The Smugglers Way

Smuggling, wrecking and folklore on the Wirral coast

A forgotten coast. A hidden network of caves. A trail that begins at Mother Redcap’s and follows the shadowed paths of smugglers and wreckers along the Irish Sea.

The Smugglers Way traces a circular walking route across the Wirral Peninsula, from the old inn at Mother Redcap’s through the sandstone caves of the Red and Yellow Noses, past Fort Perch Rock, St Hilary’s Church and Bidston Hill, and onward across mossland and shoreline shaped by secrecy and tide. Beneath open skies and eroding cliffs, history lingers close to the surface.

Blending walking guide, local history and folklore, this book explores shipwrecks, hidden passages, contraband cargoes and the characters who moved unseen between shore and settlement. Clear route guidance is woven into a reflective narrative, inviting readers not only to follow the trail, but to experience the atmosphere of a coast shaped by danger, opportunity and legend.

Whether walked in full or explored in sections, The Smugglers Way offers a journey through one of England’s lesser-known maritime landscapes — where sandstone meets tide, and the past still leaves its mark.