259 evening – Hilbre Island

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

It’s 6:15 pm, and the light is bright in my eyes as I look westward towards Hilbre Island. There are figures out there, crossing the sand. It looks an easy stroll.

a01 walkers coming back from Hilbre Island, Ruth's coastal walk

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259 Heswall to West Kirby

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

I drive to Heswall, but it’s raining heavily this morning so I sit in my car and make notes for the piece I’m writing for Countryfile Magazine. Yesterday – in a howling gale – I had my photo taken for the mag. Now, I must get on with the actual writing.

Midday. The rain stops and it’s time to heave my rucksack onto my shoulders and get going. I walk down a narrow road, totally misnamed as ‘Broad Lane’. The tarmac is silver with water.

01 Ruth hiking the coast, Heswall, Wirral

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258 Neston to Heswall

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

The day is breezy, with dark clouds scudding overhead and the constant threat of rain. I return to the weird promenade at Parkgate, and leave my car.

01 the beach, Ruth Livingstone at Parkgate

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257 pm Neston to Parkgate

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

I’m back in England. The new cycle way winds through the Wirral marshland, first on tarmac and then along a wooden boardwalk surrounded by waving bulrushes.

a01 board walk across marsh, Ruth's coastal walk, Wirral

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257 am Shotton to Neston

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

I arrive back in Shotton on a damp and misty morning. I walk through the railway stations (both of them)…

01 train station, Shotton, Ruth's coastal walk

… and have a little difficulty finding the correct path. It’s unsigned, at the end of a platform, and soon I’m walking down the remembered cycle way, hemmed in by metal fences… Continue reading →

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256 Shotton to Chester

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

Shotton isn’t really a town in its own right, more a continuation of Connah’s Quay to the west and Queensferry to the east. So it’s a little hard to tell when you’ve arrived, but I recognise the bus stop from yesterday and manage to get off in the right place.

Next comes a brisk walk through the two stations, down the cycle route, and I’m back at Hawarden Bridge. From under one of the arches I take a photograph looking down the River Dee to the road bridge, Flint Power Station, and the forest of pylons.

01 view under Hawarden Bridge, Ruth walking The Wales Coast Path

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255 pm Flint to Connah’s Quay

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

Leaving Flint castle behind, I continue my coastal trek. The path is wide and I realise I’ve joined cycle route number 5, again. I’ve been playing tag with this particular cycle way since Anglesey. But I don’t meet any cyclists, just a few dog walkers.

20 Ruth walking from Flint to Pentre, North Wales Coast

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255 am Greenfield to Flint

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

Today is a walk of two halves. First a pleasant stroll along the shore of the Dee Estuary, followed by a slog along the roads beyond Flint. But, let’s start with the good part.

The tide is high when I reach Greenfield Dock, and this morning the little boats are afloat instead of stranded in the mud.

01 Greenfield Dock, Ruth's coastal walk, North Wales

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254 Prestatyn to Greenfield

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

I set off from Prestatyn in high spirits. My leg seems  completely healed and the promenade, like the day, stretches ahead. Wide and empty. Full of promise.

01 Prestatyn, Ruth's coastal walk, North Wales

As soon as I can, I  jump down onto the sands. I leave Prestatyn behind. Barkby Beach says my map, followed by Gronant Dunes Nature Reserve. Continue reading →

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253 Colwyn Bay to Prestatyn

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Ruth Livingstone

I park beside the derelict pier in Colwyn Bay and set off along the shore, walking eastwards, into the morning sunlight.

01 pier at Colwyn Bay, Ruth's coastal walk, North Wales

It’s 10 o’clock on at Wednesday morning and there is nobody much around. A couple of girls walk past, dressed in jogging gear. But they’re not running, just walking. And talking. Incessantly talking. Continue reading →

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