Welcome

The Mersey Estuary stretches from Warrington to Liverpool and the Wirral. Read about some of the outdoors art, bird’s eye views and unexpected sights around the estuary, and its wildlife and tidal bore. Also, about the lost rivers of Liverpool, how land was reclaimed to build the city’s port, and a new polar research vessel. There is also a post listing useful websites and books about the estuary and a review of a Channel 5 programme on the port. This page gives more details.

In strong winds, glider pilots exploit the updrafts caused by mountain waves. Read about how these waves form and other meteorological topics, such as how storms are named and how the seasons and equinoxes are defined.

There are many opportunities to see wildlife around the UK’s coasts and estuaries, including spectacular aerial waterbird displays called murmurations, along with seals and other marine life. See here also to read about sites in the Mersey Estuary and beyond, and here to read about the problem of invasive plant species.

In the days of steam and sail, navigators relied on time balls and One O’Clock Guns for an accurate time signal and analogue computers to predict the tides. Inland ports also thrived in the days before road and rail transport; follow these links to read more.

On the highest tides, spectacular waves known as tidal bores form on about a hundred estuaries around the world and push upstream against the river flow. Read about how they form and some examples here and here from around the UK.