Turnstone
Nov to Feb
Flips stones and weed on the sea walls. Winters here in big numbers.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Wind
Keep Play NB on your home screenOpens like an app, straight to the beach.
Beach now
Check the tide before you walk out. On the Mersey it can come in behind you, even on a calm day.
Today's tide timesADMIRALTY EasyTide. Nearest station: Liverpool (Gladstone Dock), across the river mouth. (opens in a new tab)Spring tides around now: the biggest of the month, coming in and going out fastest.
Sunrise and sunset
Sunrise--:--
Sunset--:--
Lifeguards
Wind off the land today. It blows inflatables out to sea: keep them for the pool.
The Hello New Brighton boards
Free, open all hours
The beach, the prom, the parks and more than 40 murals cost nothing. Start at the top of Victoria Road and follow the mural trail down to the sea.
Ride tickets
Things to do
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The OpenAIR Gallery
The mural trail
Freeopen all hours
Since 2018 local and international artists have turned the Victoria Quarter and beyond into an open-air gallery you can walk round. Follow the trail, or pick a pin and wander.
42pins on the map
19artists named
2018first wall
Tap a pin, or a name below, to find a mural. Streets © OpenStreetMap contributors. The dotted line is a suggested order, not a mapped route.
Start with these
Artists on the trail: tap to find their walls
Every mural, in trail order
Want the stories behind them? Guided murals tour, £19.99
Photos welcome, tags not. Keep to the pavement and mind the cars where murals face side streets.
Beach and nature
Who's on the shore
New Brighton sits where the Mersey meets Liverpool Bay. Birds come from the Arctic to winter here, and the river is alive again after one of Britain's great clean-ups.
This shore is protected for its birds: the Mersey Narrows and North Wirral Foreshore Special Protection Area and Ramsar site. Each bird below links to its RSPB page, with photos and its call.
Oystercatcher
Autumn to spring
Black and white with a long orange bill. Loud and easy to spot.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Knot
Autumn to spring
Huge flocks on the North Wirral flats: over 10,000 counted.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Cormorant
Mostly winter
Stands on posts and rocks with its wings held out to dry.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Leach's storm petrel
Sep to Nov, in gales
An ocean bird blown in by westerly gales. New Brighton is a famous spot to see one.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Common tern
Summer
Dives for fish over the river. Nests across the water at Seaforth.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗We love our seagulls
Our gulls
There's no single bird called a seagull. Here are five you'll see from the prom. The gulls are on the murals too: find Seagull and Fox by BREZAUX on the trail.
Herring gull
All year
The classic seaside "seagull". Red-listed in the UK after big falls in numbers.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Black-headed gull
All year, most in winter
Small and noisy. The "black" head is chocolate brown, and only in summer. In winter it shrinks to a dark spot behind the eye.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Common gull
All year
Not as common as the name says. Like a small, gentle-faced herring gull with a greenish-yellow bill and legs.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Great black-backed gull
All year
The biggest gull in the world, with a black back and wings and pink legs.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Kittiwake
Autumn gales, offshore
A true seabird that winters far out in the Atlantic. Watch for it out at sea in autumn gales, with the storm petrels. Red-listed.
See and hear it on the RSPB site (opens in a new tab) ↗Mind your chips
On the prom, any day
Our gulls love a chippy tea as much as we do, and they don't wait to be asked. Eat with your back to a wall or under a shelter, keep the tray close, and please don't feed them. It only teaches them to grab.
Watch the prom as the tide goes out. Gulls fly up with mussels and cockles and drop them on the concrete to crack them open, then swoop down to eat. Stand back and enjoy the show.
Spot it in October
- Storm petrels in autumn gales ↗
- Wader flocks on the high-tide roost ↗
- Turnstones back on the rocks ↗
- Cormorants on the Narrows ↗
At high tide the waders rest, because their feeding grounds are under water. Every time they are made to fly they burn energy they need for winter. Stay well back, keep dogs close and use binoculars.
The Mersey came back
ThenCalled possibly the most polluted estuary in Western Europe. The big clean-up began in 1985.
NowHarbour porpoises near the river mouth, grey seals out by Hilbre, dolphins in Liverpool Bay and salmon back upriver.
There's still work to do: sewage still spills into the river after heavy rain.
Found a seal, dolphin or porpoise in trouble? Call British Divers Marine Life Rescue on 01825 765546. Don't push a seal pup back into the sea.
Rock pooling at Perch Rock
Falling tideShore crab
Beadlet anemone
Periwinkle
Starfish
Shanny
Shrimp
- Go as the tide falls, round low water, and head back as soon as it turns.
- Wellies or sturdy shoes. The rocks are slippery and sharp.
- Fill a bucket with seawater, keep it in the shade, one animal at a time. Leave the net at home.
- Pick crabs up gently from behind. Never put fish in with anemones.
- Put rocks, weed and creatures back exactly where you found them.
Find out more, and get involved
Beach day kit
Binoculars
Birds on the roost, ships at the river mouth.
Birds on the roost, ships at the river mouth.
Tide times
Checked before you set off.
Checked before you set off.
A windproof layer
It's breezier on the front than in town.
It's breezier on the front than in town.
Wellies or grippy shoes
For the rocks and the wet sand.
For the rocks and the wet sand.
A bucket, no net
Fill it with seawater for rock pooling.
Fill it with seawater for rock pooling.
A charged phone
For tide times, photos, and help if you need it.
For tide times, photos, and help if you need it.
Water and sun cream
In summer there's little shade on the prom.
In summer there's little shade on the prom.
A bag for litter
Take home what you bring.
Take home what you bring.
Photo walk
In the footsteps of the greats
Some of Britain's best photographers made their names on this front. In 2018 Martin Parr, Tom Wood and Ken Grant were shown together at Marine Point in New Brighton Revisited.
1983 to 85
Martin Parr
Shot The Last Resort here over three summers: saturated colour, daylight flash, hot bank holiday crowds. Published in 1986. He died in December 2025.
Look for: the Victorian shelters and the busy prom on a hot day.
1978 to 2003
Tom Wood
Lived in New Brighton for 25 years and was known locally as the Photieman. Shot Looking for Love at the Chelsea Reach club, and Merseyside from the bus.
Look for: people waiting at the ferry, the bus stop, the market.
1992 to 2002
Ken Grant
Lived here for ten years. Quiet black-and-white pictures of everyday life by the coast.
Look for: small moments between people, in soft winter light.
Eight things to shoot
- 1Perch Rock lighthouse and the fort. At high water it stands in the sea, at low water on the sand. Shoot from the prom.
- 2Ships at the river mouth. Container ships, the ferries to Ireland and the Isle of Man, and cruise ships pass close by.
- 3The Liverpool skyline. Walk south along the prom towards Vale Park and Seacombe.
- 4Sunsets. In summer the sun goes down over Liverpool Bay and the wind farm. In winter, further round the coast.
- 5The fair and arcades at dusk. Lights on, sky still blue.
- 6The murals. Morning light for the walls that face east.
- 7Dawn swimmers at the Marine Lake. Ask before you photograph anyone up close.
- 8Birds on the high-tide roost. A long lens, and stay back so they settle.
Ask before a close portrait, and always ask a parent before photographing children. Never walk out to the lighthouse on a rising tide for a shot.
A mural for Martin Parr
Martin made The Last Resort on this front. With the Martin Parr Foundation, we're raising the money for a mural in the OpenAIR Gallery that honours him and the town he photographed. Every donation helps paint it.
Were you there? If Martin photographed you or your family here in the 1980s, we'd love to hear from you. Tell us your story
Please read before you go
Stay safe by the Mersey
The Mersey has one of the biggest tides in Britain, rising and falling by up to about 10 metres. People get cut off here on calm days and all year round, often walking the dog, not only swimming.
The tide
Check tide times before you walk out and know when you must turn back. Sandbanks like the North Bank can flood all round you hours before high water. Don't walk out in the dark, and tell someone where you're going.
Beach flags (RNLI)
- Red and yellow: lifeguard-patrolled swimming and bodyboarding zone.
- Red: dangerous conditions, do not enter the water.
- Black and white: zone for surfboards and other craft. Never swim here.
- Orange windsock: no inflatables.
No flags means no lifeguards. All the flags and signs
Currents and groynes
Strong currents run round Fort Perch Rock, and a current runs along the beach. The groynes are slippery and go under at high tide: don't climb on them. Watch for boats and jet skis and keep well clear.
Mud
Patches of mud can look like wet sand. Keep off, and keep children clear. If you get stuck, stay calm, spread your weight, don't let anyone come after you, and call 999.
Cold water and inflatables
Cold water shock can hit even on a warm day. Keep inflatables for the pool: wind off the land blows them out to sea. If you end up in the water, float: lean back, ears under, and breathe until you can call for help.
Someone in trouble?
Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Don't go in after them. Tell them to float, and throw them something that floats if you can.
Emergency: call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.Lifeguards are only on duty in season, between the flags. New Brighton RNLI runs an inshore lifeboat, and Hoylake RNLI's hovercraft comes out to the mud and sandbanks.
Bathing water: Wallasey is rated Good (Environment Agency, 2025). New Brighton beach isn't a designated bathing water, so it isn't tested. RNLI safety advice for New Brighton
Plan your day
Had a good day out?
This board is free, with no ads and no sign-up, and it always will be. If it's helped, you can chip in to the street art all around you: donations to the OpenAIR Gallery go to restoring the murals and painting new ones. They never affect who's listed here, or how.