Visit Wirral’s great parks and gardens and give your loved ones a healthy boost this spring.
Wirral has an abundance of public parks, where you can visit with your loved ones. Our Care Professionals have shared some of their favourite local parks in Wirral.
Getting outside into the fresh air and taking some exercise is stimulating both to our mental and physical health, which becomes even more necessary as we grow older.
Many of us have loved ones living alone or who don’t have access to their own transport, so why not give them a boost by taking them on a trip out to one of Wirral’s fantastic parks, some of which are recipients of the Green Flag award.
Wirral has an abundance of public parks, some of which are not only beautiful, but have historical significance, such as Birkenhead Park. Many of our Care Professionals take regular trips out with their clients to Wirral’s parks, and with their help we’ve created a list of their favourites.
Birkenhead Park
The world’s first public park, which provided inspiration for New York’s Central Park, this is a wonderful place for a gentle walk and an opportunity to take in the beautiful Grade 1 historic landscape.
The park is open seven days a week from 9:00am to 4:30pm and with cars no longer able to access the internal roadway, you can walk freely.
You can drop into the café at the visitor centre, which has public toilets and baby changing facilities, before taking in the Swiss bridge and the Roman Boathouse beside one of the two lakes. It’s such a beautiful place, and just a short distance from Birkenhead town centre.
There is no vehicle access to the park, but there is free parking available on the connecting roads. There are also great local transport links for connection to other parts of the Wirral.
See more: Birkenhead Park
Central Park Wallasey
Another wonderful public park and the largest in Wallasey, Central Park is a recipient of the Green Flag Award. This is another great place to enjoy a gentle woodland walk and a stroll around its lake, whilst for those with an interest in history there is the Boer War Memorial, where you can stop to pay your respects. There is also a walled garden, where you can stop by ‘Everyone’s café’ for a nice cuppa or a cool refreshing drink on a sunny day.
The park has public toilets and a picnic area and a free car park. It is a short distance from Liscard town centre and has good links with local transport.
See more: Central Park Wallasey
Coronation Gardens, West Kirby
In contrast to the open woodland parks of Wirral, Coronation Gardens sits discretely between Banks Road and the Lakeside Promenade. The walled gardens are maintained by local volunteers and offer a range of plants and shrubs for all to enjoy whilst walking its footpaths or from one of the many seats.
There is also a licenced café at the promenade side, where you can also sit inside and take in its views across the lake.
The gardens are accessible for people with disabilities at all points. It has good public transport links, is only a short walk from West Kirby station. There is free parking on the connecting roads, some of which may be time limited. There are two entrances, one located on Banks Road with two access points each side of the café on the promenade.
See more: Coronation Gardens, West Kirby
Meols Parade Gardens
If a casual stroll along the coastal path is more your thing, then try Meols Parade, where you will find the pleasant Meols Parade Gardens as a good place to stop and chill out for while. There is a tea kiosk and public toilets, picnic tables and seating, a sensory area and play items for the grandchildren. You can admire the flower beds including ornamental grasses, roses and rockeries, or relax watching the locals play bowls on one of the two bowling greens.
The gardens are open all year round 24 hours a day and there are eight access points. The main entrance is between the two bowling greens near the Junction with Hoyle Road, with free (on-street) parking spaces on Meols Parade. There is wheelchair access both at the main entrance and from the seaward side, with a double slope entrance at the sensory area of the garden.
See more: Meols Parade Gardens
Vale Park, New Brighton
Vale Park is another of Wirral’s ‘Green Flag’ parks, that never ceases to please. Visitors can enjoy views across the River Mersey, and Liverpool FC fans can wonder at the view of Anfield stadium’s main stand, whilst fans of Everton can witness the construction of their new waterfront stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, from across the river.
The park also has stunning displays of bedding throughout the whole of summer and there is also a fairy village on the park grounds. During the summer months, the bandstand host events including music and plays.
You can visit the community centre or drop into the Vale House café for a cuppa and a chat. This is one of Wirral’s most charming parks, which is accessible from the Magazine Promenade and local connecting roads. In total there are seven public entrance and exit points. The park has free car parking and public toilets behind the community centre.
See more: Vale Park
Mayer Park, Bebington
Mayer Park, Bebington is another of Wirral’s parks to have received the Green Flag award. It sits at the heart of Bebington Village, and close to Port Sunlight Village.
The park has an interesting box hedge feature known as the’ knott garden’, there is ample seating, including memorial seating. There is also a nature area, created from a former allotment site, plus a number of historic features.
The park offers good accessibility for people with disabilities, with entrances on Parkside Road, Ellens Lane and The Village. There is free on-street parking on Ellens Lane and Civic Way and in the nearby car park behind Church Road shops at the Civic Centre. There is a bus stop at main entrance on Church Road, whilst Port Sunlight railway station is just a short distance away. Public toilets are available at the nearby Civic Centre and library building.
See more: Mayer Park, Bebington
Ness Botanic Gardens, Neston
Nestled on the west side of the Wirral peninsula a couple of miles south of Neston, Ness Botanic Gardens are as beautiful as they are historically significant.
The gardens were founded by Arthur Bulley, one of the greatest sponsors of plant collectors in the twentieth century, who changed the face of British gardening.
Bulley developed the gardens on farmland he bought in Ness, where he also built his home. Bulley’s daughter Agnes, donated the entire site to the University of Liverpool following her father’s death. It remains a key part of the University to this day.
The gardens feature a wonderfully diverse variety of plants and planting areas, which are constantly changing in line with the seasons. The site is renowned for its outstanding collections of Rhododendrons, Camellias, Snowdrops and Sorbus, plus more, along with its fantastic views across the river Dee to the Welsh hills.
Ness Gardens is open to the public every day from 1st January to 22nd December. Its ‘Botanic Kitchen café’ is open from 10am seven days a week, offering a great range of food and drink. The gardens are wheelchair friendly, with well-maintained pathways throughout the site.
Car parking (on site) is free and there are eight disabled bays in the main car park outside the visitors’ centre. The gardens are also accessible by bus with the 487 from Liverpool (via Neston) terminating outside the gardens. Neston also has links to the Wirral line via its railway station.
See more: Ness Botanic Gardens
