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New Brighton Beaches
including Wallasey Harrison Drive
River Mersey, New Brighton
Situated on the north-west of the Wirral Peninsula at the mouth of the River Mersey, New Brighton was once a fashionable seaside resort. However like most British seaside resorts, cheap foreign holidays with guaranteed good weather saw a decline in its fortunes from the 1960s onwards. Meanwhile high levels of pollution in the Mersey, and the loss of its sandy beaches almost sounded its death knell in the early Seventies. However, all that changed. The beaches were "seeded" with new sand and groynes built, which together with new training walls in the river to divert currents, prevented further scouring. Meanwhile a crackdown on pollution in the Mersey Estuary saw its water quality improve to the extent that now salmon are regularly found as far upstream as Warrington.
The supervised bathing beach adjacent to the Fort
The result is miles of golden sands extending from New Brighton all around the north of the Peninsula as far as West Kirby. Both the sea- and river water may look dirty, but the colour is down to the silt and sediment stirred up by the fast-flowing tides. It is for this reason that while meeting EU bathing standards, North West coastal waters will always appear murky.
Perch Rock Lighthouse, New Brighton, with Liverpool's Seaforth Container Port in the background
The top picture was taken early in the morning and yes, the air was chilly. However when I waded out into the river I was surprised how warm the water was. In fact I went in over my shoulders before realising it! According to the accurate digital thermometer I use to report water temperatures, the water temperature was nearly 21°C (70°F) - distinctly Mediterranean. And this was late July 2004, in the middle of one of the coldest, dullest, wettest, most miserable British "summers" on record! For current water temperatures look here.
Harrison Drive (Irish Sea) looking west towards N. Wales
New Brighton and Harrison Drive beaches are lifeguard patrolled during the summer season. These guys are here to make sure you have a safe, enjoyable visit, and you must follow their advice especially when swimming in the river. The Mersey has the strongest tidal flow of any UK river other than the Bristol Channel, and currents are especially strong through the Mersey Narrows: the narrow section extending from New Brighton to Tranmere.
The Three Musketeers
Left to right: Mike, Paddy, and Chief Lifeguard Tony.
And Pete, New Brighton's answer to Baywatch!!
Looking Southeast towards Liverpool's famous waterfront (the Liver Building is centre of view)
Best place to swim? Depends on your personal preference. Harrison Drive has the best view out to sea and you can watch vessels of all sizes lining up to enter the river. If you like vast open spaces and a picnic on the sand this is the palce for you. However if you want to swim, at low tide you have to walk some distance to the water, and take care not to become trapped on sandbanks by the incoming tide. Swimming at high tide is good fun, particularly if the water has come in over hot sands. Just like being in a heated salt-water pool with wave-machine!
If you just want to swim, and aren't bothered by the, er, "industrial architecture" opposite, the river is a better option as there is access to sufficiently deep water even at low tide. There is also a current to swim against, but I'd strongly advise that you stay within your depth. Make sure you are always in sight of the lifeguards, and if you're anywhere other than the "official" bathing beach make sure you let them know where you are. You get a first hand view of incoming shipping and it's an odd feeling the first time you find yourself swimming less than ½ mile from a huge container ship or the Isle of Man Sea-Cat.
Should you have a marine VHF radio or scanner, Mersey Port Ops are on Channel 11 (156.550MHz). This channel is simplex, so you get to hear the traffic in both directions.
Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.
