About Parkgate
The visitor to Parkgate will find it a bustling and unusual place; a long straight road bounded on one side by a sandstone sea wall and a huge (10,000 hectare) expanse of salt marsh.
Views stretch over the 4 mile wide Dee estuary, a well known bird reserve, to the hills of North Wales.
On nice days visitors flock to this Conservation Area for the views, the award winning ice-creams, locally caught shrimps, renowned bird watching, leisurely lunches in the pubs and restaurants and a walk along the Parade.
Several times a year when the tides are high and the wind is strong the sea reaches the wall, flushing out many small creatures, thus attracting birds of prey and more bird watchers!
If you visit Parkgate look for the information plaque sited on a sandstone plinth on the "Donkey Stand" near the seats.
This marks the spot where travellers would begin their journey to Ireland and elsewhere until silting of the nearby channel in 1815.
The plaque shows a panorama of the Welsh hills, tells the history of the passenger port and bathing resort, identifies the sea front buildings and provides information about the Dee Estuary's rich bird life.
More information:
Photo gallery: Birds and wildlife of the Dee Estuary