Wirral Walking Festival 2013 Choose from over 100 varied walks in May: History & Heritage, Food & Drink, Habitats & Wildlife and Health Walks - there’s something for everyone! Wirral Walking Festival 2013 With over 100 guided walks this is the biggest walking festival that has been organised on the Wirral Peninsula and I’m delighted that so many organisations and individuals have contributed to the event to make it one of the highlights of the Wirral 2013 events calendar. There is a full and varied walks programme throughout the festival, with short walks around some of our historic villages to longer ‘treks’ through the Wirral countryside and around the coast. The Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society celebrate their 125th anniversary in 2013, and have kindly sponsored the printing of the event publicity posters, and Wirral Country Park will be celebrating its 40th birthday as one of the very first designated Country Parks in Britain. Wirral Council’s Rangers are organising a number of guided walks for the Walking Festival in addition to their regular events and activities programme which can be found by visiting the Parks and Countryside Section at www.wirral.gov.uk This truly Wirral-wide event will hopefully introduce people to parts of Wirral that they have never visited and will ‘showcase’ the peninsula as one of the most diverse and interesting places in the country to live and visit. If you prefer to explore the peninsula on your own then please have a look at the self-guided trails available to download at www.visitwirral.com If you want to explore the wonderful Wirral coastline, tide times are available for any single day throughout the year by phoning the Thurstaston Visitor Centre on 0151 648 4371 or by e-mail to [email protected] I hope you will join us on one of the 2013 Wirral Walking Festival walks and I know that the festival organiser would appreciate any feedback which will be used to help us plan the festival in 2014. Please contact [email protected] Chris Meaden Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism Access For All Many of the walks in this brochure are accessible to people with limited mobility. However it is recommended that you check with the walk organiser for each event if you have specific requirements including wheelchair access or are unable to step over stiles. In many cases the walk route can be adapted to provide access for all. Also, if you are unable to attend the walk at the times shown, again please contact the walk leader who will be able to advise alternative meeting points for you to join the walk at a different location later on. Finally, if you need to leave a walk early please let the walk leader know! For a printer-friendly version: www.visitwirral.com 03 Wirral Walking Festival 2013 Calendar of Walks Date & name of walk Location Page Date & name of walk Location Page Wednesday 1st May Tuesday 7th May •Stroke Association Birkenhead Park 18 •Walking for Health Wallasey 17 Sponsored Walk •Brimstage Brimstage 07 •Walking for Health Port Sunlight 17 •Walking for Health West Kirby 17 Wednesday 8th May •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 •Walking for Health Port Sunlight 17 •History of the Hilbre Hilbre Islands LNR 14 •Walking for Health West Kirby 17 Islands •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 •Birkenhead Twelve Birkenhead 15 Thursday 2nd May Quays Walk •Hilbre in the Spring Hilbre Islands LNR 06 •Irby & Royden Park Irby 07 •Walking for Health Royden Park 17 •Buggy Park Fitness Birkenhead Park 18 Thursday 9th May •History of the Hilbre Hilbre Islands LNR 14 •Walking for Health Royden Park 17 Islands •Buggy Park Fitness Birkenhead Park 18 Friday 3rd May Friday 10th May •History of the Hilbre Hilbre Islands LNR 14 •The Birds of Wirral Wirral Country Park 08 Islands Country Park •Bat Talk & Walk Birkenhead Park 06 •Birkenhead Park, Bidston Birkenhead Park 15 •Thurstaston West Kirby 06 & Flaybrick Cemetery •New Ferry & Rock Park New Ferry 15 Saturday 4th May •Bromborough to Eastham Bromborough 08 •Bird Song and Breakfast Burton 06 •Powered Wheelchair Seacombe- 12 •Hilbre Islands Family Hilbre Islands LNR 06 Walk from Seacombe Wallasey Adventure Walk •History of the Hilbre Hilbre Islands LNR 14 Saturday11th May Islands •Discover Wirral Wirral Country Park 08 •Discover East Oxton Oxton 14 Country Park •Ness Botanic Gardens Ness 07 •Ancient Woodland Dibbinsdale LNR 08 Sunday 5th May Sunday 12th May •International Dawn Wirral Country 07 •The Secret Gardens Oxton 15 Chorus Day Park of Oxton •History of the Hilbre Hilbre Islands LNR 14 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 Islands •Grange Hill & Red Rocks West Kirby 08 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •Wildfowers of the North Wallasey 08 •Ness Botanic Gardens Ness 07 Wirral Coast •Storeton Village Storeton 14 •A Walk around Royden Thurstaston 12 Historic Walk & Thurstaston •A Walking Tour of Bidston 15 Monday 6th May Bidston Village •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 Monday 13th May •Ness Botanic Gardens Ness 07 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 04 For a printer-friendly version: www.visitwirral.com Date & name of walk Location Page Date & name of walk Location Page Tuesday 14th May Thursday 23rd May •Walking for Health Wallasey 17 •Walking for Health Royden Park 17 •Bidston Bidston 09 •Buggy Park Fitness Birkenhead Park 18 Wednesday 15th May Friday 24th May •Walking for Health Port Sunlight 17 •Wirral Summer Special Leasowe 18 •Walking for Health West Kirby 17 Health Walk •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 •Peak and Northern Caldy, Hoylake 10 Footpaths Society •Caldy Caldy 09 •Sunset over the Dee Lower Heswall 12 Saturday 25th May Thursday 16th May •Discover Wirral Wirral Country Park 11 Country Park •Walking for Health Royden Park 17 •A Walk around Dibbinsdale LNR 16 •Buggy Park Fitness Birkenhead Park 18 Dibbinsdale •A Walk over Bidston Moss Bidston 09 •Discover West Oxton Oxton 16 •Short Walks from West Kirby 16 Friday 17th May Wirral Villages •History of the Dee Neston 16 Marshes Sunday 26th May •Frankby Frankby 09 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •Geology of Wirral Wirral Country Park 10 Saturday 18th May Country Park •Discover Wirral Wirral Country Park 10 Country Park Monday 27th May •Wirral’s Biggest Dog Walk Wirral Country Park 10 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •Heswall Dales Heswall 10 •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 •Hoylake Vision: Hoylake 13 •Short Walks from Bidston 16 Walk the Plan Wirral Villages Sunday 19th May Tuesday 28th May •Wirral Coastal Walk Seacombe/ 19 •Walking for Health Wallasey 17 Thurstaston •Meols Meols 11 •Welly Walks with Farmer Bebington 13 Andrew •Birkenhead Park Bat Walk Birkenhead Park 11 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •The Trees of Birkenhead Park 11 Wednesday 29th May Birkenhead Park •Walking for Health Port Sunlight 17 •Walking for Health West Kirby 17 Monday 20th May •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 •Walking for Health Birkenhead Park 17 •West Wirral Walk Thurstaston 11 •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 Common •Arrowe Park to Irby (to Parkgate) 11 Parkgate Circular Trail Tuesday 21st May •Walking for Health Wallasey 17 Thursday 30th May •Raby & Cherry Wood Raby 10 •Walking for Health Royden Park 17 •Buggy Park Fitness Birkenhead Park 18 Wednesday 22nd May •Walking for Health Port Sunlight 17 •Friday 31st May •Walking for Health West Kirby 17 •‘Field to Fork’ at Bebington 13 •Buggy Park Fitness Ashton Park 18 Claremont Farm •Storeton Storeton 10 •Port Sunlight: A Port Sunlight 16 Pioneering Urban Village For a printer-friendly version: www.visitwirral.com 05 Wirral Walking Festival 2013 Habitats & Wildlife Wirral has a rich diversity of habitats from rocky foreshores, saltmarsh and dunes to heathland, meadows and freshwater reedbeds. Our internationally protected estuaries are no further than 4 miles away from woodland and rocky sandstone outcrops where you can see a variety of wildlife along with spectacular views over the peninsula to North Wales and Liverpool Bay. Hilbre in the Spring Thursday 2nd May, 9am - 2pm Cost: FREE Join the Coastal Rangers on a guided walk across the sands to Hilbre Island. Here we will look for some of the wildlife that Hilbre is famous for and learn more about the fascinating history of this tidal island. Waterproofs and good walking boots recommended. Bring sunblock and some binoculars. Booking essential. Contact: 0151 648 4371 Thurstaston Friday 3rd May, 10am - 3pm The Hilbre Islands - Cost: FREE A Family Adventure Walk Starting at the junction of Dee Saturday 4th May, 10am – 2pm Lane/ South Parade, West Kirby this Cost: FREE 7 mile walk heads out to Enjoy a walk over to Middle Eye and Thurstaston where we stop for explore some of the geology of this rocky coffee/toilets. From here, we go via The tidal outcrop before heading towards the Dungeons to enjoy the fine views at the top of main island and a look in the rock pools. Thurstaston Hill. We descend via Stapledon Booking essential. Wood through Caldy and on to the Mariners Contact: 0151 648 4371 Beacon before returning to West Kirby. No booking required. Contact: 0151 648 1411 Bird Song and Breakfast Saturday 4th, 7am - 9am Cost: £3 RSPB members/£5 non members Birkenhead Park Bat Talk and Walk Join RSPB staff and volunteers for a Friday 3rd May, 7.30pm - 10pm walk around the Burton Mere Cost: £2 Wetlands for an informal Talk and slideshow about bats at the Visitor introduction to the beauty of Centre ending in a guided walk looking for birdsong followed by a light breakfast of bats in Birkenhead Park.