Hoylake and West Kirby
West Kirby is on the Wirral Peninsula in Merseyside.
Hoylake is an idyllic seaside town overlooking the Irish Sea with views of Wales, Hilbre Island and Liverpool. International tourism booms during major golf tournaments at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club.
Understand
West Kirby is a small, Edwardian seaside town at the mouth of the Dee estuary. It offers a pleasant beach, views across to North Wales and Hilbre Island, as well as Coronation Gardens and a rare marine lake walk.
Caldy, Thurstaston, Hoylake and Meols are adjacent villages along the coast.
Get in
Map of West Kirby
By road
- A540
- A5027 and B5192 from the M53 motorway, junction 2a
By train
- 1 West Kirby railway station, Grange Road, CH48 4DZ, ☏ +44 151 201-0001. M-Sa 5:36AM-12:22AM, Su 7:46AM-12:22AM.
- 2 Hoylake railway station.
Get around
See
- 1 Hilbre Island (about 40 minutes walk from the noticeboard, adjacent to the Wirral Sailing Centre, at the end of Dee Lane in West Kirby). The island group consists of Hilbre (pronounced HILL-bree) itself, Middle Eye and Little Eye. Walk out to Hilbre or its smaller (and closer) outcrop, Little Eye (be very careful of tides: read guidance on signs near the boathouse, at northern end of the marine lake). A raincoat and wellies or sturdy, waterproof walking boots are recommended for the walk across. To get to the island accepted wisdom is, when the tide is on the ebb to walk from West Kirby from the northern end of the Marine Lake to Little Eye first and then around the "back" of Middle Eye avoiding what can be impassable gullies to the "front" of the islands, and thence to Hilbre itself. Crossing when unsure of the tides can mean, at best, being isolated on the islands until the tide ebbs, or at worst, the risk of being caught between fast flowing tidal gullies. The walker should not be tempted to walk direct to Hilbre from "Red Rocks" at the end of Stanley Rd Hoylake. Free.
- 2 West Kirby Marine Lake. The marine lake can be viewed from the lengthy promenade, which has parking, plus benches to enjoy the often busy sailing activity. There is also a walkway around the marine lake, which provides very good views of the summer sunset. Free.
The Old Village is quite pretty; visit St. Bridget's church, maybe walk through Ashton Park, which straddles the Wirral Way, itself a lengthy stroll along the bed of an old rail branchline, with fine views.
- 3 Ashton Park, Westbourne Rd, CH48 4DH (about 10 minutes walk from West Kirby Station). The most northerly point of the Wirral Way. free.
- 4 Wirral Country Park (Thurstaston Visitor Centre), Station Road, Thurstaston. CH61 0HN (The 22 (and 22a) bus routes run to Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston from Chester via Willaston, Neston and Heswall. The Wirral Way can be accessed from Hooton railway station, where there is a gate on top of the bridge crossing the railway track. This is now the start of the Wirral Way, at this end, as it was extended from Hadlow Road to make it easier to access by train from Liverpool via the Merseyrail system. The Wirral Way is very popular with pedestrians, dog walkers, horse riders and cyclists.). Wirral Country Park features a 12-mile footpath following the line of the old West Kirby to Hooton railway line, offering superb views over the Dee Estuary to Wales. Today it is a must for a family day out and its facilities include the Visitor Centre, Bird Hide, Toilets, Picnic Areas, BBQ area, Café, and Green Shop. The Green Shop contains an information and sales desk where you can pick up leaflets, guides, books of special interest and information. Staff will be happy to assist you. You can access the beautiful beach from the bottom of Station Road or Tinkers Dell Steps.
- 5 Hoylake and West Kirby War Memorial.
Do
- Walk to Hilbre. Walk, run, cycle or horse ride the Wirral Way. Amble in Ashton park. Cycle to Liverpool along the coast path. Idle in one of many independent cafes. Take in the sunset, alongside the marine lake.
- 1 West Kirby Museum, St Bridget's Centre, St Bridget's Lane, CH48 3JT, ☏ +44 771 610-0131. Saturday 10AM-1PM. Visit the museum to see the collection of stone artefacts, dating from 900AD onwards. Free.
- 2 Wirral Sailing Centre (Marine Lake), South Parade, CH48 0QG, ☏ +44 151 625-3292.
- Sand yachting in Hoylake.
- 3 Royal Liverpool Golf Club. founded in 1869
- The Open Golf Tournament is hosted by the Royal Liverpool GC in mid-July.
- Rugby Union: Caldy RFC play in the Championship, the second tier. Their home ground is on Telegraph Rd in Thurstaston, three miles southeast of West Kirby.
- 4 West Kirby Concourse (The Concourse), Grange Road, CH48 4HX (1-minute walk from West Kirby Station). Indoor swimming.
- Hoylake RNLI Open Day North Parade, Hoylake. CH47 2BB. About 10 minutes walk from Hoylake station. End of August. The Red Arrows provide flight displays.
Buy
- 1 Hoylake RNLI shop, North Parade, Hoylake CH47 3AL. Su 11AM-3PM (weather permitting). RNLI-related gifts and merchandise.
Eat
- 1 Karma Restaurant, 9 Grange Road, CH48 4DY, ☏ +44 151 625-5999.
- 2 Ring O' Bells, Village Road, CH48 7HE, ☏ +44 151 929-6750. Bar: M-Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-10:30PM; food M-Sa noon-9PM, Su noon-8PM. Pub dating back to 1810.
- 3 Tanskey's Bistro, 105 South Parade, CH48 0RR, ☏ +44 151 625-3882.
- 4 The Wro Lounge & Bar, 2 Grange Road, CH48 4HA, ☏ +44 151 625-2010.
- 5 Julian's, 20 Birkenhead Road, Hoylake, CH47 3BW, ☏ +44 151 632-6241.
- 6 The Quadrant, 5-6 The Quadrant, Hoylake, Wirral. CH47 2EE, ☏ +44 151 632-4444.
Drink
- 1 The Dee Hotel (JD Wetherspoons), 44 Grange Road, CH48 4EF (Opposite the Concourse and railway station), ☏ +44 151 929-6300. Actually better than it used to be, when it was a 'real' pub!
- 2 The White Lion, 44 Grange Road, CH48 4EF, ☏ +44 151 929-6300. More than 200 years old, the pub is quite small but friendly & interesting.
- 3 Hoylake Lights (JD Wetherspoons), 52–54 Market Street, Hoylake. CH47 3BB (10 minutes from Hoylake station), ☏ +44 151 632-1209.
- 4 The Cottage Loaf, 338 Telegraph Road, Thurstaston, Wirral. CH61 0HJ (on the A540, near the Thurstaston and Irby roundabout), ☏ +44 151 648-2837.
- 5 The Railway, 143-145 Birkenhead Road, Meols. CH47 6AA, ☏ +44 151 632-3320.
- Vanilla Lounge, 6 Market Street, Hoylake. CH47 2AE (1 minute from Hoylake station), ☏ +44 151 633-2390.
Sleep
- 1 21 Park House, 21 Park Road, CH48 4DN, ☏ +44 7974 264694. £35+.
- 2 Abbey House Apartment Hotel, 108 Meols Drive, CH48 5DA, ☏ +44 151 632-0914. £150+.
- 3 Marston's Green Lodge Hotel, 2 Stanley Road, Hoylake. CH47 1HW (5 minutes walk from Hoylake station), ☏ +44 151 632-2321. Reasonably priced, with pub-chain restaurant.
- 4 Holiday Inn Express Hoylake, The King's Gap, Hoylake. CH47 1HE, ☏ +44 151 632-2073.
- King's Gap Court Hotel, The Kings Gap, Hoylake. CH47 1HE.
Peel Hey and Hillbark are in nearby Frankby.
Connect
As of Aug 2022, West Kirby has 4G from all UK carriers. 5G has not reached this area.
Go next
- Lively Liverpool needs a few days to explore.
- Birkenhead has historic Port Sunlight, an Edwardian industrialist's dream of the future.
- Chester is a charming ancient walled city.
- The North Wales coastline stretches west beyond the Dee. Its eastern parts are industrial, then the view improves around Rhyl.