MAGAZINE 2025-26
Hilbre is the largest of three islands in the Dee Estuary visible from Royal Liverpool’s coast holes. The others are Middle Eye and Little Eye, after which Hoylake’s 15th hole (Open 17th) is named.The walk to Hilbre from West Kirby can be very special. It takes 45 minutes to an hour to reach it, and you can take in the island’s smaller companions on the way. Little Eye is the first you’ll encounter and, if you’re looking for your ball, you took the wrong club.
Hilbre is at the heart of a nature reserve - it’s an internationally important site for wading birds, while the local colony of grey seals is a treat. Their numbers are highest in the summer, and with luck and a little patience you can see them swimming around the island or chilling out on the sandbanks.
The island itself is fun and fascinating with evidence of its past on hand: from old, Grade II listed buildings like the Telegraph Station, to Stone Age activity, to - dinosaur footprints.
You need to check the tide times for the day you want to visit. It’s safe to cross from West Kirby three hours after high tide, and you must leave the island at least three hours before the next high tide.
It’s straightforward. Walk from the West Kirby Marine Lake slipway to Little Eye and beyond. As for footwear, the sand is generally firm but wet, so wellies, walking boots or old shoes you’re not too bothered about are recommended.
Don’t cross to Hilbre from Hoylake as there is a muddy channel in the way.
There was a time when you (meaning me) could miss Royal Liverpool’s 17th green to the right and watch your ball bounce away down Stanley Road towards Red Rocks. The days when the hole was right on the edge of the course are long gone, but today Red Rocks is worth a much more conventional visit. It’s a large, sandy beach with a very shallow bay and sandstone outcrop overlooking Hilbre Island. Its natural calm, beauty and space make it a relaxing place popular with families. It’s also an important site for migrant birds, welcoming record numbers of Redwing, Fieldfare, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Siskin, Brambling, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Sedge Warbler, Snow Bunting and Willow Warbler. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded, with around 170 species seen in just one year.
Red Rocks is also a breeding ground for the endangered Natterjack Toad, small amphibians protected by law, which are also very much at home on the Royal Liverpool links. In 2023, Open play was suspended when one was spotted on the 13th green. Hoylake’s Links Manager, James Bledge, licensed to handle the creatures, was summoned to escort the tiny toad to safety and play resumed.
This is a great spot any time of day, but the onset of night can be very special. Take a walk around the lake or just sit and watch the sun come down towards Hilbre Island. This 52 acre man-made saltwater lake is five feet deep and totally enclosed and exceptionally safe. Home to the Wirral Watersports Centre, there are courses on offer in sailing, windsurfing, powerboating and paddlesports.
The rail service from North Wirral into Liverpool is generally very good. During the day trains run every 15 minutes and the journey takes just under half an hour on rolling stock that is shiny and new. You can easily visit the city where most of Royal Liverpool’s founders worked, and be reminded that the history of our railways and the development of the game of golf are intimately connected.
Leave the Royal Liverpool car park, turn left, walk or drive for a couple of miles and the boozer’s on your left. It’s the perfect place to connect with Wirral’s Viking heritage. To find out more, read our piece Norse by North West here.
Brian Harman headed here with the Claret Jug after winning The Open at Hoylake in 2023. The popular West Kirby barbecue style restaurant is influenced by the cuisine of the Southern States of America, which explains why Brian felt at home - he’s from Georgia.
Enjoy many and varied tastes of India from chaat’s tapas style menu. The popular restaurant on Grange Road in West Kirby is well worth a visit: nice food, nice cocktails, nice vibe.
We can’t miss this opportunity to blow our own trumpet. If you’ve played the links you could do worse than enjoy what is rightfully considered one of Wirral’s best food and drink offers.