Welcome To Wirral

The whole area covers 250 acres of which 13 acres are owned by the National Trust. The hill and woodland can be reached by bus or train via West Kirby. Car parking is along Column Road or at Kings Drive North (see map). Horse riding is allowed on Fleck Lane and Kings Drive bridleway; it is also allowed around the periphery of Grange Hill. Cycling is permitted on the bridleways.

The hill rises to 260 ft. at its highest point where a view-finder stands. Fine views across the estuary and towards the Isle of Man can be obtained in clear weather. The sandstone outcrop, on which the hill is located, is part of a ridge which extends from Heswall through Thurstaston and onto the Hilbre Islands.

Caldy Hill has a complex local history. All the land was acquired piecemeal by Hoylake District Council over the years between 1897 and 1974. Originally the hill was split up into small sections all privately owned by local landowners, and then given or sold with the understanding that the land was to be made open to the public and managed as countryside.

A major landmark is the Mariners Beacon which stands on the site of an old windmill. The mill was a very useful aid to maritime navigation and when it was destroyed by a gale in 1839, it was greatly missed. Consequently, the Trustees of the Liverpool Docks, with the permission of the landowner, Mr. Leigh, erected the Mariners Beacon in 1841.

Evidence of old enclosures can be seen on the hill in the form of old sandstone walls. Many of the older houses in the area are built from the stone taken from the quarries at Caldy and on Grange Hill. Some of these houses also have the original oak fences which were hand built by the carpenter of the Caldy Manor Estate, which previously owned much of the land in this area.

The heathland is of regional significance with a variety of heathers including Ling, Cross-leaved and Bell Heather. The Gorse and Bracken with Birch and Oak scrub provide good cover for birds and small mammals. During the summer months insects and butterflies such as the Common Blue and Small Copper are present. Foxes use the bracken and bramble for cover during the day.

The oak trees on the heath are host to a variety of gall wasps. These insects lay their eggs in a specific part of the tree which responds by producing a gall, such as an Oak Apple in which the larva develops.

Stapledon Woods is a mixed plantation of Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Beech and Ash with Elm and Sycamore. During the spring the woods contain masses of Bluebells and Daffodils. Through the summer the trees support a variety of woodland birds such as Great Spotted and Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Treecreeper. Summer migrants include Spotted Flycatcher and warblers. Pied Flycatchers and Wood Warblers have started arriving in recent summers.