With panoramic views of North Wales and traditional seaside attractions, West Kirby lives up to its reputation as the jewel in the crown of Wirral's 'leisure peninsula'
West Kirby is a lovely place to spend some time. It’s the perfect spot to watch the sun set over the manmade coastal Marine Lake, which is one of the westernmost spots on the Wirral Peninsula or perhaps walk to the islands of Hilbre, Little Eye and Middle Eye at low tide.
Of course many of you will be aware of the location because of the world famous Royal Liverpool Golf Club which is between Hoylake and West Kirby. The prestigious venue has hosted 11 British Open Golf championships in the past 121 years and it will once again become the focus of attention when it hosts the British Open in 2014.
With water sports such as windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing and power-boating, West Kirby is quite the playground for the sporty and adventurous but there are plenty of traditional family-friendly seaside attractions too.
It has an upmarket feel with a pretty Victorian promenade, independent shops, bars and trendy restaurants and having resisted being taken over by too many of the usual high street names this is a charming location for an afternoon indulging in a spot of retail therapy and lunch in a smart bistro.
Nature lovers have much to explore at Wirral Country Park: that includes the former West Kirby to Hooton railway, woodlands rich with wildlife andlow cliffs near to Thurstaston Visitor Centre as well as grassy headlands rising above the miles of fine sands along the Dee Estuary.
The views across to the Clwydian mountains are superb and one of the simple pleasures here is a stroll along the promenade to watch the fishermen rowing out to their boats.
It’s no wonder that some locals and visitors regard West Kirby as themain attraction of Wirral’s leisure peninsula.
Who’s whoDaniel Craig, aka James Bond, went to school here as did former actress and MP Glenda Jackson. The award-winning children’s illustrator Shirley Hughes is from West Kirby.
Where is it?West Kirby is in the North West corner of the Wirral peninsula at the mouth of the River Dee across from the Point of Ayr in North Wales. To the north east is Hoylake, to the east are the suburbs of Grange and Newton and the village of Caldy is to the south east.
About West KirbyWest Kirby gets its name from the Vikings who called it Kirkjubyr which means village with a church. It is tagged with ‘West’ to distinguish it from another town in the Wirral, Kirby-in-Walea, which is now known as Wallasey. West Kirby was a township and parish within the Wirral Hundred and became part of Hoylake West Kirby civil parish and Hoylake urban District in 1894. On April 1st 1974, the town was absorbed into the newly formed Metropolitan Borough of Wirral as part of local government re-organisation. n
