charmed by cheshire
You, too, will be grinning like the Cheshire Cat when you disappear into delightful Delamere Forest
We wanted to go somewhere peaceful, with good local cycling, walking and maybe a colourful garden and a castle to visit. We are spoilt for choice around our Lancashire home, but chose to head south down the M6 to a long-time favourite destination – Delamere Forest.
Set among the green fields of Cheshire, Delamere Forest is the remnant of an extensive Norman hunting forest known as the
Forest of Mara, where the gentry once hunted deer and wild boar. We were almost there when we decided to turn off for Arley Hall and Gardens, giving us the chance to stretch our legs while enjoying acres of floral displays.
The gardens, a pleasing mixture of traditional planting schemes with modern flourishes, are entered from the courtyard, where there is a shop and café. Visitors are free to wander, finding their own way through different formal gardens (everyone spreads out and the gardens never feel crowded). The herb garden and scented garden are fragrant spots and vegetable growers will love the vast kitchen garden that has a cornucopia of produce, mixed with flowers. In the glasshouse, figs and tomatoes grow alongside cacti and pelargoniums. The walled garden is spacious and decorative with an attractive modern fountain at its centre.
Turning a corner, I was faced with the garden’s best feature, a double herbaceous border, packed with colour. Bees and butterflies were flitting between the array of plants and we wandered between the rows admiring the variety. “We have a season ticket and have been coming since winter, watching this grow from nothing,” a couple told me. It’s certainly worth coming to see in summer.
An avenue of trimmed ilex columns took us to the Furlong Walk (named for its length) and we followed this to the hall with views over the parkland beyond the ha-ha. There has been a house here for over 500 years and the present-day elaborate red-brick building has Elizabethan architectural features, although it was built in the nineteenth century.
There are plenty of campsites around Delamere Forest, but we find the Camping and Caravanning Club site is the best placed.
From our pitch we could watch rabbits and grey squirrels and walk or cycle straight into the forest. One of our strolls took us around Blakemere Moss and on paths under a high ropes course. During the day this is often lively with the screams of excited children but, as we neared the shores of Blakemere Moss, it was the raucous calls of the nesting black-headed gulls that filled the air.
Delamere means ‘forest of the meres’ and is dotted with such pools, remnants of the glacial era.
Today the shallow waters of Blakemere Moss are broken up by islets and submerged tree stumps, relics of woodland planted here in the nineteenth century to relieve the national timber crisis. What was later to become the Forestry Commission drained Blakemere and planted conifers and broadleaf trees. In recent years the drainage work has been reversed and the beauty and wildlife diversity of the mere restored. The black-headed gulls were soaring, squabbling and bobbing on the water. Get downwind of their
nesting site and the smell will make your eyes water!
Over the next couple of days we explored the forest, cycling along well-drained wide gravel trails and walking on narrow paths of humus-rich soft soil threaded with roots. Runners, hikers, cyclists and horse riders all use the 2,400 acres of woodland as a playground, gym and nature trail, but there are lesser-used paths if you want a quiet corner of your own.
At a pretty pool shaded by a birch tree we stopped to look for dragonflies. We found a damp clearing, where insects and butterflies buzzed around fragrant meadowsweet flowers. A narrow path through lush green ferns and tall foxgloves took us to a childsize rustic den, one of many dotted around the forest. Along the path edges I used my plant ID app to identify red campion and bright yellow ragwort. On a drizzly afternoon, not wanting to get our feet wet, we chose the wide and drier paths under the natural umbrellas of the trees. The woodland was full of joyous birdsong, along with the noisy squawks of the black-headed gulls. Among so many trees it is easy to become disorientated. At the furthest edges of the forest we met a mum with two youngsters; they asked if they were heading the right way for the café and information centre. We had to break it to them that they were actually unfortunately walking in the opposite direction!
On our second morning we took the bikes along the forest tracks and quiet lanes towards Cuddington, stopping at The Forest View Inn to have morning coffee al fresco. At Cuddington we joined the Whitegate Way, six miles of traffic-free cycling along a disused railway line. For 100 years freight trains travelled this line transporting salt to the Manchester-Chester line from Winsford and the River Weaver. Rock salt continues to be mined in Winsford and is used to deice winter roads. The old mines have left an underground space the size of 700 football pitches that has consistent temperature and humidity. Nowadays it is used to store treasured paintings and historical records. If you want to know more about Cheshire’s salt industrial heritage, the Lion Salt Works (near Northwich), a restored historic salt-making site and museum, is well worth a visit.
We cycled through shaded cuttings and along embankments until we reached the old station and café. Here we left the Whitegate Way to ride along gently undulating lanes to The Hollies Farm Shop. This well-stocked farm shop has fresh fruit and vegetables and much more and we left with a chunk of good Cheshire cheese
Delamere means ‘forest of the meres’ and is dotted with such pools, remnants of the glacial era
and a bottle of wine. If, unlike us, you eventually tire of walking and cycling in the forest, there is a railway station just outside the Delamere campsite. Trains travel to the historic city of Chester or to Northwich, Knutsford and even Manchester in the other direction.
Beeston Castle certainly deserves the description ‘dramatic ruin’. This crag-top castle sits high over the fields defended by an impressive rockcut ditch. On a clear day the views across the Cheshire countryside to Liverpool and Wales are renowned. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a clear day when we pulled into the car park; it was steadily mizzling. Nevertheless, Beeston Castle was a perfect stop before heading home. Built in the thirteenth century, Beeston Castle used banks and ditches of an Iron Age hill fort. The natural defences mean the castle doesn’t have a keep, just an outer and inner bailey and strong gatehouses. In the seventeenth century Civil War it withstood a year-long siege after which Cromwell ordered it to be partly demolished. By the nineteenth century the ruin had become valued as a romantically inspirational scene by artists and tourists, trees were planted and kangaroos kept in the grounds to attract visitors.
From the lower gatehouse we climbed steeply, skirting around the curtain wall to the inner bailey. A steeply arched modern bridge crosses the impressive moat where, in summer, wild flowers flourish below the vertical craggy sides. There are no towers to climb. What brings everyone to Beeston Castle are the panoramic views from this high vantage point.
The mizzle began to fade and the light mist rolled away to reveal the green fields and tiny farmhouses below us and the nearby nineteenth century Peckforton Castle, built to have a view of the picturesque ruins of Beeston Castle.
Archaeological remains of Bronze Age roundhouses were
found at Beeston Castle and, in the woodland, a hut has been reconstructed. In truth I had expected to be disappointed by this attraction, but the large and thoughtfully constructed hut gave me a genuine insight into Bronze Age living. The steeply angled thatched roof is practical and elegant and sits on a web of slender wooden poles, held up by walls of tightly woven wattle covered in waterproofing daub. The central fire was lit, demonstrating how cosy the hut could be thanks to the skilfully-designed thatch that lets smoke filter through, yet keeps the rain out.
A couple of members of staff tended the fire and happily answered our questions as if we were the first people to ask them. They described the Bronze Age hand tools and local materials they had used to build the hut. “We have to light the fire at least once a week as it cleverly disinfects the thatch and keeps it clear of vermin,” we were told. Spotting a modern fire extinguisher behind them, I was pleased that they didn’t take authenticity too far!
Although we have visited Delamere Forest many times it was good to return and find new corners of this wonderful woodland and visit a couple of Cheshire’s many attractions. As we drove back up the M6 we reflected on our fantastic break and all the discoveries we had made. We never tire of this area and there's still so much left to experience.
Being close to Wastwater, the area surrounding Shepherds Views is noted for its beauty. It’s also great for cycling and walking, with lots of great trails nearby, so perfect for families who want to get active on holiday. Less than 20 minutes’ walk brings you to a sandy beach which is ideal for watersports, and England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike, is a 30-minute drive away if you fancy a good walk and attempting to scale its peak. A short walk up the lane through the farmyard leads to Hallsenna Moor, an area of conservation where you could spot wild deer and red squirrels.
The Shepherds Views site offers fully serviced hardstanding or grass pitches with electric, together with a modern family/unisex shower block and outdoor dishwashing area. Due to demand, the site offers bike rental and all bikes are provided with a safety helmet.
Local shops are just over a mile away at Seascale, where there is also another beach to enjoy, while Ravenglass and Muncaster Castle are nearby. There’s a pub within walking distance and a golf course one mile away.