The Wirral Coastal Walk, my experience walking for Action on Pre-eclampsia

I participated in The Wirral Coastal Walk to raise money for Action on Pre-eclampsia.

I wanted to give back to Action on Pre-eclampsia (APEC), and my best friend wanted to raise money for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. We both love walking, and I blog about Wirral, so naturally, we signed up for the Wirral Coastal Walk! It’s a great way to admire Wirral’s incredible coastline and raise money for a good cause! Here’s how it went and why you should take part.

What is the Wirral Coastal Walk?

First run in 1986, The Rotary Club of North Wirral organises the Wirral Coastal Walk annually. It raises money for local charities and allows walkers to raise sponsorship money for chosen charities.

The Wirral Coastal Walk is a well-known route along the Wirral coastline. It is 12.5 miles/20km in total and begins at New Brighton and finishes in Thurstaston. It passes both the Irish Sea and the Dee Estuary.

Of course, you can complete this route at any time. However, this event is lovely to participate in and raise money for good causes. It is a fun event that is not competitive and is suitable for all ages and abilities to do at your own pace.

How far is the Wirral Coastal Walk, and how long does it take?

The total distance is 20km, with intermediate finishes at Leasowe Common (6km) and Kings Gap (12km). The total 20km took us just over 3 hours, with a break for a snack!

The Wirral Coastal Walk route, our experience

We started the route at New Brighton Floral Pavillion, which you could begin from between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Then, we headed towards Fort Perch Rock and walked left along the promenade to Wallasey Beach.

The route is straightforward to follow, and loads of people were taking part, so we just followed along! It was so lovely to see so many people taking part for different causes.

Once we passed Wallasey Beach, we followed the Wirral coastline towards Leasowe Beach, past Leasowe Castle and Leasowe Lighthouse. You can stop at any point along the way. We saw lots of people stopping with picnics at various spots.

Continuing to Meols. There was a pop-up Cafe at Meols promenade, which was really sweet. Luckily, the weather was nice enough to sit outside and have a little break before continuing on to Hoylake.

The Kings Gap at Hoylake is well over the halfway mark of the Wirral Coastal Walk. From here, we head past Red Rocks Nature Reserve and West Kirby across the beach.

West Kirby is an excellent lunch or drink stop if you fancy a break. Once in West Kirby, we head to the far side of Marine Lake towards Cubbins Green, where we accessed the Wirral Way and continued to Thurstaston.

There are portaloos along the way, plenty of cafes and places to stop. I loved that many locals had set up tables with free water bottles and dog water bowls! It makes me feel so grateful to call Wirral home.

Minibuses were available from Wirral Country Park at Thurstaston from 12.00 noon to 5.00 pm and ran to West Kirby Station (£1 donation) and Floral Pavilion (£3 donation).

Why did I take part in The Wirral Coastal Walk?

When I was 25, I had my son, which was the worst day of my life. 

People always gasp when I tell them this, but speaking out about birth trauma and its effects is so important because I cannot put into words how much hearing other people’s experiences helped me.

After 48 hours of labour, it was discovered that I had pre-eclampsia, and after another traumatic 24 hours, I eventually had an emergency caesarean section. In addition to complications, my spinal tap went too high. I couldn’t feel myself breathing. I felt like I was dying. Nobody told me I wasn’t.

Afterwards, I suffered crippling PTSD.

But we survived; I had the most amazing therapist, and my son is my total light, joy, adventure partner and the kindest human.

The day I had my son may have been the worst day of my life, but we have had so many wonderful days since. I am so thankful for that experience because it made me realise how strong I am, and I appreciate every moment I am here to be a part of his story.

I participated this year and raised money for Action on Pre-eclampsia (APEC). Thankfully, both me and my son survived pre-eclampsia, and I want to give back to this wonderful cause. Their key aims are to raise public and professional awareness of pre-eclampsia, improve care, and ease or prevent physical and emotional suffering caused by the disease.

How can I take part in the Wirral Walk?

You can register by completing the registration process on the Rotary Club of North Wirral website. If you would like a sponsorship form to help raise money for your charity, you can print one out. It costs us £5 each to register, and it is £1 per child.

You can register in person at the Floral Pavilion on the day. The fee is £6 for adults and £1 for children, payable by card or cash.

The next Wirral Walk will take place in 2025.

We loved participating in the Wirral Walk; we will be taking part yearly! The walk is a fun event, no matter your age or ability, and it was so lovely to see so many people enjoying Wirral’s gorgeous coastline for many good causes.