Red sandstone, seen in many shapes and sizes across The Wirral, was formed during the Triassic period (around 200 - 250 million years ago) when conditions were more akin to a desert environment. This sedimentary rock, as its name suggests, is made from grains of sand (Silicon Dioxide) which are compressed and cemented together with other minerals including Iron Oxide from which its distinctive rust colour derives. Heswall Dales boasts one of the more unusual outcrops in the shape of a turtle's head which is just off the main thoroughfare to the south east of the Ranger's Cottage information board.
