10 Best Summer Picnic Spots on Merseyside

We’ve been banging on about the weather for weeks now, but it’s official, this week is  a scorcher and to tie in with the kids starting the summer holidays we’ve put together the best picnic spots for a cheap, fun day in the sun.

Butties, check!

1. Lunch with a Legend – Albert Dock

Why not take advantage of the sea breeze and take a wander around the free museums on the Albert Dock this summer? The grassy area behind Mermaid House, where the statue of Billy Fury (busting some moves) stands is a perfect sport for laying out a picnic blanket and tucking into some lunch. We can almost taste the fish & chips from here!

2. Three Graces – Pier Head

With so many concerts and festivals taking place this summer, the Pier Head is the place to be! Get down early to claim your spot right in front of the magnificent Three Graces (usually where the prosecco tent is at Liverpool Loves) and let the kids kick a footy around. Even on quiet days this is a great little grassy area to chill out.

3. Plane Spotting – Pickerings Pasture

Not many people know Pickerings Pasture exists, but if you head out towards Widnes (WA8 8LP) this stunning local nature reserve is a Green Flag award winning park with an unrivalled view right across the northwest region. From Runcorn to the Wirral and around to Liverpool. Totally wheelchair and bike accessible, it’s a quiet place to relax while the kids burn off some energy and count the planes on approach to Liverpool John Lennon Airport!

4. Another Place – Burbo Bank, Crosby

The award winning Crosby beach and home to the Antony Gormley statues, is one of our fave picnic areas as it’s so accessible. Boss for kite flying, making sandcastles and selfies with the statues, there’s so much to do in one area. Throw the kids bikes in the car and head down the coastal path before settling down on the grass for a picnic! Free and fabulous!

5. One for the Teens – St James Gardens

We distinctly remember being utterly terrified of walking through St James Gardens when we were kids, but the urban parkland that is sunk behind the Anglican Cathedral really is a beautiful oasis. If you’re into history, the graves and monuments here tell a whole load of tales from newspaper editors to broken hearted lovers. The garden is Grade 1 listed and is an alternative picnic/chill out destination to the crowded parks. Are you brave enough to lunch among the headstones?

6. Bird on the Wire -Wirral Country Park

Wirral Country Park (TH61 0HN) is the place to be if you love birds, kites and bikes! With 11km of walking and cycling track along a former railway and superb views out across the estuary, you’d be mad to not spend a day in the sun here. There’s free parking (always a bonus) a visitor centre, toilets and sandy areas for the kids to play about in! What’s not to like?

7. Peace & Tranquillity – Festival Gardens

Newly restored and rejuvenated, Festival Gardens on Riverside Drive is a vibrant green space jam-packed with wildlife, and beautiful structures like Japanese pagodas and waterfalls. You can grab a coffee, relax in the oriental gardens and take a gazillion pics while the kids explore the trails and animals that have moved into this unique site.

8. A Great Hall (or two) -Speke Hall and Croxteth Park

Fancy eating your lunch in the shadow of a great hall? Well we have two to choose from! Both Speke Hall and Croxteth Country Hall are spectacular estates with tonnes of grassy space for picnics and footy and hoola hooping…the list is endless. Speke Hall is currently show casing their Wollen Woods and you can’t go to Crokky without stopping in at Home Farm (ps there’s new piglets just been born too, awwwwww)

9. Up On the Roof – Alder Hey in the Park

The new Alder Hey Hospital caused a stir with its unique grassy roof, and while its stealing all the glory, there’s a little park right next door that’s almost been forgotten. Agreed the park equipment needs an overhaul, but with tonnes of tended parkland, and Sainsbury’s just across the road for picnic essentials, what was Springy Park is still a hit with those who just love running around playing hido!

10. Jack of All Trades – Sefton Park

We can’t write about picnics and summers with kids without including Sefton Park can we? What an all-rounder! Parkland, bloody big lake, ice-cream, playparks, miles of tarmac for bikes, trikes and scooters! Picnic benches, quiet corners and of course the stunning Palm House. Not to mention family friendly festivals like Liverpool Food & Drink and LIMF this weekend! We Heart Sefton Park.