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DELAMERE FOREST- 16/11/03

Today we visit Cheshire's largest woodland, Delamere Forest. The forest is located between Northwich and Chester and is signposted off the A556 road. For a map of the area click here. The weather was sunshine and showers with a temperature of about 10˚C.

We start our walk from the Visitor Cente at Linmere. There are various trails starting from this point, marked out for walkers, horse riders and cyclists. We follow the 'red' route, a circular walk of 2.7 miles in length. The walk is mostly flat but uneven in parts and muddy after recent rainfall.
Left photo above shows Blakemere Moss, the Forestry Commission's largest wetland reclamation site. The area was drained and planted with trees between 1793-1815 to provide timber for shipbuilding. Now the Forestry Commission has cut down the trees and is allowing the area to re-flood naturally.
The forest is 1,483 acres in size and attracts 500,000 visitors each year. It was a very busy place today as the forest hosted the British Schools Orienteering Championships 2003.