Merseyside

Merseyside has over 2,000 acres of parks, woodland and gardens. 

Birkenhead Park, on the Wirral, was the first public park to be built in Britain and provided the inspiration for New York’s famous Central Park.

The Sefton Coast is one of the most important areas for conservation in Europe, has rare sand dune habitats and species, including reptiles and amphibians such as the Sand Lizard and Natterjack Toad.
This area is also one of the few places in Britain that you can be guaranteed a sight of the endangered Red Squirrel and is one of Europe’s premier locations for birdwatching, with over 300 different species having been recorded.

Every spring around 800 Little Gulls gather at Seaforth Nature reserve and Crosby Marine Park for around two weeks to feed on midges, a sight that is unique in England, whilst the Marshside nature reserve is one of the most important places in the country for wintering wildfowl. Numbers can often exceed 40,000 at any one time.

Over 30 miles of beaches and coastline of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) include Ainsdale beach, which was awarded a Blue Flag Award in 2006. Liverpool Bay is also where visitors can sometimes be lucky enough to see Harbour Porpoise and Bottle-nosed Dolphins.

The Trans-Pennine Trail, a route for walkers and cyclists that stretches right across the country, starts and ends in Southport and the Millennium Cycle Route, from Liverpool to Chester, is also extremely popular.