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Thirteen Stramblers took the train to West Kirby and set off on Grange Road to the start of the Wirral Way. The Wirral Way, known as “The Joint” because it follows the track bed of part of the former Birkenhead Railway from West Kirby to Hooton and the railway had been run jointly by the Great Western Railway and the London North Western Railway. The old line, which closed in 1962, follows the estuary of the River Dee for seven miles between West Kirby and Parkgate and then heads inland, across the Wirral to Hooton. We walked along the path to reach Ashton Park and saw model yachts being sailed on the lake. Crossing a bridge over the path we walked through the park to Rectory Road and then turned into Echo Lane, a tree lined path taking us to Village Road. Across the road a set of steep steps led to the sandstone column known as Mariners Beacon. This beacon, listed as Grange Beacon, was set up as a mariners’ landmark in 1841 on the site of a mill which burned down, and a mill stone is set into the foot of the column in memory of it. An inscription on the tower reads: This column was erected by the trustees of the Liverpool Docks, by permission of John Shaw Leigh Esq, owner of the land, who also gave the stone for its erection AD 1841 as a beacon for mariners frequenting the River Mersey and its Vicinity. We had a glimpse of the River Dee from here before setting off on a meandering path through woods. We were soon in Stapleton Wood where there was evidence of fire damage to low lying thickets. Eventually, we came to Caldy Road lined with with sandstone walls. We saw a number of impressive sandstone buildings (a couple with datestones for 1702 and 1883) including Caldy Church. After passing the church, we took a path through more woods to Croft Drive and rejoined the Wirral Way. We left the Way after three hundred yards and took a path to Cubbins Green on the bank of the Dee. Sisters Eveline and Ivy Cubbin had bought the fields between the cliff and the railway track to retain the sea-views from their house. They donated them to the Council as public land in 1964. We took a break here and had good views (despite it being a grey day) of North Wales, Hilbre Island, the River Dee and numerous small boats. At the end of the green, we turned inland and walked along Macdona Drive (I always think somebody forgot to put “ld” at the end of Macdona) to Sandy Lane and down to the Marine Lake. The tide was very high and the perimeter path round the lake appeared to be completely submerged. We decided not to test it and walked along South Parade. A few hardy souls had set off along the path and we watched with interest to see if they were forced to turn back. They all made it safely, but we wondered how wet their shoes might be! A lone windsurfer was speeding across the lake aided by a “fin” on his board which kept it above the surface. We carried along South Parade with its recently completed tidal defence wall, and came to the Red Rocks Nature Reserve, with Royal Liverpool Golf Course on our flank. At the end of the reserve, we climbed the rocks to reach Stanley Road, where we saw a replica of Hoylake High Lighthouse. Two lighthouses were built at Hoylake in 1764, known as the Lake Lights. The Upper Lake Lighthouse, when lined up with the Lower Lake Lighthouse guided vessels into a sheltered area called Hoyle Lake. The originals were decommissioned in the early 1900s. We had views over the golf course, here and at the end of Stanley Road, we turned into The King’s Gap. The road gets its name from the departure from Hoylake of William of Orange in 1690 to fight the Battle of the Boyne. On a roundabout in the road we saw a sculpture by Scottish sculptor David Annand. Called ‘Knots’, it consists of seabirds looping around four poles. It was commissioned by the council as part of the regeneration of Hoylake and was installed in June 2006 in time for the 2006 Open Championship. Knots are a common seabird in the area. There are a number of benches, posts and cycle stands in the area incorproating rope into their design. I think this is a reflection of the use of ropes in seagoing boats. Along Market Street was the Hoylake Lights pub where we had a welcome refreshments stop before catching the train home.

A most enjoyable walk. Thanks to Anne and Viv for organising, recce-ing and leading. See you all next time.