photo © Martin Waters permission sought

Hoylake Village is on the northwest corner of the Wirral Peninsula.  Ten miles long and seven miles wide it boasts forty miles of coastline along the River Mersey to the east, the Irish Sea to the north, and the River Dee to the south.  The peninsula experiences a moderate climate with higher than average sunshine and lower than average rainfall.

Hoylake's position at the mouth of the Dee Estuary means that it is a bird-watchers paradise.  The estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and during the winter months the estuary provides sanctuary for many over-wintering visitors, including huge flocks of wildfowl and waders.  Dunlin, bartailed godwit, knot, oystercatcher, sanderling, redshank, curlew and turnstone can be seen feeding along the tide line.

Spectacular aerial displays are common throughout the year.

A short walk along Hoylake shore lies an area known as Red Rocks where pools support a small population of Natterjack Toads. Wild flowers, butterflies and skylarks can all be found in the sand dunes there.  The dunes are also home to rare grasses, including a rare horsetail.

Access to Hilbre Islands, Little Eye, Middle eye and Hilbre, is possible at low tide from the beach at West Kirby.  Apart from the bird-watching opportunities from Hilbre's bird observatory, a colony of grey seals can be seen on the island's sandbanks or swimming just off shore.

To find out more about wirral beyond Hoylake and the many things you can do here, go to the Wirral Peninsula website here.