Island 229 - Little Eye, Dee Estuary, Wirral

Little Eye is a very small tidal island that is rapidly disappearing, as it get eroded by the sea.  I am sure that there was more of it when I previously visited in 2010.  At that time I didn't think it was big enough to qualify as an island but I have now changed my mind!  It is located about 800 metres to the west of West Kirby on the Wirral and is part of a chain of islands with the larger Middle Eye and Hilbre Island. My second visit was in June 2014.

The photos I took make it look like it was a lovely sunny day.  However looks can be deceptive.  By the time I had walked on to Middle Eye and Hilbre thunder clouds had appeared.  On my return journey when I was halfway between Middle Eye and Little Eye the sky darkened dramatically and there were several bolts of spectacular forked lightning to the south but I wasn't sure how far away they were.  A tidal sand flat is one of the last places I would choose to be in the middle of a thunderstorm, as there was nothing taller than me for about 500 metres in any direction.  If there had been a prize for speed walking I would have won it that afternoon!  When I reached Little Eye, I sat down on one side of it for a while to allow the thunderstorm to pass.  At least the top of the island was higher than me.  For a few moments I thought I could feel the island vibrating underneath me but then I realised that what I could feel was actually my own heart thumping very loudly!  Thankfully the storm soon moved away and I could resume my journey back to West Kirby.  When I was about 400 metres away from the slipway there the heavens opened and it tipped down with rain and I was soaked by the time I got back to my car.



Little Eye

West Kirby from Little Eye

I am sure this concrete object was located on top of the island on my last visit.

Little Eye