Landfill-Pickerings Pasture-Halebank-Cheshire.

When I was learning to drive, many years ago, I would drive out with my dad on a ‘driving lesson’ to Pickerings Pasture. As it was out of the way and composed all of the driving experiences you needed, my dad would say ‘It’s a good run out’. This is true when you are learning to drive as ten miles there and back anywhere often needs a lie down afterwards, but also you don’t really notice anything about the places you have driven to as you are engrossed in car chi.

After a 15 year hiatus, I decided to revisit as my love of old reclaimed landfill sites is just too much to bury-bury, ha!

Pickerings Pasture, is the site of an old industrial landfill which was reclaimed in the 1980s and declared a Local Nature Reserve in the 1990’s. The Mersey Estuary is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Ramsar site. I cannot find any before pictures of the site and after two hours of searching I can’t be bothered anymore.

On arrival you are greeted to a panoramic view across the estuary, with every kind of interest catered for. I liked the industrial landscape mixed with cowslips and the cliffs made of concrete. It was wonderfully windy when I visited so do remember to take a hat.

Favourite things I saw, Hedge mustard growing around the car park, a band of jays shouting at each other and a tiny little comb I found on the shingle. Now is a good time to go as it is wild flower heaven and I spotted my first marsh horsetail of the year.

Go HERE to visit The Friends of Pickerings Pasture and HERE to read about the Estuary.