Mariner's Point, West Kirby

As I type this, the sun's shining. When I took these photos this morning, it was raining steadily. Still, I wanted to share this steep flight of steps cut into the rock which leads up to Mariner's Point. The 60ft high sandstone column was put there in 1841 after the windmill which used to stand there blew down during a storm. Sailors had used this as a point of navigation.

If you climb the stairs - there's a bench at the top! - you can follow a rugged footpath into Stapleldon Woods. The ground is pretty much a quagmire at the moment, and so I opted not to do this despite my two dogs straining at their leashes. You have to watch your footing in places even when the ground is dry, as it's a tangle of gnarled roots and jutting rocks around slopes and dips. When the ground is a mushy, sliding stew of deep mud and wet leaves it would be too easy to fall and injure yourself. (And while this might amuse the Caldy fae, from my Artisan-Sorcerer series, I'd sooner wait for better conditions).

The view from the top of the steps is fabulous. It stretches along the last few miles of the River Dee to its mouth by Hoylake, on the English side, and the Point of Ayr, on the Welsh side. Take a minute to watch this very short video, which I made while there today.

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