A ride of 27 miles, Grade D, visiting 13 parks across the north of the Wirral starting outside the Visitor Centre on Park Road in Birkenhead Park.
The route leaves Birkenhead Park (the first publicly-funded park in the world: 1847 designed by Joseph Paxton) and goes up over Holt Hill (only a small, 150ft, hill) to Mersey Park in Tranmere (opened 1885, designed by Edward Kemp, Joseph Paxton’s assistant). Then across to Victoria Park (previously the grounds of the Towers, the home of Victor Poutz from New Orleans, one of the first Cotton Merchants in Liverpool). Then via Little Storeton and Landican Lane to Arrowe Park (opened in 1926, previously the estate of the Shaw family, ship owners and slave traders), before going to Royden Park (bought in 1933 from Sir Earnest Royden, ship owner, who literally “moved house”, Hillbark, to Royden Park; brick by brick from a site in Bidston), where we have a break for a quick snack. Then on to Ashton Park in West Kirby (opened 1901, on land owned by Emma Mary Ashton, whose grandfather made his fortune from coffee plantations in Dominca), and then via the cycle path beside the railway to Hoylake and Queens Park (opened in 1953 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation), before going along the coast through the North Wirral Coastal Park (established 1986) to Harrison Park in Wallasey (donated in 1896 by the Harrison family, Liverpool ship owners).
Lunch will be at Bluebell Tea Rooms in Grove Road, Wallasey
After lunch the ride continues up through Elleray Park (donated in 1923 by Emmy Mahler, who set up a school for handicapped children in her mansion, Sudworth House), past Quarry Park (1912, a converted old quarry, donated by James Smith, a cotton broker) and on to Vale Park (opened 1899 on the site of the Royal Liscard Hotel, of which only the shelter by the river front remains). Then along Egremont Promenade, turning right at the Egremont Ferry Hotel and up to Central Park (opened 1891 in the grounds of Liscard Hall, the home of the Tobin family, slave traders), before descending via Oakdale Road and Duke Street Bridge and returning to Birkenhead Park Visitor centre (opened 2007).
You can view or download the route on Komoot here: Parks of North Wirral
27 miles, Grade D
Created by John Hampson