Logo
Home

The City of
Chester

Historic Buildings
Ecclesiastical
Buildings

Gardens
Visitor Attractions
Landscape
Villages and
Towns

Prehistoric Sites
Walks

Map & satellite
Services

Contact
Links

Caldy Hill



OS Grid ref:-SJ2285

Caldy Hill, near the village of Caldy on the Wirral Peninsula is an area of heath and woodland on a sandstone outcrop. The hill is part of a ridge which extends from Heswall through Thurstaston and onto Hilbre Island. The land is now in the care of the National Trust.The hill, reported to be the highest point on the Wirral, ascends to 260 feet and has a view-finder, mounted on a stone plinth, at the summit. It boasts superb views views over the Dee Estuary to Hilbre Island and the Irish Sea with more distant views of the mountains of Snowdonia to the west and and the Pennine hills to the east. On a very clear day the Lake District can be sighted to the north.

The view across the Dee Estuary from Caldy Hill

The nearby Mariners Beacon occupies the site of an old windmill, which was missed by sailors after it was destroyed by a gale in 1839. Consequently, the beacon was erected in 1841. The red sandstone column measures 60 feet (18 metres) and was erected by the trustees of the Liverpool Docks by permission of the landowner John Shaw Leigh, who also donated the stone for its construction.

The name Caldy possibly derives from old Norse words meaning 'cold islands' referring to a time when this area was included in the same administrative region as the Hilbre islands. Norsemen settled on the Wirral shortly after 900 A.D..

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

A popular spot with birdwatchers, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs can often be sighted. Woodpeckers, Jays, Nuthatches and a variety of Warblers and Tits can be seen at Stapledon Wood. The fields below Stapledon Wood often hold good numbers of feeding Curlew and Oystercatchers. One of the more unusual species to be seen in the wood was a Little Auk.

On the South-East side of Caldy Hill lies Stapledon Wood, a Site of Biological Importance (SBI). The wood was named after Wallasey born writer, William Olaf Stapledon (1886-1950) who lived nearby in Caldy. The deciduous woodland is home to a variety of flora and fauna.


Follow the Country Code

    *Be safe- plan ahead and follow any signs.

    Protect plants and animals and take your litter home.

    Keep dogs under close control

    Leave gates and property as you found them



Back to Landscape

Back to Birdwatching