Wirral Country Park Friends Group
Some
brief history of
Wirral
Country Park Friends Group was
formed to assist the rangers in promoting and managing
Wirral Country Park
Friends Group has a key role in raising awareness of the park and supporting
the work of the rangers, assisting with a variety of conservation tasks.
These tasks include footpath maintenance, hedge and shrub planting, litter
clearance, heath land restoration and also important pond maintenance work.
Friends
of WCP carrying out footpath maintenance work
The friends group also
helps to organise events, lead guided walks and raise funds to ensure that
the park is maintained to the highest standard.
Wirral Country Park
Friends Group meets once every two months on a Monday evening at the Thurstaston
Visitor Centre.
If you would like more
information about becoming a friend, either contact the Visitor Centre or
fill out the form on the back page.
The
old railway platform at Thurstaston
Shortly after the First
World War in 1918 the railway line became uneconomical. When Neston Colliery
closed down in 1922 the fate of the line was all but sealed. However the
line remained open through the Second World War and beyond, serving a largely
agricultural community and also the many day trippers visiting the sea side
towns of Parkgate and
Between the line closing
down and the council taking an interest in 1967 much of the land remained
derelict. Then plans to convert the abandoned railway were put before the
Countryside Commission and under the new 1968 Countryside Act the scheme
was grant aided, making
Today the park is a
well established part of the landscape of
The Wirral Way forms
the backbone of the park with its 12 mile long footpath/cycle way and a
10 mile long separate horse ride, both running parallel to each other and
in places affording spectacular
views across the mud flats to North Wales.

Today the park is jointly
managed by both Wirral Council and Cheshire County Council, with
Thurstaston
is the main hub of the park and the base for the Wirral Rangers. There is
free all-weather parking for over 200 cars, with an additional 600 spaces
available during the spring and summer months.
The
Thurstaston Visitor Centre
The Thurstaston Visitor
Centre is open every day of the year from 10am until 5pm except for Christmas
Day.