Route Pack Page 1 Blundellsands to Maghull Route Summary This long(ish) walk of 14½km (9 miles) takes us right across the borough of Sefton from west to east, from coast to countryside. Grade Challenging Distance 14½km / 9 miles Accessibility Allow 4 hours Start Hall Road Coastguard Station car park, Blundellsands Map OS Explorer 285 Southport & Chorley Map (See page 2 of PDF for route description) Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright Reproduced under licence no. LA100019582. 2007 www.discoverthemerseyforest.co.uk Route Pack Page 2 Blundellsands to Maghull Route Details Route Directions This long(ish) walk of 14½km (9 miles) takes us 1. From the Coastguard Station car park head right across the borough of Sefton from west to inland towards Hall Road. east, from coast to countryside, crossing the 2. Bear left on the road. rich meadows of the River Alt on the way. Part 3. Cross the level crossing. of the walk is on Dibb Lane, an ancient green 4. Where the road makes a 90° bend to the trackway taking us over open fields towards the right, head straight on along the track. village of Little Crosby in the distance, with 5. Go straight on at the crossroads in Little linnets, skylarks and curlews for company. Later Crosby. on we enter a mature woodland, where on 6. Turn right beside the church. warm summer nights the mysterious woodcock 7. Where the road makes a 90° bend to the ‘rodes’ along the edge of the woods proclaiming right, head straight on along the track. his territory with strange ‘tsick’ calls. 8. At Ince Lane turn right. 9. Turn left at the Lion Lodge Gate to Ince Thanks to the constant efforts of the Blundell Park. Environment Agency, the River Alt is now as 10. Take the second road on the right, Carr clean as it has ever been in the last hundred Side Lane. years or so. If you’re lucky you might even 11. Turn left on to a path immediately after the catch a glimpse of the cobalt-blue kingfisher, last house on the left. which has recently returned to fish along its 12. Turn right just before the copse. banks, or a barn owl hunting nearby ditches 13. At the end of the field turn right. and fields. 14. Cross the drain on the left shortly afterwards and head straight to the river. A large area of woodland is passed on Maghull 15. Cross the Alt and turn left. Hey Cop where several buzzards and a rare 16. Turn right on to Maghull Hey Cop. red kite spent most of the winter of 2002-3. 17. At the Cheshire Lines Path, a dismantled Brown hares are common here and in winter railway, turn right. huge noisy flocks of pink-footed geese fly over, 18. Turn left on the first road that crosses the especially when disturbed by aircraft from the path. nearby microlight landing strip. 19. Go straight on at the staggered crossroads. 20. Turn right at the T junction. 21. Follow the road round to the left. 22. At the canal, turn right on the nearside towpath. 23. Cross Bell’s Lane. 24. Cross Green Lane. 25. Pass under Westway. 26. Pass under Liverpool Road South. 27. Pass under Northway. 28. Cross Hall Lane. 29. Cross the canal on the next footbridge, Draper’s Bridge. 30. At the end of the road turn right. 31. Turn left after the pub into the car park. 32. Arrive at Maghull station. Route Pack Page 3 Blundellsands to Maghull Map (See page 2 of PDF for route description) Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright Reproduced under licence no. LA100019582. 2007.