Gronant Dunes NE and Connah’s Quay NR 23rd May 2026

A Barn swallow perched on the wire near the entrance to Gronant Dunes NR.

Flag iris next to Prestatyn Gutter.

Coots on Prestatyn Gutter.

A Pyramidal orchid next to the path through the dunes.

Looking towards the Little tern Hide.

Looking past the Little tern hide towards Point of Ayr Light House.

The Little tern colony nesting site, protected by electrified fencing.

Looking towards Prestatyn and beyond to Yr Eryri.

Sea purslane next to the path through the dunes.

Sea holly in the dunes.

Skylarks singing in the dunes.

More Pyramidal orchids.

Even more Pyramidal orchids.

Another Common coot on Prestatyn Gutter.

A Little grebe at Connah's Quay Nature Reserve.

A Little egret at Connah's Quay Nature Reserve.

One of two Little egrets on Connah's Quay Nature Reserve Dee Hide Scrape.

Ash Pool from West Hide car park..

Black tailed godwits, Mallards and Shelduck take off from Ash Pool.

Time: 2 hours 3 minutes. Overall walking average: 1.3 m.p.h.
Temperature: 15.2 Celsius to 20.0 Celsius.
Beaufort Wind Force: Max – 2, just a Light breeze.
Group: Martyn.
The weather forecast looked too good to stay at home and sit in the garden, so I thought that it would be a good idea to visit Gronant Dunes Nature Reserve to see the Little terns.
I did see the Little terns, but the hide nearest to the nesting birds wasn’t yet open, so I will have to visit again in late June, when the hide is open.
The bonus today was seeing Swifts, the first that I have seen this year. Seeing and hearing lots of Skylarks was also a joy to behold.
Flower-wise, there were good numbers of Pyramidal orchids in flower next to the path through the dunes.
Birds seen or heard today in Lower Gronant and Gronant Dunes NR included: Common pheasant, Common blackbird, Chiffchaff, European robin, House sparrow, Black billed magpie, Blackcap, Cetti warbler, Winter wren, Mallard, Skylark, Barn swallow, Swift, Little tern, Herring gull, Lesser black back gull, Great cormorant, Black headed gull, Oystercatcher, Canada goose, Sedge warbler, Reed warbler, Woodpigeon and Mallard.
As it was on the way home, I decided to call in at the Connah’s Quay Nature Reserve. It was around low tide, so I wasn’t expecting to see much. The bunded pools were almost dry, so Little egrets were the best that they could offer.
Ash pool was a little better with more waders and wildfowl present.
Birds seen or heard in Connah’s Quay Nature Reserve included: Little egret, Shelduck, Goldfinch, Blackcap. Stonechat, Woodpigeon, Little grebe, Canada goose, Rook, Greylag, Mallard, Lesser black back gull, Black headed gull, Rook, Carrion crow, Tufted duck and Black tailed godwit. Overall, an enjoyable few hours birdwatching, before it became too warm and I need to seek the shade.

Thurstaston Common, The Dungeon, Stapledon Wood, Caldy and More 20th May 2026

The Wirral Way heading towards The Dungeon.

Looking across the Dee estuary to Wales.

It's getting warmer - the first stop to remover a layer.

The path to the Dungeon.

The Dungeon.

The cave in The Dungeon.

Another good spot to admire the view after climbing the steps out of The Dungeon.

The view towards Wales from the seat in the previous photo.

The spire of St. Bartholomew's Church at Thursaston.

Distant views of Moel Famau as we approached St. Bartholomew's Church, Thursaston.

The remains of an earlier church on the site.

The name of the two wardens that restored the tower.

St. Bartholomew's Church, Thursaston.

Ox-eye daisy on the roadside near Thurstaston Common.

The invasive Rhododendron on Thurstaston Common.

At the toposcope on Thurstaston Hill.

Still at the toposcope.

One of the paths through woodland on Thurstaston Common.

A Canada goose on a nest on platform in Roodee Mere in Royden Country Park.

Obviously enjoying lunch in the walled garden in Royden Country Park.

Fran's photo of the Laburnum Arch in the Walled Garden i Royden Country Park.

The Laburnum Arch in the walled garden at Royden Country Park.

Emerging from the Laburnum Arch.

The path to Caldy.

The path through Stapledon Wood.

Caldy Church of the Resurrection and All Saints.

The Celtic cross at Caldy.

High tide at Caldy Beach, prevents us walking back along the beach.

The tide is still coming in at Caldy Beach.

Thurstaston Station and the Wirral Way.

Distance: 8.2 miles. Climb: 591'.
Time: 4 hours 31 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. Overall walking average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Temperature: 17.2 Celsius at lunch. Max – 18.0 Celsius mid-afternoon.
Beaufort Wind Force: Max – 3 an 8.2 m.p.h. Gentle breeze at the top of the steps at Caldy Shore.
Group: Martyn, Mike, Nigel and Fran.
This turned out to be a good day for walking, pleasantly warm, no rain and less wind than forecast.
Conditions under foot were good, even known muddy sections were dry today.
Lunch was taken in the walled garden in Royden Country Park, where we took advantages of a couple benches in the gazebo.
After lunch, we walked through the Laburnum Arch – pretty good, but not quite ready to challenge Bodnant Garden’s supremacy!
The only disappointment today, was arriving too early at Caldy Beach to find that the tide was at its highest, and we were unable to return to Thurstaston Visitor Centre along the beach.
Instead, we had a gentle 1.5-mile stroll along the old railway line (Wirral Way).
Birds seen or heard today included: Blue tit, Great tit, Common pheasant, Common blackbird, Chiffchaff, European robin, House sparrow, Black billed magpie, Eurasian jay, Blackcap, Cetti warbler, Winter wren, Common chaffinch, Canada goose, Woodpigeon and Mallard.
Overall, it was a very varied and enjoyable walk, worthy of celebrating by calling in at a local hostelry on the way home.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Wheatsheaf at Raby where the beer of choice was Brimstage Brewery’s Trappers Hat, now costing over £5 a pint!