A Cabin of Your Own at the Bottom of an Irby Garden
There are not many stays where the walk to breakfast takes you along a line of stepping stones, under an iron arch and past a magnolia in flower. That is the morning here. You sleep in a detached timber cabin at the foot of a long private garden in Irby village, with your own front door onto the paving and nothing but shrubs and lawn between you and the house, then stroll up for a full English that Mark cooks to order.
Pick it for genuine privacy: two lodges only, no corridors, no queue at breakfast, and a village with two pubs and a Sicilian kitchen minutes from the gate. Skip it if you need step-free access or a strong signal in the room, because the garden path has steps and the Wi-Fi thins out under the trees.
What you get here is unusual for a village bed and breakfast. Each lodge is soundproofed and entirely on one level, with a king bed the owners will split into a twin if you ask, an en-suite, a patio with its own table and chairs, and greenery at every window. Parking is free on the drive and needs no reserving, bicycles can be locked away in the garden, and linen and towels are provided at no charge whatever a few travel listings still say. Manor Garden Lodge works best for couples, for golfers heading to Hoylake, and for anyone who wants a quiet base with Liverpool and Chester both inside half an hour.
What the Lodges Are Like Inside
Open the door and the room goes up rather than along. The ceiling is vaulted to the ridge with a dark beam across it, so 215 square feet feels considerably bigger than the number suggests. Walls are a pale sage, floors are hardwood and tile, and the bed carries white linen with a soft throw and floral cushions. An oak dressing table runs along one wall with a mirror above it, a tea and coffee tray, and a socket within reach of the bed.
Each lodge has its own entrance straight onto the paving, so nobody passes your window on the way anywhere. The en-suite is a modern shower room with a heated towel rail, free toiletries and a hairdryer, and there is underfloor heating for the cold months. Two chairs, a flat-screen with satellite channels and a radio take care of the evenings, and the patio furniture comes into its own from about April. One honest note on the shower: the pressure is gentle rather than powerful, and a few guests have said so.
Breakfast, and How the Morning Works
Breakfast is the part guests write home about. It is cooked to order by Mark and served up at the house on a white cloth with a cafetiere and a rack of toast, a traditional English plate alongside cereals and fruit, and vegetarian or vegan versions if you mention it when you book. Because there are only two lodges nothing runs on a rota. You come up at the time you agreed and the food arrives.
The practical side is simple. Tell the owners roughly when you will get there and they will meet you between three and eight in the evening, or leave a key out if you are later, since the cabins sit well away from the house. Payment is by bank transfer before you travel, with a deposit taken at the time of booking. The path down is long and has a few steps, which is exactly why the lodges are so quiet, so travel light or plan two trips with a heavy case.
Why Book Manor Garden Lodge?
This one suits people who would rather have a cabin to themselves than a room on a landing, and who like the idea of walking up a garden to a breakfast someone has cooked for them.
A cabin, not a room
Two detached timber lodges stand at the bottom of the garden, each with its own front door, a patio and a view of nothing but planting. No corridor, no landing, no neighbour through the wall.
Breakfast cooked to order
A traditional English breakfast plus cereals, fruit and toast, made by the host up at the house, with vegetarian and vegan versions on request. Two lodges means nobody waits for a table.
Park free, store the bikes
Private parking on the drive is free and needs no booking, and bicycles can be locked away in the garden well back from the road, which matters on a peninsula built for riding.
Four miles from Hoylake
Royal Liverpool Golf Club is four miles up the road, the Liverpool waterfront seven to eight, and Chester about half an hour by car. Irby sits in the middle of all of it.
Check Availability at Manor Garden Lodge
Interesting Points About Manor Garden Lodge
- There are only two lodges, which is why breakfast never runs on a rota. One guest wrote that with just two cabins there was no wait at all for the food, and the hosts cook to the time you agree the night before.
- Some travel listings still carry a line saying towels and sheets cost extra at this property. The owners answered that query in writing to say the clause appears in error and that linen and towels are provided free of charge.
- The nearest railway shown on several listings is Royden Park Miniature Railway, which is a heritage attraction rather than a station. The real public transport link is the 471 bus from Roslin Road in the village, roughly every 20 minutes and about 40 minutes into Liverpool.
- Two things the standard facility list misses: the king bed in each lodge can be made up as a twin if you ask when booking, and bicycles can be locked away in the garden, well away from the road.
- Da Piero, the family-run Sicilian restaurant about fifty yards from the gate, was named Best New Entry in the Good Food Guide 2010 and held a Michelin Guide recommendation from 2010 to 2013. It is small, so book before you travel.
- An AA four-star bed and breakfast plaque hangs from the timber post at the gate below the green house sign. That is the owners' own display rather than a result we could confirm on the AA's current directory, so read it as the property's claim.
Rooms & Accommodation at Manor Garden Lodge
Double Room
2 guests · King bed, twin on request · 20 m²
There is one room type here for the simple reason that there are only two lodges, and they are near enough identical: one holds a king bed, the other a super king, and either can be set up as a twin if you say so when you book. You get 215 square feet under a vaulted ceiling, a door of your own onto the paving, a patio with a table and chairs, and greenery filling the window. Couples take most of the nights; a solo traveller gets exactly the same privacy at the end of the same path.
Check PricesAmenities and Facilities
In the Lodge
- Linen and towels provided free of charge
- Free Wi-Fi, strongest up in the breakfast room
- Flat-screen TV with satellite and cable channels
- Radio and alarm clock
- Electric kettle with a tea and coffee tray
- Desk and seating area with two chairs
- Wardrobe and a socket beside the bed
- Heating, including underfloor heating
- Fan and ironing facilities
- Hardwood, parquet and tile floors
- Soundproofing between the lodge and the outside
- Not available: Sofa
- Not available: Cots and extra beds
Bathroom
- Private en-suite with bath or shower
- Heated towel rail
- Free toiletries and toilet paper
- Hairdryer
- Not available: Accessible wet room
Garden and Outdoors
- Mature private garden with lawn and mature shrubs
- Patio with outdoor furniture at each lodge
- Outdoor dining area and picnic area
- Sun terrace
- Garden view from every lodge
- Secure bicycle storage in the garden
- Not available: Swimming pool
- Not available: Spa or wellness centre
Breakfast
- Traditional English breakfast cooked to order
- Cereals, fruit and toast alongside
- Vegetarian and vegan versions on request
- Served in the breakfast room up at the house
- Not available: On-site restaurant
- Not available: Bar
- Not available: Room service
Parking and Getting Around
- Free private parking on site, no reservation needed
- The 471 bus from Roslin Road, roughly every 20 minutes into Liverpool
- Heswall station about 3.1 miles away
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport 15 miles, about 25 minutes by car
- Not available: Airport shuttle
Policies
- Children of any age are welcome
- Your own travel cot is fine if you mention it when booking
- No minimum age for the person checking in
- Bank transfer, bankcard and cash accepted
- Not available: Pets
- Not available: Smoking
- Not available: Parties, hen and stag groups
Irby Village, and Getting Around the Wirral
Irby is a proper lived-in village rather than a strip of guest houses, and that is most of the appeal. It sits inland on the western side of the Wirral peninsula, about two and a half miles from the Dee estuary coast, with a small parade of everyday shops, a chip shop, a couple of cafes and two pubs all within a few minutes of Manor Road. Da Piero, the family-run Sicilian restaurant that has been feeding the village since 2005, is about fifty yards from the gate and takes roughly a minute on foot. It is small, and locals book it, so ring before you travel rather than after you arrive. The Anchor Inn is three minutes away across the road with a large garden and a busy Sunday lunch, and The Shippons, a barn conversion dating from the 1780s, is a few minutes further on for straightforward pub food.
The peninsula is compact enough that almost all of it is within twenty minutes by car. Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake, an Open Championship links that staged the 151st Open in July 2023, is four miles north west, and there are around fifteen courses on the Wirral in total. West Kirby, with its marine lake and the start of the traffic-free Wirral Way along a dismantled railway, is a short drive west. New Brighton and Fort Perch Rock are about twenty minutes north, and Chester's Roman walls are roughly half an hour south.
Liverpool is the day out most guests build in. The waterfront, with the Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Liver Building and the Beatles Statue, is seven to eight miles east across the Mersey, about eighteen minutes by car through the Queensway tunnel. Without a car the honest answer is the bus: the 471 stops at Roslin Road in the village, runs roughly every twenty minutes and takes about forty minutes into the city. Note that there is no railway station in Irby. The nearest is Heswall, about 3.1 miles away on the Bidston to Wrexham line, with West Kirby and Hoylake a short drive for faster trains into Liverpool. Some listings show a miniature railway in Royden Park as the nearest station, which is a heritage attraction, not a way of getting anywhere.
- Da Piero: 1 min walk, about 50 yards. Family-run Sicilian kitchen open since 2005, small enough that booking ahead matters
- The Anchor Inn: 3 min walk, across the road. Country pub with a large garden and a well-known Sunday lunch
- The Shippons: 5 min walk. A 1780s barn conversion serving classic, good-value pub food
- Roslin Road bus stop: 3 min walk. The 471 into Liverpool, roughly every 20 minutes, about 40 minutes end to end
- Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake: 4 miles, about 10 minutes by car. Open Championship links that hosted the 151st Open in July 2023
- West Kirby Marine Lake: About 10 minutes by car. Sailing water and Dee estuary sunsets at the head of the Wirral Way
- Heswall station: 3.1 miles. The nearest railway station, on the Bidston to Wrexham line
- Liverpool waterfront: 7 to 8 miles, about 18 minutes by car. Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Liver Building and the Beatles Statue
- New Brighton: About 20 minutes by car. Seaside front with Fort Perch Rock and the Black Pearl driftwood ship
- Chester: About 30 minutes by car. Roman walls, the two-tier Rows and Chester Races
- Liverpool John Lennon Airport: 15 miles, about 25 minutes by car. No shuttle service, so plan a taxi or a hire car
Getting to Key Locations
Photo: Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 3.0
Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake
Four miles up the road and the reason a good share of guests book. The links has staged the Open thirteen times, most recently the 151st in July 2023, and the wider peninsula has around fifteen courses if you want a week of it. Park and ride runs in championship years; the rest of the time it is a ten-minute drive.
View on Map
Photo: Peter McDermott, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Wirral Way
Twelve traffic-free miles of dismantled railway running down the Dee coast from West Kirby, where the marine lake fills with dinghies and the sunsets face straight into Wales. It is the best use of the bike storage back in the garden, and the estuary marshes at Thurstaston and Parkgate sit right beside it.
View on Map
Photo: Ian Greig, CC BY-SA 2.0
Liverpool Waterfront
18 min drive
Seven to eight miles east across the Mersey, about eighteen minutes by car through the tunnel or forty on the 471. The Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Liver Building, the Beatles Statue and the Museum of Liverpool sit in one walkable stretch, and coming back over the water to a quiet garden at the end of it is the whole point of staying out here.
View on MapHow to Get to Manor Garden Lodge
- From Liverpool by bus: The 471 leaves Liverpool from Hood Street roughly every 20 minutes and reaches Irby in about 40 minutes. Get off at Roslin Road in the village; Manor Road is a few minutes on foot from there.
- From Liverpool by car: It is 8.7 miles and around 18 minutes: the Queensway tunnel at Birkenhead, then the A-roads out through Woodchurch and Thingwall into Irby. Free parking is on the drive when you arrive.
- From Liverpool John Lennon Airport: 15 miles, roughly 25 minutes by car or taxi. There is no shuttle, so book a car or a cab in advance if you land late.
- By train: There is no station in Irby. Heswall is the nearest at about 3.1 miles, and West Kirby or Hoylake are a short drive for faster trains into Liverpool. Finish the last stretch by taxi or bus.
- Arriving at the lodge: Let the owners know roughly what time you expect to arrive. Check-in runs from 15:00 to 20:00, and because the lodges sit well away from the house a key can be left out for a later arrival. From the drive it is a walk down the garden path, under the arch, to your own door.
The Wirral for First-Time Visitors
The Wirral is the peninsula between the Dee and the Mersey, with North Wales on one side and Liverpool on the other, and most visitors are surprised by how much of it is coast and countryside. From Irby you can be at the estuary at Thurstaston in ten minutes, on Hoylake's links in ten more, or in the middle of Liverpool in under twenty by car.
What people come for splits three ways. Golf is the biggest draw, with Royal Liverpool at Hoylake at the top of a list of roughly fifteen courses. Walking and riding come next, on the Wirral Way and the estuary marshes at Parkgate and Thurstaston. Then there is the seaside, mainly New Brighton, where Fort Perch Rock, the Black Pearl driftwood ship and a run of summer festivals fill the front from June onwards.
Two practical notes. A car makes this trip, because the peninsula's best bits are strung out along two coasts and the rail lines only serve part of it. And if you are timing a visit, spring to early autumn is when the gardens, the estuary and the coast path are all at their best, though winter stays here score well for warmth and quiet.
A Tour Around the Wirral
A tour around the peninsula taking in Heswall, West Kirby and New Brighton, which covers most of what is within half an hour of Irby.
Is Manor Garden Lodge worth it?
Yes, if what you want is a cabin to yourself rather than a room in somebody's house. Two lodges, your own door, a patio facing the planting, free parking and a breakfast guests name the host over. It suits couples, golfers heading for Hoylake, and anyone using Irby as a quiet base for Liverpool and Chester. Look elsewhere if you need level access from the drive, a staffed reception, or to arrive without a car.
What Guests Say About Manor Garden Lodge
Scores and review counts are aggregated from verified guest bookings on major travel platforms.
Superb
Two names come up in almost every write-up: Mark and Jan. Guests describe a spotless, quiet cabin set among well-kept shrubs, a bed they actually slept in, and a breakfast cooked fresh that several call the reason they will come back. The hosts draw the warmest feedback of any part of the stay. The criticisms are consistent and small: a gentle shower, the occasional cobweb or dusty towel rail, and a Wi-Fi signal that comes and goes down at the lodges.
Could not have chosen better for a first trip to the peninsula. Great breakfast, a handy spot for buses into the city and pubs for an evening meal, and hosts who could not have been kinder. The cabin was clean and comfortable, with a good television and a decent connection.
Arthur
Would book again without hesitating. Perfectly placed for seeing friends who live in the village, with comfortable accommodation, an obliging and welcoming host, and breakfasts they thoroughly enjoyed.
A quiet, comfortable night's sleep in an immaculate, well-looked-after room set among tidy shrubs, followed by a superb breakfast cooked fresh by the host. Already planning the next visit.
Comfortable bed and the shower did the job. Reckoned the spot would be even nicer in high summer.
Everything they had hoped for. The breakfast was generous, properly cooked and excellent, and there was nothing at all to fault.
The lodge at the foot of the garden was ideal, with a short stroll up for a lovely cooked breakfast. Because there are only two cabins nobody waited for their food, and there was nothing to criticise.
Loved the village setting and the quiet garden room with its tea and coffee tray, and found the host pleasant, helpful and good at breakfast. As someone who has run guest houses herself she noticed cobwebs by the light and the bathroom window, dust on the towel rail, tired grouting at the base of the shower and weak water pressure, and felt the stay was a little steep on this occasion.
Different from a hotel in the best way: clean, individual and with an excellent breakfast, plus two good pubs about five minutes away on foot.
Good to Know Before You Book
Linen and towels are free
Bed linen and towels are provided at no charge. A few travel listings still show an extra-fee line against towels and sheets for this property; the owners answered that query in writing to confirm the clause appears in error and that nothing is charged.
Tell the owners when you will arrive
Check-in runs from 15:00 to 20:00 and check-out is by 10:30. Because the lodges sit well away from the house, a key can be left out and a later arrival arranged, so send your rough time with the booking.
Payment is by bank transfer before you travel
A deposit is taken when you book and the owners get in touch afterwards with transfer details. Cancellation and prepayment terms vary with the rate you choose, and the exact conditions show before you confirm.
Breakfast is cooked to order
A traditional English breakfast with cereals, fruit and toast is served up at the house, and vegetarian or vegan versions are no trouble if you mention them when booking. Whether breakfast is part of your stay depends on the rate you pick, which is shown before you confirm, and you agree the serving time with the owners rather than turning up to a fixed sitting.
The Wi-Fi is free, and best up at the house
The connection is included and works, but it can drop inside the lodges given how far down the garden they sit. The breakfast room has a full signal, so plan any video call for up at the house.
It is a long garden path down to the lodges
That path is exactly why the cabins are so private and quiet, and each one is entirely on the ground floor with its own entrance. There are a few steps on the way down and the route is not documented as step-free, so pack light or plan two trips with a heavy case.
Photos of Manor Garden Lodge
Frequently Asked Questions
It is at 5 Manor Road in the village of Irby, on the western side of the Wirral peninsula, about seven to eight miles from the Liverpool waterfront. By car that is roughly 18 minutes through the Queensway tunnel at Birkenhead. Chester is about half an hour south and Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake is four miles north west. Aggregators file the CH61 4UA postcode under Heswall, Frankby or West Kirby, but the address is firmly in Irby.
It is a traditional English breakfast cooked to order, with cereals, fruit and toast alongside, served in the breakfast room up at the house rather than in the lodge. Vegetarian and vegan versions are made if you mention them when booking. Whether breakfast forms part of your stay depends on the rate you choose, and the exact terms are shown before you confirm.
Free private parking is available on site and no reservation is needed. You park on the drive at the house and walk down the garden path to the lodge. There is also secure storage in the garden for bicycles, well back from the road, which the standard facility list does not mention.
There are exactly two lodges, both purpose-built, detached and standing at the bottom of the owners' garden. One has a king bed and the other a super king, and either can be made up as a twin if you ask at the time of booking. Each is 215 square feet, entirely on the ground floor, with a private entrance, an en-suite and a patio.
Check-in runs from 15:00 to 20:00 and check-out is by 10:30. Let the owners know roughly when you will arrive, because the lodges are separate from the house and a key can be left out for a later arrival by arrangement. Early or late requests can be made when you book but cannot be guaranteed.
Take the 471 bus, which stops at Roslin Road in the village, runs roughly every 20 minutes and takes about 40 minutes into Liverpool. There is no railway station in Irby; the nearest is Heswall at about 3.1 miles on the Bidston to Wrexham line, with West Kirby and Hoylake a short drive away for faster city trains. The miniature railway at Royden Park that some listings show as the nearest station is a heritage attraction, not a service.
Pets are not allowed, which the owners have confirmed directly to guests asking about dogs. The property is also entirely non-smoking, parties and events are not permitted, and hen, stag and similar groups are not accepted.
The Wi-Fi is free and works, but it is the weakest-reviewed part of the stay and can drop inside the lodges because they sit so far down the garden. The breakfast room in the house holds a full signal, so save anything that needs a stable connection for up there. Each lodge also has a flat-screen television with satellite and cable channels.
Four miles, which is about ten minutes by car. The links has hosted the Open thirteen times, most recently the 151st Championship over 20 to 23 July 2023, and extensive park and ride operates in championship years. There are around fifteen golf courses on the Wirral within easy reach of the village.
Each lodge is entirely on the ground floor with its own entrance and no internal stairs, but the route to it is a long garden path with a few steps, so we cannot describe the stay as step-free. One guest specifically noted that the steps down from the house would be a challenge for anyone with mobility difficulties, and no accessible wet room is documented. Ring the owners before booking if this matters.
Other Stays Across the Mersey
Dinorwic Lodge, Liverpool
Pick it over Manor Garden Lodge when the football is the trip: it is walking distance from Anfield, on the city side of the river, so you lose the garden but skip the tunnel.
The Podworks Hotel, Liverpool
The choice when you want to walk home from the Cavern Club rather than drive back over the water. Compact city-centre pods instead of a cabin and a lawn, and no breakfast to come up for.
The Jollys, Bootle
Better if you are arriving by train rather than car, with a station a few steps away and a bar downstairs. Livelier and less private than a lodge at the end of a garden path.
Ready to Book Manor Garden Lodge?
Two lodges, a garden to yourself, free parking on the drive and a breakfast cooked to order in the morning. Check your dates and see what is free.
Check Availability