5 things to do in Birkenhead Park when you visit Gaia

24 May 2024

Luke Jerram’s iconic Gaia is coming to Birkenhead Park next week in what promises to be one of the highlights of Wirral’s Borough of Culture programme.

The floating Earth, which measures seven meters in diameter and features NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface, can be found at the Grand Entrance to the park from Tuesday 28 May until Thursday 30 May.

It promises to be an event, not to be missed, and here are five things you can do to make the most of your visit:

1. Enjoy the beauty of Birkenhead Park. A short walk away from Gaia you can find the boathouse, Swiss Bridge and rockery, or you can explore the 140 acres of historic parkland, lakes and woodlands.

2. There will be a full programme of events during Gaia’s visit, with everything from people-powered rockets and fire installations, to artists and performers. There will be something different every day, so check out the programme at visitwirral.com/wirral2024

3. It can be hungry work circumnavigating the globe, so bring your own picnic or perhaps you could treat yourself to an ice-cream the award-winning Caffe Cream in the Visitor Centre. What’s your favourite flavour?

4. Go wild-life spotting. Birkenhead Park is home to lots of wildlife including grey squirrels, waterfowl, bats and owls, as well as birds like European goldfinch and woodpeckers.

5. Why not make a day of it and see what else Birkenhead has to offer? Lowry’s iconic ‘Going to the Match’ painting is currently at Williamson Art Gallery, located just a 1.5km walk away from the park.

How to get there

Birkenhead Park train station is a five minute walk from the park and is easily-accessible on Merseyrail’s Wirral Line. The station is equipped with a wheelchair accessible elevator.

If you’re traveling by bus, there are many routes that stop at Birkenhead Park. These are some of the closest bus stops and the routes that they service:

Park Road North

Route 216 – Woodside Circular
Route 407 – Liverpool to West Kirby
Route 418 – New Ferry to Birkenhead
Route 437 – Liverpool to Birkenhead
Route 410 – New Brighton to Clatterbridge Hospital
Route 658 – Saughall Massie Road / Kingfisher Way to Wallasey Village / Village Way

Park Road South