Immediately after the tournament the Prince travelled north, nominally to visit the new abbey at Vale Royal in the Weaver valley and to have discussions with the marcher lords at Chester.
In practice he hunted deer; from the hunting lodge at Rocksavage, at the junction of the junction of the Weaver and Mersey rivers, and on the Wirral Peninsula, which lies between the Mersey and the Dee. Delamere is shown in Green and the forest of wirral in Tangerine.
The hunt on the Wirral which brings the Prince into contact with John Stanley is centred around the islands at the mouth of the Dee
The islands are situated off the north west corner of the wirral peninsula
John Stanley’s father was the forester for the area and lived on the Wirral. Lord James was a relative of John’s and a good friend of the Prince. Lord James became John’s first mentor.
The island are clearly visible from the mainland. The beach itself will not have changed much since the time of the hunt.
Today the area is a birdwatchers paradise. it is still possible to walk to the islands at low tide. This sign is from the beach at West Kirby. There is some risk involved and local knowledge is useful. Teenagers ( and some older people) don’t mind being trapped by the tide.
This is what John and the Prince would have seen as the climbed into the tiny boat to make the return trip.