A SERIES of free walks will take place later this month to celebrate Wirral's Viking history. 

Organised by Professor Steve Harding in conjunction with the re-enactment group Viking Chester, people will be able to take part in the St. Olav’s Wirral Viking Heritage Walks on July 25 and 29.

Now in its tenth year the first walk will begin at St Bridget’s church, West Kirby and will then head along the Wirral Way to St Mary and St Helen's church in Neston.

Founded by Viking settlers coming to Wirral from Dublin, St Bridget’s is the home of the famous Viking hogback tombstone, dated to around AD 1000 with ‘Kirby’ meaning the village of the church in Viking.

St Mary and St Helen's houses fragments of at least two 10th century ring headed crosses recording events from the life of a Viking couple.

One of the fragments includes the earliest depiction of a jousting contest with Neston meaning the settlement at the promontory (point of high land) in Viking.

The group will meet at 9am in the museum next to St Bridget's for a 9.30am start and a blessing from Reverend John Bleazard.

Steve, the author of Ingimund’s Saga: Viking Wirral and Science and the Vikings said: “A millennium ago Wirral was a hugely significant, self-governing Viking enclave with its own leader – the first one of was Ingimund – and own Assembly at Thingwall.

“The whole area is stuffed full of Norse place names with impressive archaeology and of course the Vikings are still with us in that a recent genetic survey showed that up to 50% of the DNA of people from old families on Wirral and neighbouring West Lancashire is Scandinavian in origin.

“This will be the 10th anniversary of the walks – at least in modern times.

“The idea came from Norwegian friends – every year they have an annual pilgrimage from all over Scandinavia heading towards the shrine of St Olav at Trondheim.

“St Olav is the greatly loved patron saint of Norway – his day is July 29 and people walk over up to 100 miles.

“Since we have a St Olav’s church in Chester we thought it would be a good idea to do a mini-walk or pilgrimage to celebrate our own great heritage.”

Another walk will take place on July 29 from 10am at the National Waterways Museum, near the old Viking settlement at Whitby, Ellesmere Port and take walkers along the towpath of the Shropshire Union Canal, around the City walls to St. Olave’s church.

All walkers are advised to bring water and sandwiches.

Steve added: “People can come on one or both walks, or just part of a walk such as West Kirby to Thurstaston or around the Chester walls, but in common with the main walk in Norway, people do the walk at their own risk. We just provide a guide.”

People who want to come on the walk should read the information online www.nottingham.ac.uk/-sczsteve/ and then RSVP by emailing steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk