Meols

Within a five-mile radius of Meols, there are 14 different schools which received an ‘outstanding’ rating from Ofsted – meaning that residents of Meols with children have at least one and often multiple schools for each age range nearby with the top rating. 

For example, there’s Ganneys Meadow Nursery School and Family Centre for 2 to 5 year olds, Orrets Meadow School for 5-11, two single sex senior schools – one for boys and one for girls, and two schools for children with special education needs – all with outstanding ratings and all within five miles.

It’s no surprise, then, that Meols is a popular location among young families as they look to give their children the best schooling available.

Meols is served by Hoylake and Meols Medical Centre which was given a full set of ‘good’ ratings during its last review by the Care Quality Commission and is located a short walk from Meols train station and Manor Pharmacy. While it has no dentist in the village, there are about a dozen in nearby towns and villages – within a mile or two.

The closest hospital to the village is Arrowe Park Hospital in nearby Upton which has accident and emergency facilities.

All of the services in Meols fall under the remit of NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and you can find out more about them here

Being such a small village, there are few restaurants in the village itself – but for those wanting to grab a coffee and a bite to eat, there are some great independently owned cafes – or The Railway if you need something a little stronger with your meal. However, surrounded, as Meols is, by larger towns, there are plenty of takeaway and delivery options available for a night in.

If you’re looking for something a little fancier, there is the nearby, historic Leasowe Castle, which offers its meals beneath a star-studded ceiling that once formed part of the Palace of Westminster, or the Michelin listed Oxo in Heswall a little further away.

While Meols may be a small village, it is well connected to the rest of the Wirral – which can provide the dining experience of your choice all within a short drive.

Meols railway station is on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line which has a regular service that runs between Liverpool Lime Street and West Kirby. National services are available at Liverpool Lime Street which you can reach in 25 minutes, while Manchester and Chester each require around a 90 minute journey.

Meols village has excellent connections by road, and while the journey time to Manchester drops to just over an hour, Chester is reachable in 35 minutes and Liverpool in 20 minutes by road. This puts all three cities within or around the average UK commute time of 59 minutes, while the surrounding towns and villages are all well connected by road and most towns can be reached in under half an hour. 

Documented in the Anglo-Saxon era Domesday Book – a ‘Great Survey’ written following the crowning of William the Conqueror – but referred to as Melas, which is thought to have evolved over time to Meols from the Old Norse melr which means ‘sand dunes’. However, there is evidence of human habitation of the era going back thousands of years further.

Since the early nineteenth Century, there have been artefacts recovered that relate to pre-Roman Carthage, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons and the Roman Empire. This has led archaeologists and historians to believe that the area was used as a port as far back as 2400 years – the Iron Age.

Part of the greater Wallasey area, Meols offers a wide selection of attractions – not in the village itself, but virtually on the doorstep. From Viking Quest Adventure Golf, a dog-friendly, themed crazy golf course to Pathan Park outdoor karting track, a cinema, an Airsoft shooting range is based in the World War 2 tunnels beneath New Brighton and the New Brighton seaside itself – with its fun park, theatre and gardens. There should be enough within easy reach of Meols to see parents through most summer holidays.

If you’re a nature lover, there are plenty of options there, too – from the longest promenade in the UK which runs between Seacombe and New Brighton, a riverside walk with a view of the Liverpool skyline to the North Wirral Country Park and its fantastic views and woodland walks.

With theatre available at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton – which hosts everything from ballet, drama, opera to kids shows and Christmas Pantos – and the museums and galleries available in surrounding areas, like the Lady Lever Art Gallery in nearby Port Sunlight, it won’t pain residents too much to find out that there are few places in Meols to find their entertainment. 

There aren’t many nightclubs on the Wirral in general, so it should be no surprise that there aren’t any late-night party venues in the village of Meols, but there are restaurants and bars available within a short drive – and for anyone craving a night out, Liverpool, a city with a nightlife that has become a tourist draw on its own, is just an affordable taxi ride away.

Market Street (A553) which runs through both Meols and Hoylake is blessed with dozens of salons and stylists of all kinds, making it a fairly simple task to find an establishment that meets your tastes and style. Whether you’re looking for a trim, a colour, nail art or tanning, you’ll be able to find something you like. 

Although you’ll find few people that would specify the local beauty salons as a specific reason to move to an area, it’s always great to know that you won’t need to travel for miles to find somewhere that can offer what you want – and with the Meols, you’ll have everything you need on your doorstep, so there’ll be no need to panic before a night out or a special occasion.

The village of Meols isn’t quite large enough to need or desire the busy high street you might find in one of the nearby big cities, but it is lucky enough to have several retail parks in the vicinity which should suit the avid shopper.

Nearby options include the Marine Point Retail and Leisure Park at New Brighton, The Croft Retail and Leisure Park in Bromborough, JunctionONE Retail Park, and a few more besides. However, the proximity of the village to Liverpool city centre makes the purpose built LiverpoolONE retail and leisure park the ideal destination for a day of shopping.

While the village is better suited for a coffee and a catch up, there’s plenty of shopping available nearby.

Whether you’re looking for big-brand bargains or artisanal cheeses, the area around Meols is well-stocked with supermarkets. With vegan-friendly, plastic-free stores available in both Liscard and Hoylake and farm shops in Bromborough and Bebington selling locally sourced, fresh produce, cheeses and meats – with enough variety that you could, should the urge take you, fulfil your weekly shop with such treats.

However, if you need to keep things simple, you’ll find a Tesco Extra as well as Aldi and Morrisons stores within a short drive and smaller local Sainsburys, M&S and Tesco stores if you need a few bits and pieces on the way home from work