Guide to Thurstaston

There are six schools within a three mile radius of Thurstaston that achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating at their last review by Ofsted. This includes Ganneys Meadow Nursery School and Family Centre for children aged 2-5, two primary schools (ages 4-11) and two schools for children with special educational needs. A little further away (at just over four miles) is Clare Mount Specialist Sports College, a mixed gender senior school for ages 11-19. 

With the tremendous opportunity for a first class education available, it’s no wonder Thurstaston is a popular area for families with young children. We all want to give our children the best start, and there’s no doubt they’ll have a great chance in Thurstaston. You can find out about the excellent options available in Thurstaston on the Ofsted website here.

While Thurstaston has no doctors surgeries or dental practices of its own, there are plenty nearby – with Pensby Dental and Irby Dental Practice offering cosmetic and general dentistry, while Marine Lake Medical Practice and Heswall and Pensby Group Practice are two of about half a dozen nearby medical centres.

For more injuries or more serious procedures, there’s Arrowe Park Hospital – around a ten minute drive from Thurstaston – which has an accident and emergency service. Thurstaston services are part of the NHS Wirral CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group); you can find out about them here.

Thurstaston is a fantastic place if you’re looking to grab a bite to eat with friends, or need a coffee after a walk – with gems like Flissy’s Coffee Shop, five out of five on Tripadvisor, offering coffees and ice cream – but for an evening meal, you may have to head out of the village a little way. Not far, though, as neighbouring Heswall has an incredible choice of dining available – enough to keep even the most adventurous gourmand happy – from traditional pub food to fresh seafood, from the nation’s favourites: Indian and Chinese, to Ethiopian and Pad Thai. 

If you can’t find what you like nearby, however, Thurstaston is also within half an hour of both Liverpool and Chester by car – each with a fantastic choice of fine dining.

Thurstaston has no dedicated railway station, so commuting by train involves a trip to Heswall for services to Wrexham or to West Kirby for Wirral Line services. Unfortunately this puts both Chester and Liverpool at just over an hour by bus and train, while Wrexham takes a little less at around 45 minutes.

Things are a little easier by car, with commute times to Liverpool and Chester both around half an hour, and even Manchester reachable in just over an hour. So while it may not be the easiest village to commute from by public transport, Thurstaston’s excellent road connections makes it a great commuter village for drivers.

As with much of the Wirral, Thurstaston can trace its lineage back to Viking England and at least the 11th Century by written record – and the name Thurstaston is also an anglicisation of Old Norse – in this case Thorsteinn-tún or, approximately, ‘homestead of Thorsteinn’.

The original village centred around the church of St Bartholomew, and, of course, Thurstaston Hall – parts of which date back to the early 16th Century, though the current building predominately dates between 1680 and 1835. 

The railway station that originally served the community did so between 1886 and 1962 and served as a place to unload munitions for nearby anti-aircraft guns during the second World War. The route it ran along is now part of the Wirral Way, part of the Wirral Country Park.

The main attraction in Thurstaston is the incredible natural beauty on offer, and the village hosts a large section of the gorgeous Wirral Country Park and also has wonderful sandy beaches which are some of the best kept and most picturesque in the country, with views across the Dee into Wales. 

Thurstaston also has the whole of the Wirral on its doorstep, with potential for short trips to wonderful nature walks in Port Sunlight, Bebington and Eastham, Mersey river cruises, picnics at the beach, and culture rich cities all within an hour’s drive, both Liverpool and Chester overflowing with galleries, museums and more – not to mention that the natural beauty of Wales is within easy reach of a day trip.

You can head over to nearby Bromborough to watch a film at the state-of-the-art Odeon Luxe, treat yourself to a day of pampering at the spectacular Hilbark Hotel, or travel just a little further to the cultural and entertainment hubs of Liverpool and Chester – both only a half hour drive away, and each packed with things to do.

Though Thurstaston may be a relatively sleepy place, it is fortunate to be surrounded by towns and villages with theatres, museums, galleries, bars, nightclubs and more – all within an easy drive (or, for later night entertainment) an affordable taxi ride. So residents of Thurstaston can maintain the lifestyle of a big city local with all the benefits of your village life waiting at home.

Thingwall Road is the nearest beauty hub, with half a dozen salons offering therapies, stylists and more – all with a wide range of services. So whatever you need, whether it’s a total makeover to the finishing touches from a nail artist before a night out or special event, you’ll find something that suits your unique taste and style.

However, in addition to the concentration in nearby Pensby, there are also 20+ salons available nearby with Google Reviews above four-star, so there should be no need to travel far to find your new favourite.

Salons may not be the primary draw for buyers or renters, but it shouldn’t be discounted. These are the things that take somewhere from a nice place to live, to a great place to live.

Thurstaston is not somewhere you’ll find big brand stores – instead the village reserves its retail units for its thriving cafe culture; but all is not lost for the committed shopper. You’ll still find half a dozen retail parks dotted nearby and throughout the Wirral – all within easy reach of the village.

Nearby are JunctionONE Retail Park, the Coliseum Shopping Park in Ellesmere Port, The Croft Retail and Leisure Park in Bromborough and many more besides. A little further away still and you’ll find there’s fantastic shopping to be had in historic Chester, Liverpool city centre, and the purpose built LiverpoolONE and Cheshire Oaks.

Thurstaston has the expected access to large chain supermarkets, but there are also a tremendous selection of great independent stores in the surrounding towns and villages. There’s the popular Hoylake Pantry, a zero waste shop selling wholefoods and more – all single-use plastic free, there are also two farm shops – Vineyard Farm in Bromborough and Claremont Farm in Bebington – both offering sustainable, locally sourced produce including meats, cheeses, vegetables and more.

There are also independent butchers and grocers in and around the village which pride themselves on their offering of sustainable meat and produce – meaning residents in the village can choose to pick up their favourite brands, or take home something special when the need takes them.