The Wirral is a peninsula in the north-west of England, a square cut of land jutting into the Irish Sea. To the east is the Mersey Estuary and the city of Liverpool, to the west is the Dee and the north coast of Wales. In the nineteenth century, Birkenhead became something of an industrial centre, with shipyards and docks built up and down the Mersey banks. But it's not all just urban sprawl - The Wirral still has a huge variety of diverse landscapes, from rolling countryside and lowland heaths to coastal cliffs and wide sandy beaches.
Hilbre Island is a red sandstone outcrop at the mouth of the Dee. About a mile off the shore of north-west Wirral, the island is a popular tourist spot, being one of just 43 tidal islands that can be reached on foot from the UK mainland. Other than a lighthouse and a bird observatory, there's not much in terms of tourist attractions - but it's not uncommon to see Grey Seals bobbing about in the water!
This design shows Hilbre Island across the wide stretches of sand that connect the island to The Wirral at low tide. Anyone who's stood on the West Kirby coast and looked out across the Dee is sure to love this tea towel!
