Heswall - The Dales - Sea Marsh - Waterfall - Cleaver Heath - Heswall

Derek Smith

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This is an excellent walk offering much variety, taking you along a circular route through leafy Natural England Dales, a long length alongside the sea marsh, up and along a short section of the Wirral Way before climbing quite steeply for a short distance through the dungeon and past the waterfall. A note of caution, the parts of the long section of the walk by the Sea Marsh are likely to be quite muddy. At high spring tides the footpath here may even be flooded, so Google 'High Tides at West Kirby' before you go and make sure you don't get caught out. Dungeon is a local word for a steep sided wooded valley, and at the top of it you turn back towards the start and get magnificent views across the woods and river to the sea and Welsh coast (photo on the right). If you wish, you can also explore the Cheshire Wildlife Trust Cleaver Heath before you finish. This is an alternative to walk 5051 and has a shorter and reversed route.

This walk is suitable for children, senior citizens, and anyone in-between. Excellent for dogs but hopeless for wheelchairs and buggies. There should be no problems with wearing shorts. Suitable footwear - anything flat soled and stout will be fine, but boots will be best. There are toilets at the restaurant as you reach the coast. There is a bench seat on the verge as you cross over the Wirral Way and seats and picnic sets at the big carpark just before the restaurant; you will find 'sea view' bench seats on the National Trust land at the point where you turn off the beach, and on the Wirral Way. There are very basic rustic seats as you walk through the woods approaching the Dungeon and by the final style at Oldfield Farm.

England - North England - Cheshire - Wirral

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Cafe, Flowers, Great Views, National Trust, Public Transport, Restaurant, River, Sea, Toilets, Waterfall, Wildlife, Woodland

10/2/2016 - Paul Chapman

The section though The Dungeon (14) has some steep unfenced drops, so your dog might be safest on a lead if it's a bit wayward, otherwise ours had a wonderful time on the mix of paths, beach & woodland. Several sections of the walk seem popular with local dog walkers.