Book Review: The Mersey Estuary – A Travel Guide
Today I’m joining the blog tour for The Mersey Estuary – A Travel Guide by Kevin Sene. @matadorbooks @metowriternews @randomTTours
Book Cover Notes
Discover the Mersey’s hidden gems in this comprehensive new travel guide!
Stretching for around thirty miles to the coast, the Mersey Estuary is perhaps best known for Liverpool’s spectacular waterfront and the Mersey Ferry. But there are many other hidden gems along its shores, including waterside parks, sandy beaches and poignant reminders of the days of steamships and sail.
The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide provides suggestions for places to visit along the estuary, from its upper reaches in Warrington to where it meets the sea at New Brighton and the Sefton Coast. Along the way, the book calls in at Widnes, Runcorn, Ellesmere Port, Port Sunlight, Birkenhead, Liverpool and Formby Point, and includes an interesting mix of walks and cycling routes, ranging from a couple of hours to a full day out. Readers will also discover some less well-known sights, including lighthouses, a castle, medieval buildings, and a transporter bridge, one of only eight left in the world.
For those interested in the history, environment and wildlife of the estuary, there is also an introduction to its nature reserves, geology, canals and bird life. Other topics include the development of the Port of Liverpool, including its famous Liver Birds, and how the estuary has been cleaned up in recent decades so that even salmon have returned. There are also tips on birdwatching and photography and on where to see seals and the Mersey’s little-known tidal bore. With stunning colour photographs, The Mersey Estuary: A Travel Guide is a must-read for travellers to the area and local residents alike.
My Thoughts
Owning a motorhome means I’m always on the look out for interesting travel guides for future road trips around the UK. I haven’t explored the Mersey area, so I was thrilled to be invited to review The Mersey Estuary Travel Guide.
I was pleasantly surprised by the size of this book when my copy arrived. Some travel guides are quite large and heavy. This isn’t helpful if you want to take the book with you but need to pack light. Weight is a challenge in a motorhome too. I’d have no problem taking this book with me on a trip.
The Travel Guide starts by introducing the Mersey area. With recommendations on the best times to visit, getting around and lots of safety advice (which I loved being a risk assessor sort of person:-). The Intro section has useful themed listings to help you find points of interest. I think this is a real time saver when planning a trip. The listed themes included:
Good Places For
- a Bird’s Eye View
- to see Wildlife
- for Scenic Walks
- insights into Maritime and Local History
I loved being able to jump straight into the book using one of these listings. I chose Good Places for a Bird’s Eye View, as I love to get up high for landscape photography. The book guided me to pages with recommendations for Radio City Tower, Liverpool Cathedral, Halton Castle and more. Brilliant, how handy is that when planning your trip?
For those who love to follow walking and cycling routes, there are several routes suggested. All with beautiful photography and maps with reference points.
Summary
A bumper packed travel guide with handy listings to help you tailor a trip to suit your interests. Highly recommended travel guide.
I shall certainly be packing this into my motorhome for a future road trip. Mersey Estuary looks like a beautiful part of the UK and now on my ‘must visit’ list.
About The Author
“I am a keen traveller and photographer and enjoy reading guidebooks. Particularly where they provide insights into the history and wildlife of an area. Having enjoyed many walks and cycle trips around the Mersey Estuary, I therefore wanted to publish an easily accessible guide for others,” explains Kevin Sene of his new book which will appeal to both visitors to the area and local residents.
KEVIN SENE is a scientist and writer with an extensive knowledge of the maritime history, wildlife and environment of the estuary, and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Now based in Edinburgh, he is a regular visitor to the area having lived in Warrington for many years. Kevin also posts articles on the Mersey Estuary, Cumbria and beyond at https://www.meteowriter.com.
Where to Buy
Thanks to Anne RandomTTours for inviting me on the tour. Also thanks to Kevin Sene and Matadorbooks for my digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own.
Miche @ Touring Tales x
One Comment
Anne Cater
Thanks for the blog tour support x