Cottage on the beach (Thurstaston)

Although I have been to Wirral Country Park (Thurstaston TH61 0HN) on many occasions, parked up and walked with Ann and our Border Terrier ‘Elle’, we have mainly walked to West Kirby, either along the Wirral Way, or up the beach, but the destination has mosly been the same… However, upon the advice of another local I.R. photographer of note (Dave Harding), I parked up at the Country Park (free parking) and rather than turning right to West Kirby, I walked out of the Park entrance and with a short walk down ‘Station Road’, came across steps down to the beach, it was a bright day but with some clouds, so decided on a Heliopan 780nm filter for the days photography… and turned left…

Steps up to the Wirral Way

There were some really great opportunities, to be had and I could have easily filled the page… As I walked along the beach, I was doing some bird watching… loads of Herring, Black-headed and Greater black-backed Gulls, Red-shanks and Dunlin, along with flocks of Carrion Crows, flying along the small cliff edges. Later in the day I saw flocks of House-martins, and on the Wirral Way itself… Yellow-hammer and Black-caps to name a few… However, this was not my goal for the day… after a while walking along the beach, I happened across what I had come for… A Boatyard at Heswall… down on the marsh… loads of boats new and old, and the older ones in various states of decay… bliss….

Heswall Marshes

Although I was travelling light, so to speak, with a lightweight tripod, my Nikon D7k@590, and a few filters, I could have done with a longer lens, as although I had stout walking boots on, trying to get nearer to the opportunities at hand… I soon found out the walking even a short distance onto the marsh, although covered in grasses, was a bad idea, as you simply start to sink in the mud, very quickly, and the mud is that thick it sticks to your boots, and you feel you are walking with lead boots like the deep-sea divers of old…. even ‘elle’ was weary about venturing too far, as she was sinking at various points as well…

The old and the new

For those who do not fancy the long walk along the beach, and the subsequent way back, either along the beach, or skirting up, and walking along the edge of the cliffs and back onto the Wirral Way… you can park down by the Boat-yard, directly, by finding your way to the Sheldrakes Restuarant at Heswall (CH60 9JS)… Well worth a visit…