Wirral Peninsula, England, at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north-east of the town lies Hoylake, with the suburbs of Grange and Newton to the east, and the village of Caldy to the...

to Hooton

Hooton, Cheshire

Hooton is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England in the south of the Wirral Peninsula near Ellesmere Port.- History :...

. The old line, which closed in 1962, follows the estuary of the River Dee

River Dee, Wales

The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....

for 7 miles (11.3 km) between West Kirby and Parkgate

Parkgate, Cheshire

Parkgate is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, in the part that lies in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, in the North West of England...

, then heads across the south of the Wirral to Hooton.

There are two visitor centres along the Wirral Way; near the site of Thurstaston railway station

Thurstaston railway station

Thurstaston railway station was a station on the single track Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, England...

at Thurstaston

Thurstaston

Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral...

and at the preserved Hadlow Road railway station

Hadlow Road railway station

Hadlow Road railway station was a station on the single track Hooton to West Kirby branch of the Birkenhead Railway, on the Wirral Peninsula, Cheshire, England...

in Willaston.

History

Work began on the park in 1969, and the park was formally opened in 1973 by Lord Leverhulme

Viscount Leverhulme

Viscount Leverhulme, of the Western Isles in the Counties of Inverness and Ross and Cromarty, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom created in 1922 for the industrialist and philanthropist William Lever, 1st Baron Leverhulme...

. The park's creation followed a successful campaign by Captain Lawrence Beswick DSM which prompted the necessary investment from the Countryside Commission

Countryside Commission

The Countryside Commission was a statutory body in England and Wales, and later in England only...

.

Construction of the park required the removal of 30 miles (48.3 km) of rail track and accompanying sleepers, the digging and forming of drainage channels, leveling and consolidation of thousands of tons of gravel or ballast, and the removal of some brick built road bridges. Of the original railway line, little remains: the old station platform at Thurstaston, the preserved 1950s era railway station at Hadlow Road, Willaston, a number of bridges and the occasional railway incline signs which indicate a degree of climb or descent.

Wildlife

The park is home to badgers and foxes and to ten species of butterfly identified among the local wildlife. The estuary along which the park is located is home to populations of ragworm, lugworm

Lugworm

The lugworm or sandworm, Arenicola marina, is a large marine worm of the phylum Annelida. Its coiled castings are a familiar sight on a beach at low tide but the animal itself is rarely seen except by those who, from curiosity or to use as fishing bait, dig the worm out of the sand.When fully...

, and cockles which support various species of bird wildlife in the area, including Common Redshank

Common Redshank

The Common Redshank or simply Redshank is an Eurasian wader in the large family Scolopacidae.- Description and systematics :...

s, Common Shelduck

Common Shelduck

The Common Shelduck is a waterfowl species shelduck genus Tadorna. It is widespread and common in Eurasia, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering in subtropical regions; in winter, it can also be found in the Maghreb...

s, Northern Lapwing

Northern Lapwing

The Northern Lapwing , also known as the Peewit, Green Plover or just Lapwing, is a bird in the plover family. It is common through temperate Eurasia....

s, Skylark

Skylark

The Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...

s, Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

The Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis, is a small passerine bird which breeds in much of the northern half of Europe and also northwestern Asia, from southeastern Greenland and Iceland east to just east of the Ural Mountains in Russia, and south to central France and Romania; there is also an isolated...

s and terns

Tern

Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...

. During high spring tides visitors may also catch a glimpse of certain birds of prey such as Peregrines

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

, Hen Harrier

Hen Harrier

The Hen Harrier or Northern Harrier is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA, and in northern Eurasia. This species is polytypic, with two subspecies. Marsh Hawk is a historical name for the American form.It migrates...

s and the daytime hunting Short-eared Owl

Short-eared Owl

The Short-eared Owl is a species of typical owl . In Scotland this species of owl is often referred to as a cataface, grass owl or short-horned hootlet. Owls belonging to genus Asio are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or may...

Sports

Wirral Country Park is very popular with ramblers

Ramblers

The Ramblers, formerly known as the Ramblers' Association, is the largest walkers' rights organisation in Great Britain which aims to look after the interests of walkers...

and offers numerous walks, three being of particular note. Firstly is the stretch of shoreline running a couple of miles from Thurstaston

Thurstaston

Thurstaston is a village on the Wirral Peninsula, England. It is part of the West Kirby & Thurstaston Ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral...

Beach to Heswall

Heswall

Heswall is a town in Wirral, in the county of Merseyside, England. Administratively, it is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. At the time of the 2001 Census, the total population of the ward was 16,012 , which included the nearby villages of Barnston and Gayton...

Beach, a popular route for horse riders as well. Secondly is The Wirral Way, a walk 13 miles (20.9 km) in length that starts in West Kirby

West Kirby

at the top end and runs down to Hooton

Hooton, Cheshire

Hooton is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England in the south of the Wirral Peninsula near Ellesmere Port.- History :...

at the other end. The country park itself lies along the Wirral Way towards the middle of this route.. Thirdly is the 3.5 miles (5.6 km) circular Heswall Dales

Heswall Dales

Heswall Dales is an area of some of lowland heath situated close to Heswall on the Wirral Peninsula, England.It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Local Nature Reserve . Heswall Dales offers views of the Dee Estuary and over the River Dee the Clwydian Hills of Wales.-External links:* *...

and fields walk, via a small valley known as 'The Dungeon'.

A well known route within Merseyside, with part of it running through Wirral Country Park and encompassing some of the aforementioned walks, is the Wirral Coastal Walk. It is organised as an annual event by the Rotary Club, with over 5,000 taking part in 2008. The Walk follows the Wirral

Wirral Peninsula

coastline from Seacombe Ferry

Seacombe

Seacombe is a district of the town of Wallasey, on the Wirral Peninsula, England. Administratively, Seacombe is a ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral. Before local government reorganisation in 1 April 1974, it was part of the County Borough of Wallasey, within the geographical county of...

on the River Mersey

River Mersey

The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....

to Thurstaston Country Park on the River Dee, a distance of 15 miles (24.1 km). The annual event has become a popular way for local charities and organisations to raise money for their cause.

Wirral Country Park is popular not only for its wildlife and country walking, but also cycling

Cycling

Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...

, horse riding, kite flying

Kite

A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...

, and paragliding

Paragliding

Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...

. The 12.2 miles (19.6 km) Wirral Way is very popular with cyclists, especially at weekends. Part of the Wirral Endurance Ride

Wirral Endurance Ride

The Wirral Endurance Ride is a ride on the National Championship calendar of Endurance GB. It is run by the Cheshire group of the organisation.The ride normally is split into two, on a local beach and the Wirral Way route on Wirral Country Park....

, a horse-riding event in the Endurance GB National Championship, is held along the Wirral Way.

External links

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