Little Neston Meander & Burton Hall (19th April 2015)

Our 5.6 miles (9 km) route for today's walk has been saved, if you want to take a look at where we went, visit http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6587037

We started in the small car park at the end of Marshlands Road and the start of Quayside.
For starters we headed downstream, towards Parkgate.
After crossing a stile in a low sandstone wall, we turned right, following a clear path inland.
There were a large number of horses in the fields we walked through.

Eric

We also spotted our first swallows of 2015.
When the path turned to the left and became enclosed, we went through a "Kissing gate" < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kissing_gate > on the right, and headed for a gap in the hedge straight ahead; then along the edge of a field, with the hedge on our left.

This took us to the Wirral Circular Trail which, for this part, follows the Wirral Way; a disused railway.

We turned left along the old track and continued to the B5135 (Parkgate Road). Here we crossed the road, turned right then first left into "The Ropewalk".
Just before the first house on the right, we turned right along a narrow path and rejoined the Wirral Circular Trail.
We were lucky to see so many wild flowers...

...squirrels, and birds.
This part of our walk was very easy as we continued along the Wirral Way until we turned left at a signposted footpath path...

...across Heswall Golf Course.
When we reached the footpath, on the other side of the Golf Course, we turned left again and continued along  "The Parade". 
Again we were lucky to see so many waterfowl including ducks, a heron, lots of white egrets, gulls, geese...

...and the list goes on.
Near the far end of "The Parade" we saw, what we assumed was part of Easter Celebrations, a man made cross...

...with the River Dee and Wales behind.
We continued right to the end of "The Parade".
Here the footpath keeps close to the ends of two properties and then between two houses.
Emerging onto Manorial Road where we turned right and through a narrow path to  Manorial Road South.
At the end of the road we turned right then left across a footbridge.

 This was one of a number of foot bridges...

 I particularly liked the reed beds on our right as we walked along the shore path...

The footpath is clear, albeit a bit muddy in places, and completes the loop at the stile in a low sandstone wall. Re-crossing it we continued back to the car park.
We called into Burton Hall on the way home which, like our Sunday Meander is well worth visiting.