North Wirral Coastal Park

North Wirral Foreshore
Site of Special Scientific Interest

Shown within Merseyside
Area of Search	Merseyside
Grid reference	SJ250920
Coordinates	53°25′08″N 3°07′05″W / 53.419°N 3.118°W / 53.419; -3.118Coordinates: 53°25′08″N 3°07′05″W / 53.419°N 3.118°W / 53.419; -3.118
Interest	Biological
Area	2109.9 hectares, 5,213.6 acres (21,099,000 m²)
Notification	1979 / 1983
Natural England website

The North Wirral Coastal Park, on the Wirral Peninsula, England is a coastal park including public open space, common land, natural foreshore and sand-dunes. The park lies between Dove Point in Meols, and the Kings Parade in New Brighton, and was created in 1986.

The park is managed by the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral ranger service from their offices in the Leasowe Lighthouse, and occupies some 400 acres (988 hectares) of land in a four mile stretch along the coastline making it Wirral's largest park.

Although the park in its current form is relatively new, the history of the site goes back at least 5000 years to when the area, including the foreshore, was heavily forested. The remains of this coastal forestland are known as the 'submerged forest' and can be seen at Dove Point, Meols, between the slipway and the groyne.^[1]

Leisure pursuits

Wildlife

Mallard ducks at Leasowe Common

The park, which has been granted triple-SI (Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)) status, is one of the country's premier sites for wading bird populations. Among the species which can be found in the area are: Eurasian oystercatcher, common redshank, dunlin, sanderling, ruddy turnstone, northern lapwing, bar-tailed godwit and Eurasian curlew. The large population of fish, worms and crustaceans in the foreshore region sustains the bird wildlife. Among these are to be found: shore crabs, shrimps, prawns, lugworm, ragworm, cockles, tellin, peppery furrow shell, gobies, blennies, sole, plaice, flounder, dab and pipefish.

Sports

The park is a popular site for sailing, angling, swimming, cycling, picnicking, walking, jogging, ball games, bird watching and horse riding.

References

"North Wirral Foreshore citation sheet" (PDF). English Nature.

↑ Wirral Borough Council. "North Wirral Coastal Park", Wirral Borough Council Website, n.d., Accessed June 13, 2007

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to North Wirral Coastal Park.

Parks and commons in Wirral Borough

Arrowe Park Ashton Park Barnston Dale Bidston Hill Bidston Moss Birkenhead Park Caldy Hill Central Park Coronation Gardens Dibbinsdale Eastham Country Park Flaybrick Cemetery Heswall Dales Hilbre Island Meols Park Mersey Park North Wirral Coastal Park River Park Royden Park Thurstaston Common Upton Meadow Upton Park Vale Park Victoria Park Warwick Park Wirral Country Park

Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Merseyside

Dee Cliffs Dee Estuary Dibbinsdale Hesketh Golf Links Heswall Dales Meols Meadows Mersey Narrows New Ferry North Wirral Foreshore Red Rocks Ribble Estuary Sefton Coast Stanley Bank Meadow The Dungeon Thurstaston Common

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 20, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.