Just 30 minutes away from Liverpool is Cheshire's only coastal resort that's like "being at the seaside without the sea".
The picturesque village of Parkgate on the Wirral peninsula is known for its award-winning ice cream, fish and chips and stunning views across the Dee Estuary to the Welsh hills. But 300 years ago it was home to one of Britain's busiest ports, described as Cheshire's gateway to Ireland.
The port was not only used to trade goods from England to Dublin, but also played an important role in Irish migration. As the River Dee went through the natural process of silting in the 1800s, the receding waters gave way to a beach resort where people would go sea bathing.
Today the water has retreated from Parkgate all together and it is now cut off from the River Dee and the Irish Sea. What was once a beach has been replaced by a saltmarsh and RSPB nature reserve, with a variety of wildlife attracting bird watchers and walkers from across the North West.
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High tide now only occurs a few times a year - and it's something of a spectacle. Hundreds of people flock to the area to catch a glimpse of the water rising over the marshes and lapping up against the sea wall on the promenade.
Laura Atkins, senior supervisor at The Boat House pub in Parkgate, told the ECHO: "You know if it's going to be a high tide because you see everybody gathering. We get all the bird watchers coming down. They set their tents up down there."
At high tide, people can spot everything from ducks, to geese and birds of prey up close from the promenade, now known as "the Parade".
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