Hilbre Island

This has to be a must. I never thought that I would have to book to access Hilbre Island Nature Reserve (the three tidal islands lying at the mouth of the Dee Estuary, Little Eye, Middle Eye and Hilbre). It’s totally free of charge but groups are restricted to 50 people and permits are required in advance for any group of 6 or more persons. The permits are allocated on a strictly first come basis, so you may find that your chosen day is already booked. This makes it all the more exciting when you do actually get a permit and manage to go!
Permits are available from the Visitor Centre, Wirral Country Park. The islands are cut off from the mainland by the tide for up to four hours out of every twelve. So not get stuck!
The views, birds and plants are amazing. I might apply for the Dee Estuary Ranger job as he is the only permanent resident on the islands and lives in Telegraph House.

If you’re in Liverpool or Chester visiting, it’s a must that you get the train across to West Kirby to see some of the stunning scenery that it has to offer. Not only does it have the Wirral Way, an old railway track that is not a country walk the length of Wirral, but it has the marine lake, the beach and Hilbre Island.
Great for a family walk and a day out, Hilbre island is the biggest of three islands that lie between West Kirby and Wales. There’s, ‘Little I’, the smallest, ‘Middle I’, the next biggest, and the ‘Hilbre Island’, the biggest!
When the tides out loads of people flock over to Hilbre Island, about 40 mins walk from the beach! Here you can climb up and see great views and even a small house in which people live. Be sure to check the tides though as it’s not uncommon for people to get stranded on Hilbre Island and it gets bloody cold at night in the middle of the sea!

Chances are the little map to the right of this review is showing an arrow pointing stubbornly into a load of water. Before you ask the answer is no, I haven’t cocked up. That is indeed the location of Hilbre Island. What is really good about it though is that when the tide goes out, you can walk to it.
I have very fond childhood memories of this place. We’d pile out of the car and the parents would point at a beach the size of the Gobi Desert. For hours we would seem to trek before resting on what seemed like an inconsequential outcrop of rock and beach weeds. Then the tide would come in and cut us off from the mainland and just like that, we’d have our own island. It’s the closest you can get to adventure on the Wirral peninsula.
When the weather is gorgeous and you’re sensibly picnicked up, Hilbre Island is one of the North West’s most relaxing spots, provided you get the island to yourself. You don’t want to be stuck with a noisy gang of strangers or a crazed grizzly bear until the tide goes out. You may scoff but that happened once to a friend of mine. You don’t know him.