annieb123's Review of The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide

by Kevin Sene

A guide to places to visit, history and wildlife along the Liverpool, Wirral and Cheshire shores of the Mersey Estuary

Stretching for around thirty miles to the coast, the Mersey Estuary is perhaps best known for Liverpool's spectacular waterfront and the Mersey Ferry. But there are many hidden gems along its shores, including waterside parks, sandy beaches and poignant reminders of the days of steamships and sail.

The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide provides suggestions for places to visit around the estuary from its upper reaches in Warrington to where it meets the sea at New Brighton and Formby Point. Destinations include Liverpool, Birkenhead, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton, Port Sunlight, Runcorn, Warrington and Widnes. Places featured in Liverpool include the Three Graces, Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool Cathedral, and the city's largest museums.

In addition to the main tourist attractions, readers will discover some less well-known sights, including lighthouses, a castle, outdoor art, medieval buildings, and a transporter bridge, along with ideas for boat trips around the estuary and its canals and places for a bird's eye view of Liverpool and areas inland.

There are also maps and route descriptions for fifteen suggested walks and cycle rides around the estuary, ranging from trips of a couple of hours to a full day out. The places visited include Bidston Windmill, Liverpool waterfront, Port Sunlight, the Manchester Ship Canal, the Another Place statues at Crosby Beach and the lighthouses at New Brighton and Hale Head.

For those interested in a more in-depth look at the estuary, there are chapters on its maritime history, wildlife and the influences from rivers and the tides. Topics include the development of the Port of Liverpool, the history of the Mersey ferries, how the estuary has been cleaned up in recent decades, modern-day shipping and navigation, and the many nature reserves around its shores. There are also tips on birdwatching and on where to see seals and the Mersey's little-known tidal bore.

With stunning colour photographs, The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide is a must-read for travellers to the area and local residents alike.

Note: to reduce download times, some images have been removed from the ebook compared to the printed version.

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Mersey Estuary is a travel guide to the area by Kevin Sene. Released 28th April 2020 by Matador, it's 256 pages and available in ebook format (other editions available in other formats). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a good general guide to the area with a richly varied collection of associated activities both solitary and family/social oriented. The introduction (with a good traveller's safety segment) is followed by particular places to visit arranged by geographic area (Lower estuary - Liverpool, Wirral - Cheshire, and upper estuary), with more attractions arranged thematically (rivers & tides, maritime, and wildlife). Many of the sites listed in the book conveniently include active links for further reading. The pictures (most of which are credited to the author himself) are clear and illustrative. (Note: the book should be viewed full screen for the photos to display correctly).

The author also includes a short bibliography and reading list for further information.

I would definitely recommend this guide to anyone contemplating a trip to the area as well as people (like me) who aren't travelling at all in the midst of the pandemic and just needed to "leave home" without leaving home, as it were.

Five stars. Very well written, down to earth, and up to date.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide

by Kevin Sene

Reviewed by annieb123 on Jun 1, 2020

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