About the park
The Wirral Country Park was the first of its kind in Great Britain. Once a great western rail track from West Kirby to Hooton it was closed to passengers in the late 1950s then lay largely disused and abandoned and finally closed completely in 1962, when Captain Lawrence Beswick DSM started a campaign to utilise this 12-mile stretch of unique countryside.
With the assistance of the Countryside Commission, he persuaded local urban district councils to apply for grants to create the Wirral Way, with a Wirral Country Park Centre.
Work
started in 1969 and was completed in 1973 when Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire,
Lord Leverhulm officially opened the park. The commemorative plaque
on its sandstone plinth stands in the country park open space before the
visitors centre at Thurstaston. The visitor's centre overlooks
the magnificent vista of the River Dee Estuary, a site of special scientific
interest.
The creation of this interesting pathway involved removal of over 30 miles of rail track and thousands of sleepers, digging and forming drainage channels, levelling and consolidating thousands of tons of gravel or ballast and the removal of some brick built road bridges etc.
Very little of its rail heritage remains today, except part of the station platform at Thurstaston, and of course a preserved 1950 style railway station at Hadlow Road Hooton. Occasionally, you may see railway incline signs indicating a degree of climb or descent, buried in the undergrowth.
The whole track is accessible for walking, cycling, horse riding, and is for the most part completely off road, with no traffic. If not quite level, the Wirral Way has only easy gradients, making it ideal for gentle exercise for all ages including disabled access.
A view from the cliffs down to the magnificent beach formation and the Sailing club boats in the distance make an idyllic peaceful setting.
New wider Footpath cleared of some of the overgrowth allows a clear route and easier maintenance for the parks & gardens staff to keep brambles and weeds down to a more manageable level
However,
in 2005 work began at the West Kirby end to widen the pathway and construct
a decent footpath, cut back some of the undergrowth and over growth, remove
unwanted trees. With the provision of new fences, gates, signs, and
picnic areas the Wirral Way was transformed.
Pedestrian access to the beach is an exercise in physical enjoyment. No matter how many times people count the steps, nobody ever seems to agree on the total! En route you may encounter wild life native to the Wirral Country Park (WCP) plus many species of birds in this special shoreline environment.
The breathtaking views across the Dee to the North Wales coast are an established favourite of photographers with ever changing seasonal configurations of cloud, sea, sunrise, sunset, and panorama.
Kite
flying is also a popular recreation here. As is paragliding.
The Para Gliders use the cliffs to launch into space over the beach below.
So there is always something of interest to do or watch all year round.
Hey folks reading this take a visit to the BLOGSPOT, there you can leave a comment about your experience of the Country Park and Wirral Way.
www.wirralcountrypark.blogspot.com