Signals to Saltmarsh

Grade: Circular
Distance: 19km/12mile
Time: 2 - 3 hours
Start: Hadlow Road Station
Map: OS Explorer Map 266
Terrain: Minor roads and traffic free cycling along the Wirral Way
Toilets: Hadlow Road Station. Parkgate

The ride starts in Willaston, a pretty village with a magnificent beech tree in the green.

Hadlow Road Station is the only remaining station on the Hooton to West Kirby Branch Line which closed in 1962. Today the Wirral Way is part of route 56 of the National Cycle Network.

Cycling along tree lined lanes you soon reach the picturesque village of Burton, with attractive thatched cottages perched on outcrops of sandstone bedrock.

Rest and enjoy the fantastic views from Denhall Lane across the Dee Estuary to the Welsh hills beyond before making the climb up to Ness Gardens.

Parkgate was once a major port and health resort. Today it is known locally for wonderful ice cream and some of the most spectacular birdwatching in the North West during high tides. Contact us for details.
Stop and admire the Millennium Bridge along the Wirral Way at Neston, with artwork designed by local children and artist Stephen Charnock.

Enjoy the cool shade of the rock cutting as you cycle back. Look out for the lick marks in the walls where the sandstone was hewn by hand and the attractive ferns that thrive in the damp, shady conditions.