Tuesday 17 March 2026 - Cuddington to Mouldsworth (Altrincham to Chester Stage 4)

Rick, Sue B, Paul, Sue W, Jeanette, Andy and Rufus

From starting points ranging from Deansgate to Hale, seven of us managed to congregate at Cuddington for this short but pleasant walk through Delamere Forest and its surroundings. We started by retracing our steps to a railway bridge near Ravensclough where the above photo was taken.

The snowdrops have gone, to be replaced with banks of daffodils and lesser celandine. Bluebells are imminent.

We were soon heading west, after those walking faster than me were called back from an erroneous attempt to follow the Whitegate Way towards Northwich! (That was last time.)

 

Fences barricaded us from the railway line on our right, and a sand quarry on our left. For some reason the small pyramids of sand reminded me of more natural mounds seen in Turkey.

Anyway, a lovely swathe of grass, with a good path, saw us moving fairly quickly along the route that I'd chosen for this stage of the walk to Chester.

Our route encompassed some of the Oakmere Way, Oakmere being a nearby village. Thanks go to Jeanette for this and other pictures, and also to Sue, whose photos are mixed up with mine.

Our route continued towards Delamere station.

A slight jink in the path, signposted with a strange horseshoe marker, brought us past fine stands of Scots Pine to a good picnic bench for elevenses.

 

After a chat with a dog walking lady who was trying to learn from 'Merlin' how to identify various birds by their calls, we continued past a new housing estate with miniscule gardens.

Goat Willow catkins towered above us as we passed the entrance to Delamere Forest Golf Club.

 

Bird's-eye Speedwell had taken hold in one area - almost crop-like.

The next fungus is False Puffball.

Sue fell back and re-joined the group, exclaiming "Deer Vomit". We wondered about this ID. There must be deer in the forest, though do they vomit?

It turned out to be 'Deer Vomit Fungi', a new one for us.

Nearby, Birch Woodwart Fungi.

Anyone not sure where they were would be reassured by the signs in the next picture.

There are lots of routes through Delamere Forest from here, and some of the party were called back from the road that leads to Go-Ape and the Visitor Centre.

We crossed the railway, and the Sandstone Trail, and passed through a clearing with a few sculptures.

For a while, we followed the Sandstone Trail to the edge of the forest at Manley Common.

Another lovely Peak & Northern sign, but this lunch spot lacks a picnic bench.

Sue B's rucksack became home to a diminutive (2cm wide) Brindled Pug moth.

A well adorned post directed us away from the forest. Do people have a tendency to become lost hereabouts?

Good paths then took us on a roundabout route to Mouldsworth.

Opposite the station, the Goshawk pub, but we continued past it to check the train times.

Our plan was to catch the 16:08 towards Altrincham. The time was 14:30.

Here's our route - 15km with 200 metres ascent, taking a bit over 4 hours.

It was a lovely afternoon to sit with a refreshing beer outside the Goshawk. Most of us went back to the station to catch the 15:08 train, but Paul and Jeanette took advantage of the opportunity to spend a further hour in the pub, waiting for their pre-purchased tickets to become valid.

What a lovely day out.

Next - Thursday 26 March:

Altrincham to Chester - Stage 5 - Mouldsworth to Chester, by a roundabout route.
9:36 train from Altrincham to Mouldsworth (10:26), then walk to Chester, approx 18km. Return on 15:56 or 16:56 train, or more likely later after refreshments in Chester.