Wirral County Park Friends

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Wirral Country Park Friends Group

Some brief history of  Wirral Country Park 2007

Wirral Country Park Friends Group was formed to assist the rangers in promoting and managing Wirral Country Park, not only as a first class leisure facility, but also as one of the most important conservation areas within Wirral.

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.

Footpath MaintenanceFriends 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.

 This park was set up by Cheshire County Council and is based on the old West Kirby to Hooton branch line which was opened in 1866 and later extended in 1886. The line stretched for 12 miles and ran through several small towns and villages including West Kirby, Caldy, Thurstaston, Gayton, Parkgate, Neston, Willaston and Hooton.

Old Platform ThurstastonThe 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 West Kirby.  It was closed to passengers in 1956, but remained open for freight right up to 1963, when the line finally closed down.

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 Wirral Country Park the first Country Park in Great Britain. The park was officially opened in 1973 by The Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire Lord Leverhulme.

Today the park is a well established part of the landscape of West Wirral and is visited by over 250,000 people every year.

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.

Sunset over DeeSunset over the Dee

Today the park is jointly managed by both Wirral Council and Cheshire County Council, with Cheshire looking after the section from Hooton to Gayton and Wirral looking after the section from Gayton to West Kirby.

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.

Visitors Centre EntranceThe Thurstaston Visitor Centre

The Thurstaston Visitor Centre is open every day of the year from 10am until 5pm except for Christmas Day.

Eating Cafe, plus snacks Kiosk, Toilets, Shop, Information Centre, and Bird Watch facilities all available at Thurstaston Visitors Centre, plus helpful park rangers