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A local web developer has launched a new website to make planning the walk from West Kirby to Hilbre Island simpler.
Daniel Chadwick says https://walkhilbre.co.uk/ brings together calculated crossing windows, tides, weather context, the recognised route via Little Eye and Middle Eye, and practical safety guidance.
He is currently studying for a PhD at the University of Liverpool looking at navigation systems, and has worked on mapping, terrain height data and bringing different sources of information together.
Daniel told West Kirby Today: “The idea for WalkHilbre came from applying some of that experience to a very local problem. If you want to walk out to Hilbre, you can end up checking tide times in one place, weather somewhere else, looking at the route separately and then trying to work out a sensible crossing window yourself. I thought it should be possible to bring all of that together in one clear place.
“I hope WalkHilbre makes planning the walk easier, particularly for people who haven’t been out to the islands before. The aim isn’t to tell people that a crossing is guaranteed to be safe, but to give them a much better starting point, show the relevant information clearly and encourage them to check the conditions and local guidance before setting off."
Daniel Chadwick
He added: “Hilbre is such a distinctive part of West Kirby and the Wirral, so it felt like a good opportunity to use some of my research and technical experience to build something genuinely useful for the local area.
"I’m also building Page & Place, a small Wirral-based web design and digital business, so WalkHilbre ended up bringing those two sides of my work together."
Top photo credit: Wirral Council
