Wirral

Most first visits to Wirral start with the coast. Head to West Kirby Beach or Meols Beach and you get the peninsula's real character straight away - wide sand, sea air, and views across to Wales and Liverpool Bay depending on which side you're facing. It's the kind of place where a first day is best spent walking the shoreline, then working inland to see what else the area offers.

That inland side is worth the detour. Thurstaston Nature Reserve gives you heathland and cliffs above the Dee estuary, good for a proper walk rather than a stroll. Port Sunlight Museum tells the story of the model village built here, with its distinctive architecture still standing all around it, and it's an easy way to spend an hour or two learning something about the area's industrial past. Families tend to gravitate towards Brimstage Maze, Tam O'Shanter Urban Farm, or a round at Mini Golf Adventures, and there's enough spread across the peninsula to fill a weekend without doubling back on yourself.

What makes Wirral work as a first trip is how compact it all is - beaches, nature reserves, a historic village, and family attractions within a peninsula you can properly explore over a few days, without ever feeling like you're rushing between them.