We begin our walk under the unflinching gaze of Queen Victoria, where we turn right past the suspension bridge to start walking along the sea front.
As soon as we can, we drop down onto a grassy path on the other side of the sea wall – away from the roar of traffic. The path, on the edge of Crossens Marsh, is fairly well trodden – the sea is nowhere to be seen.
After a couple of miles we see a sign on the other side of the road indicating a visitor centre. This turns out to be little more than a hide for bird watching and a portoloo which definitely comes in handy.
Inside the wooden building three men sit with heavy duty equipment trained on the marshes. The atmosphere is that of the hushed silence of a cathedral. We sit and watch for a while and then tiptoe out.
From here we are back to the road which runs alongside the RSPB reserve – fortunately, there is a wide grassy path to follow.
And after a long tramp along the road we come to a sign which will give us some relief from the noise of the traffic. The sign (one I haven’t seen in a long time) is an official reminder of the fact that we have now left Wales behind – I almost feel a little sad. Having been away for so many years it was at times a life affirming experience to explore parts of the country where I was born (almost) and brought up.
Anyway, the path is very short, leading us past the backs of houses and soon back to the road at a place called Banks.
From here on there is a not a lot to say – lots of road walking past farms and vast fields of grain. Fortunately there is not a lot of traffic apart from gigantic tractors with colossal tyres, one of them being driven by a young girl. The skies are straight out of a Constable painting.
Eventually we reach the village of Hesketh Bank, the home of the West Lancashire Light Railway. Set up in 1967 by six young railway enthusiasts, it runs narrow gauge steam trains for 400 metres between the village and the Douglas river. We are too tired to investigate further so here is the website:
https://www.westlancsrailway.org/visitor-info
Just time for a cup of tea before the bus arrives to take us back to Southport.
Distance: 11 miles
Joining the Dots 
It’s strange to see my local area in your blog! A nice walk for you. I think birdwatching is serious business! Beautiful picture of the skyxx
Beautifully written as always. I always feel I’m almost there. Thank you.
I wonder how many near-identical statues of Queen Victoria there are in the British Isles, indeed throughout the world, as there are many in cities of the former Empire. Would it make an interesting coffee-table book? Perhaps more interesting would be the view that each looks out on.
I wonder what species the birdwatchers were hoping to see, whether they are regulars or have sought this place out for some special reason.
Old John was a bit of a cloudaholic wasn’t he? Sometimes you’d think the canal, the mill or the haywain made it into the painting just to give the clouds context.
I think Damian would be able to tell you about some of the bird species they were looking for. He has just downloaded the bird call recognition app that you recommended and I think he was witness to an excited stir of interest while I was in the loo! Thanks for reading x