THE SMUGGLERS WAY - WIRRAL
Walk the hidden coast of smugglers, caves and legends
Two Routes Through a Hidden Wirral
The Smugglers Way follows two journeys through north-east Wirral, each associated with a different strand of the peninsula’s coastal past.
The Smugglers’ Route begins at Mother Redcap’s and Maddock’s Slipway on the River Mersey. From the shore it turns west, threading through Manor Lane and Liscard towards St Hilary’s Church and the Breck, before crossing the once treacherous landscape of Bidston Moss on its way towards the Ring O’ Bells at Bidston — traditionally associated with smugglers carrying contraband inland from the Mersey.
The Wreckers’ Route instead follows the Mersey northwards, passing Vale Park and the site of New Brighton Tower before reaching the tip of the peninsula at the Marine Lake and Perch Rock. It then turns west along the North Wirral coast towards the Red and Yellow Noses, before leaving the shore for the Cheshire Cheese, St Hilary’s Church and its ancient tower, and the Breck, where the two routes meet.
Smugglers, Wreckers & Caves
Much of the landscape through which these stories unfolded has changed beyond recognition. Bidston Moss has been drained and developed; much of the Red and Yellow Noses has disappeared; old lanes have become suburban streets; and generations of coastal engineering have transformed the shoreline.
Yet fragments survive. Ancient paths, sandstone outcrops, churches, inns, stretches of old shoreline and the remains of mysterious caves still provide clues to an earlier Wirral — one of sailing ships, contraband, wrecks and stories carried from one generation to the next.
The Smugglers Way uses historical records, maps, old photographs, surviving features and local tradition to explore those stories, distinguishing where possible between documented history and enduring legend. The result is a walk not simply through the modern Wirral, but through the traces of a landscape that has almost disappeared.
The Smugglers Way follows two journeys through north-east Wirral, each tracing a different strand of the peninsula’s coastal past. Follow either route below to explore the places, stories and surviving traces encountered along the way.
The Smugglers Route
A broad inland image. My preference would be something around Bidston/Bidston Hill or the old approach towards the Ring O’ Bells, because it visually represents the destination and inland character of the route.
The Wreckers Route
The Wreckers’ Route Follow the Mersey shore to New Brighton and around the northern tip of Wirral, before turning west along the coast and eventually inland towards St Hilary’s and the Breck.
Explore Wirral's Hidden Past
Available on Apple Books — £7.95
Discover the smugglers, wreckers, secret passages and forgotten places of Wirral’s coastline in Roy McKee’s illustrated walking guide, The Smugglers Way.
