November 2022
WIRRAL COUNTRY PARK
Our Communications and Campaigns Officer has been spending a lot of time at Thurstaston Beach and Wirral Country Park recently for our geology and archaeology walks in October and November so we thought this was a great time to highlight this important site on the Dee Estuary.
Something you may not know is that Wirral Country Park was the first designated country park in Britain. Officially opening in 1973 it will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.
In preparation for the celebrations the rangers have been improving and restoring some of the important features of the park including the Wirral Way, the pond by the Visitors Centre and the paths above Thurstaston Cliffs.
GEOLOGY OF THE DEE ESTUARY
Professor Jim Marshall and his colleagues from Wirral Geology and Landscape Project hosted two events for us in Autumn. The first was a guided walk, in conjunction with our Conservation and Volunteering Officer, at Red Rocks Nature Reserve. Here we learnt about how the geology and ecology combine to create this beautiful, biodiverse landscape.
The second walk was at Thurstaston Beach and was a repeat of the very popular event, The Dee Estuary since the last Ice Age, which we first ran in August this year. We were pleased to see several younger attendees this time as it was October half term.
Thurstaston Beach is a great place to get up close and hands on with the geological history of the estuary as it is so visible in the glacial erratic’s, naturally eroding cliffs, and on the beach itself.
ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE DEE ESTUARY
After the success of our event with Wirral Archaeology’s Brian Griffiths and Stephen Roberts at Flint Castle we arranged to have an event on the English side of the Dee Estuary in the Autumn.
On Sunday the 6th of November Stephen guided us around some of the sites of interest at Thurstaston Beach. Highlights included the glacial erratic’s that are on display by the Visitors Centre, the fishing boats, specifically designed for the shallow water of the estuary and the white cottages right on the beach that were once home to farm workers, not fisherman as you might assume.
We were all captivated by the history of the people who have called the Dee Estuary and the Wirral home for hundreds of years. Thank you Stephen!
Photo Credits: Paul Steele and Emily Lake
