Saturday, April 1, 2006.
ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST Discover nature’s treasures. Your 16-page guide
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2 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST INTRODUCTION
England’s Northwest possesses some amazing — and surprising — natural assets. The region, which stretches from the Welsh border to the Pennines and from the Potteries to Hadrian’s Wall, has a huge wealth of countryside: 18 per cent of it comprises national parks. You’ll witness wonderfully diverse landscapes, from soaring mountains to gentle plains. There’s a remarkable abundance of wildlife and flowers and, with remote places to visit and great places to stay, the region is perfect for an invigorating spring break. You can get close to nature and breathe fabulous fresh air while walking, riding, fishing, boating, birdwatching or simply sitting and gazing across spectacular lakes and miles of unspoilt coastline. There are wonderful secrets waiting for you to unlock. This supplement provides you with the key.
WONDERS REPORT BY HARRY COEN ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST IS PERFECT FOR A SPRING BREAK – WHETHER YOU WANT TO WANDER LONELY AS A CLOUD OR MINGLE WITH GOURMETS, GARDENERS OR GOLFERS
SCOTLAND Carlisle
CUMBRIA AND THE LAKE DISTRICT
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Lancaster LANCASHIRE Blackpool
GREATER MANCHESTER Manchester Stockport
MERSEYSIDE Liverpool
Northwich Chester CHESHIRE
WALES 20 miles
CONTENTS LAUDED LANDSCAPES
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THE SEFTON COAST
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CHESHIRE’S CANALS
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CUMBRIA ON HORSEBACK
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THE FOREST OF BOWLAND
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FOOD, DRINK AND FISHING 12-13 BIRDWATCHING
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COVER PICTURE: SPRING MORNING, LOWEWATER BRIAN SHERWEN/CUMBRIA PHOTOS
Produced by The Daily Telegraph Editorial Projects Unit Editors Jackie Holland and Bill Owen Assistant editor Alec Lom Picture editor Abi Patton Art director Andrew Pothecary Design Lena Konstantakou, Anne-Marie Collins, Belinda Teigh Production John Barton, Sheila Compton, Martin Reeve, Ruby Ali
s we yearn for spring, there is no more potent symbol of our countryside reawakening than Wordsworth’s famous host of golden daffodils. It’s an inviting thought that even now, in England’s Northwest, the same banks and glades are preparing to burst into flower, to delight us once more and to tempt us, as they did the poet, to roam through some of the most glorious landscapes the country has to offer. It’s all there, all we could ever want for our much needed spring and summer breaks. Like Wordsworth, we can revel in walks beside the lakes, beneath the trees, along the margin of a bay. Unlike Wordsworth we can also take advantage of fabulous country restaurants, first-rate hotels and B&Bs, delightful teashops and railways to transport us between the fantastically diverse landscapes, each with its own abundance of flora and fauna. We can enjoy them on foot, by bicycle, car, bus and train, even on horseback. And then there are the joys of water travel — by pleasure steamer on the great lakes or by sailing boat from tiny fishing ports. There are also narrowboats along
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the huge network of canals bequeathed to us by the Industrial Revolution, now gloriously restored to provide some of the most relaxed journeys imaginable, through the most tranquil countryside. England’s Northwest can be divided into five main areas, each with its own charms. Three, Cumbria and the Lake District, Cheshire and Lancashire, are predominantly rural and endowed with a mind-boggling variety of beauty spots, nature reserves and innumerable cottages and castles steeped in history and literary and artistic heritage. No less than 18 per cent of the land area comprises national parks. Then there are, of course, the great urban conurbations of Liverpool (soon to be Europe’s Capital of Culture) and Greater Manchester. These have a surprising amount to offer the nature-lover and enthusiastic walker and are the gateways both to the canal network and to nearby rural walks, thus letting you take advantage of the countryside while having all the amenities of town life to fall back on in the evenings. In Greater Manchester, for example, Lord Leverhulme donated Lever Park to the people of Bolton. With its wooded lakes, terraced gardens, moorland and the ruined replica of Liverpool Castle, there are various
walking options. For those who delight in stunning views, Rivington Pike — once the site of a beacon that warned of the arrival of the Spanish Armada — looks across to Blackpool Tower and the Welsh mountains. Gaze and be amazed. Busy Liverpool opens the way to one of the most rewarding — and deserted — coastal areas of England, the Sefton coast, which runs for 22 miles up as far as Southport. Miles of empty golden beaches stretch out endlessly. The area is flat, with wide stretches of shifting offshore sandbanks and coastal dunes. It is internationally recognised as an important wildlife centre — sheer heaven for birdwatchers. Indeed, heaven is a word that is in constant demand when contemplating England’s Northwest. How else to describe Cumbria and the Lake District? And, as heavens go, it is as big as it is glorious. Its mountains and lakes cover an area 30 miles in diameter, including the Cumbrian Mountains and part of the Furness peninsula. There are 15 lakes, including Ullswater, Windermere, Derwentwater, Coniston and Bassenthwaite. There are spectacularly beautiful waterfalls and some of England’s highest peaks, notably Scafell Pike (3,210ft) and Helvellyn. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming
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beauty of the area led to the Lake District National Park being one of Britain’s first, created in 1951 and covering 80,000 acres. It is an inspiration at any time of the year, from spring (and Wordsworth’s daffodils) and summer, when the tranquil lakes reflect blue skies and giant white clouds, to the autumn glories of forests aflame with golds and russets and finally the austere majesty of winter and vistas of snowclad peaks. Add to this the modern conveniences of a plethora of enticing spa hotels, top-notch restaurants and local cooking to die for. You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten an authentic Cumberland sausage. And as for heritage — apart from Wordsworth, you can follow in the footsteps of his fellow poets, Coleridge and Southey, sample the quieter world of Beatrix Potter, gain insight into the artistic world of John Ruskin and JMW Turner. The rural delights of Lancashire are less well known and open up new vistas to amaze and delight the traveller. This royal duchy need not bow the knee to any rival. Blackpool may lead the way when it comes to seaside resorts, but Lancashire’s coast boasts many more tranquil spots. Ravishing panoramic views are to be found in the Lune Valley, the Forest of Bowland, Ribble Valley and Pendle Hill (with its tragic but compelling history of the Pendle witches), all areas of renowned natural beauty. It is so easy to go off the beaten track and appreciate the flourishing wildlife as you walk or cycle in the invigorating fresh air. Lancashire is home to some of the finest golf courses in Britain, but then England’s Northwest is a beacon for golfers. Many of the UK’s most challenging and naturally beautiful golf courses can be found on what is rightly called England’s Golf Coast. Stretching from Silloth in the North down to Liverpool and the Wirral are some of the best links courses in England, guaranteed to test even the most accomplished golfer. The combination of sea, sand and the forces of nature offer an irresistible challenge. The most famous are the three Royals: Royal Lytham and St Annes, Royal Birkdale and Royal Liverpool. Golfers come from all over the world to play the Royals, hoping to emulate the feats of their heroes. On a golfing break to England’s Northwest, you too can take on the challenge and follow in the footsteps of Open greats such as Jack Nicklaus. Every level of golfer is catered for in a wide variety of private and municipal courses throughout the region. For example, Southport and Wirral have seven championship courses, with 27 further courses within half-an-hour’s drive and an astonishing 160 more within one hour’s drive. Garden lovers will find treasures throughout the region, such as Sizergh Castle near Kendal, but it is Cheshire with its captivating rolling countryside which is hailed as the leading garden county of them all. Tatton Park is often quoted as England’s most complete historic estate. Its glorious gardens, set in 1,000 acres of parkland, include a renowned Japanese enclave. The gardens at Arley Hall are more like a secluded romantic time capsule. Ness Gardens are often regarded as enjoying Riviera conditions — and being a botanic garden, it boasts an extremely varied collection of plants. Norton Priory is a hidden gem, full of surprises with two new wildflower glades, which is well worth a visit.
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Throughout the region of England’s Northwest, we can discover nature’s secrets, marvel at her wonders or be humbled by its rich artistic and historical heritage. It is all there on our doorstep. There are a lot more than daffodils to entice us.
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USEFUL WEBSITES Excellent sites devoted to the region are to be found on the internet, full of practical information for the
would-be visitor. Here are some of the best. England’s Northwest visitenglandsnorthwest.com Cumbria and the Lake District golakes.co.uk Chester and Cheshire visitchester.com Lancashire visitlancashire.com Liverpool and Merseyside visitliverpool.com Greater Manchester visitmanchester.com
Natural partnerships: the liquid loveliness of Derwentwater, above, fantastically ornate Little Moreton Hall in Cheshire, below, and the ancient and atmospheric Castlerigg Stone Circle in Cumbria, far left
SURPRISEYOURSELF No place like home Sizergh Castle, near Kendal in Cumbria, can claim the record for being home to many generations of one family. The Stricklands have lived here for more than 760 years. It is also famous for its gardens and its Elizabethan carvings. Tel: 015395 60070.
A trio of golf pioneers The first rubber-cored ball was used at Royal Liverpool in 1902, when Sandy Herd tried it out and went on to win the Open. The English Golf Union was founded at Hesketh. In 1932 the Stableford points system was first devised at Wallasey Golf Club.
A long stretch At 141 miles — excluding its 127 branches — the Leeds and Liverpool canal is the longest in Britain, linking Liverpool and Leeds. It is capable of taking vessels 60 feet long, 14 feet wide and three feet deep — all able to go through its 92 locks. It passes through sensationally varied countryside, including the low-lying wetlands of West Lancashire across to the wild Pennine Moorlands of Lancashire’s Hill Country, plus the passage through Pendle and “witches country” and featuring its famous Mile Tunnel at Foulridge.
Hounds and hobbits The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Lord of the Rings have more in common than you may think. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes classic, went to school at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley, which he later used as the setting for this book. And JRR Tolkien regularly stayed at Stonyhurst. The richly beautiful countryside inspired him and a number of names in the book are similar to those found locally. In fact, Tolkien has a new walking trail dedicated to him.
World’s slowest bus service Until 1849, a daily waterbus service ran between Kendal and Preston along the 41-mile-long Lancaster Canal. Even though the first journeys took a gruelling 14 hours, no fewer than 14,000 passengers took the trip in the first six months of trading. Ambitious plans to re-open the canal to Kendal are underway.
Squirrel haven Since the invasion of grey squirrels all but wiped out the native variety, most people think that the red squirrel survives only in the world of Beatrix Potter, which is celebrated in a number of cottage museums in Cumbria. But Squirrel Nutkin lives on — one of the largest surviving colonies of red squirrels is to be found at Formby on the Sefton coast.
Saturday, April 1, 2006
PRIVATE COLLECTION; THE STAPLETON COLLECTION/ BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY
Saturday, April 1, 2006
It’s about making a difference, getting to know a beautiful corner of the English landscape and giving your time to nature. It’s about mucking in as part of a team, having a laugh, making friends. Working outdoors makes you feel alive, and deliciously exhausted at the day’s end, with any stress blown away by the breeze. The best bit is being ravenous and tucking into a home-made hot supper, then toasting your team’s efforts with a pint in a rural pub somewhere. Conservation holidays are healthy, good for the soul and the soil, and the choice of things to do in England’s Northwest in the spring and summer are worth pulling your wellies on for. BTCV, a charity with a history of environmental conservation since
I seek the birthplace of a native stream All hail, ye mountains! Hail thou morning light! Better to breathe at large on this clear height Than toil in needless sleep from dreamt dream: Pure flow the verse, pure, vigorous free, and bright, For Duddon, long-lived Duddon, is my theme.
REPORT BY NIGEL REYNOLDS WORDSWORTH, RUSKIN, TURNER, POTTER, COLERIDGE AND RANSOME ARE SOME OF THE GREAT PAINTERS AND WRITERS INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTY OF CUMBRIA – THE LAKE DISTRICT
enormous impact on the spiritual and emotional lives of men. Often accompanied by his beloved sister Dorothy, Wordsworth wrote poetry in his head on their long walks or used his sister’s detailed journal of their explorations later. His famous poem, Daffodils, for example, was composed in 1804 at
dark lake, has ever associated itself more or less with all twining roots of trees ever since.” Before the second half of the 18th century, the Lakes had been regarded as a menacing and forbidding place “only full of rocks”, as one visitor described it. Wordsworth put it on the map and soon Robert Southey, Sir Walter Scott, Coleridge and Thomas de Quincey were visiting him regularly. The last two settled — Coleridge at Keswick, de Quincey at Dove Cottage — though their inspirations may not have entirely derived from the scenery alone. It was at Dove Cottage that De Quincey wrote Confessions of an English Opium Eater and Coleridge, also increasingly addicted to opium, is remembered for striding over Helvellyn muttering verses from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner under his breath. Painters arrived, too — notably Constable, Gainsborough and Turner. The last made his first visit aged just 22 in 1797. In search of scenic thrills and eager to make his name, he found that the mists of the Cumbrian mountains were ideally suited to his revolutionary approach to painting light and water. He produced a series of now-famous works of the Coniston Fells, Buttermere and Crummock Water. The Wordsworth Trust, based at Dove Cottage, last year acquired its first Turner, a moody watercolour of Ullswater, for £300,000. The Lakes are also Beatrix Potter territory. The author, remembering childhood holidays like Ruskin, bought Hill Top, a 17th-century cottage at Near Sawrey, in 1905 out of her earnings from The Tale of Peter Rabbit. It was, she said, “as nearly a perfect little place as I ever lived in”, and she pronounced herself happy for the first time in her life. Buying a nearby farm four years later, she was inspired by sketching the fauna to create characters such as Tom Kitten, Samuel Whiskers, Jemima Puddleduck and Pigling Bland. The childhood link is familiar. Melvyn Bragg, born and brought up at Wigton on the edge of the Lakes — “uniquely beautiful”, he calls them — has set
Divine artistry: the blue waters of Buttermere framed by lush rolling hills
Creative catalyst: the lakes were muse to Wordsworth, above, and to Turner who painted Windermere, top BRITAINONVIEW/RICHARD WATSON
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Many shared Wordsworth’s love of the Lakes. Dorothy called her native fells “the most delightful country that ever was seen”. John Ruskin, the Victorian artist, critic and social reformer, was so inspired by visiting the Lakes on a family holiday when he was five, that he left London in 1872 to buy Brantwood, a 200-acre estate overlooking Coniston Water, where he lived until his death in 1900. At Brantwood, where Ruskin said he had found “the most perfect peace”, he was later to record the importance of that childhood visit. He wrote: “The first thing that I remember, as an event in life, was being taken by my nurse to the brow of Friar’s Crag on Derwentwater; the intense joy mingled with awe, that I had in looking through the hollows of the mossy roots, over the crag into the
1959, offers holidays which bring people and the environment together in inspiring and energetic ways. In May you could help restore and improve the grounds of Rydal Hall, a 200-year-old mansion emerging from neglect in 30 acres of grounds in the heart of the Lake District, between Ambleside and Grasmere. In late May and throughout June, at Thirlmere reservoir, also in the Lake District, you could learn the ancient art of dry-stone walling along the lakeshore paths. This absorbing activity is repeated in July near Bronze Age burial sites, along the Witton Weavers Way, a 32mile walking route that passes weavers’ cottages and Victorian estates through the unspoilt and
historic Lancashire Hill Country. Time off is spent exploring the area, doing a spot of birdwatching or relaxing and getting to know the other members of your team. Accommodation could be at a camping barn, within walking distance of a charming village, or at 17th-century former farmhouse with views over sweeping moorland. Yes, the digs are basic, and you’ll have to swap the king-size mattress for a sleeping bag rolled out on a bunker, and days out in the field can be quite physical, yet what finer way to get to know the greener side of this region? For more information contact BTCV. Tel 01302 572244; www.btcv.org.uk LEE KAREN STOW
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Dove Cottage, the home in Grasmere he shared with his sister and his wife, Mary, after re-reading Dorothy’s account of the spring flowers they noticed being tossed around two years earlier walking by Ullswater. Though his opening line — “I wander’d lonely as a cloud” — may be known in every household in the country, a couplet from the third verse better sums up the happiness the poet found in his surroundings: “A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company.” A series of 35 sonnets he wrote about a favourite valley in the south west Lakes follows the River Duddon’s course from the hills to the sea and typifies Wordsworth’s inspiration. Lines from the first sonnet read:
hey could — and thank heavens they do not — despoil the gateways to England’s Northwest with “heritage” signs proclaiming that you are entering “So-and-So Country”. So rich is the area’s history that it is probable you would not be able to see the sights for the signs. Welcome to Wordsworth Country, to Ruskin Country, Turner Country, Beatrix Potter Country, Samuel Taylor Coleridge Country, Arthur Ransome Country. The Northwest — notably but not exclusively the sublime fells of the Lake District — has been a source of inspiration to painters and writers, natives and visitors alike, for more than 200 years. If the area could erect just one heritage sign, it would have to be for William Wordsworth. Paterfamilias of the Lakeland Poets, he spent almost all of his lifetime among the fells and valleys of the Lake District. Like a magnet, he drew the other great British Romantics of the early 19th century to his side in the Lakes. In 1835, aged 65, the poet estimated that he had walked in all weathers 175,000 miles around the Lakes. The figure very probably did not include the many extra miles he had clocked up rowing, ice-skating and on horseback. Inspired by the drama of the scenery, he used it to look at the relationship between nature and human life to explore his beliefs that nature had an
LAUDED LANDSCAPES ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST 5
almost all his novels in the area. And before him there was Arthur Ransome of Swallows and Amazons fame. Born in Leeds in 1884, all Ransome’s childhood holidays were spent walking and sailing in the Lakes, befriending woodcutters and charcoal-burners. As a result, he set five of his 12 adventure stories on and around Coniston Water and Windermere. The settings were real enough but Ransome didn’t use their proper names. Even today, Swallows and Amazons’ fans can be found trying to work out the real Wildcat Island or Kanchenjunga. There’s much more to the
Ancient art: but today you can learn to build a dry-stone wall yourself on a BTCV holiday
Northwest’s cultural history than the Lake District. Those prepared to forsake the fells can trace The Beatles’ history in Liverpool, search for Lowry’s matchstick men in Salford and Manchester or hunt out the ghost of Orwell in Wigan, where he lived while researching The Road to Wigan Pier. And there are two other semi-rural literary detective trails in Cheshire. Knutsford was the stamping ground of the Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. The inspiration for Cranford. Nearby Tatton Park, with its 1,000-acre deer park, was the original Cumnor Towers in her Wives and Daughters. Alderley
Edge, the wooded escarpment rising above the Cheshire Plain that is now home to plutocrats and millionaire footballers, is Alan Garner country. The author, a lifelong champion of the Cheshire tongue and the county’s folklore, has set several of his novels here, most notably The Weirdstone of Brisingamen. Published in 1960, Garner’s brilliant fantasy novel is set among the cliffs, farms and woods of Alderley Edge and retells a local legend about a secret sleeping army hidden in caves waiting to ride out to save England at its hour of greatest danger.
DROPINONBEATRIX BEATRIX POTTER’S cottage, Hill Top, at Near Sawrey (near Hawkshead), is already the Lake District’s most visited literary shrine — and it is set to get busier thanks to a Hollywood star. In the next few weeks, filming will start in the Lakes of a Potter biopic, concentrating on her doomed love affair in 1905 with Norman Warne, her publisher’s son. Thrillingly, and a little surprisingly, the creator of Peter Rabbit is to be played by Renée Zellweger, star of the Bridget Jones films, Chicago and Cold Mountain. Hill Top is a small stone-built 17th-century cottage and a timed entry system is operated to prevent overcrowding (tel: 015394 36269 for information). Not altered since Potter’s day — she bequeathed the cottage to the National Trust on her death in 1943 — each room contains an object that appears in one of her books. The pretty cottage garden is also much as it was in the 1940s, with flowers, fruit, herbs and vegetables. And, yes, there are roses around the door. Wordsworth fans are spoiled for choice, between the poet’s birthplace, Dove Cottage, where he wrote Daffodils, the brand new Wordsworth Research Centre, and Rydal Mount, the poet’s much-loved last home. Taking them chronologically, the poet’s birthplace, Wordsworth House, Main Street, Cockermouth, is a large and handsome Grade I listed Georgian town house owned by the National Trust. William (born 1770) and his sister Dorothy (1771) grew up here until 1784. Costumed interpreters provide an insight into the daily life of the
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Cottage industry: Beatrix Potter outside her home, Hill Top, near Sawrey family and their servants. Rooms on display include a working 18th-century kitchen, children’s bedrooms and the office of John Wordsworth, William’s father. Call 01900 820884 for opening times. Dove Cottage, at Town End, Grasmere, is the holy of holies of the Wordsworth industry. It was in this small 17th-century Grade I listed home, formerly a pub called The Dove and Olive, that the poet lived with Dorothy and his wife, Mary, from 1799 to 1808, writing much of his
best work. It was, the poet recorded, eight years of “plain living, but high thinking”. For opening times , tel: 015394 35544. Barely 100 yards away is the new £3 million Jerwood Wordsworth Trust Research Centre for the study of Wordsworth and British Romanticism. Opened last June by the poet Seamus Heaney, it houses 60,000 books, manuscripts, paintings, letters and memorabilia connected with Wordsworth, de Quincey, Shelley and Southey and the painters they inspired. Housed in two new buildings made from traditional Lakeland materials, it has established itself as a major international scholarship centre and offers exhibitions, readings and events for the public. For information, tel: 015394 35544. Finally, Rydal Mount and Gardens, Rydal, near Ambleside, was home of the Wordsworth ménage from 1813. Still owned by descendants, it retains the feel of a family home and displays the poet’s furniture, paintings, personal possessions and first editions. The poet was a keen horticulturalist and the four-acre gardens owe much to his designs. For opening times, 015394 33002. Brantwood, Coniston, was the home of John Ruskin from 1872 until his death in 1900. Perched high above Coniston Water, it was originally an eight-room villa but was much expanded by the Victorian critic, artist and social reformer. It contains his furniture and art plus a 250-acre estate complete with ice house and eight separate gardens. For information, tel: 015394 41396. NIGEL REYNOLDS
6 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST SEFTON COAST
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THE COAST ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST 7
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Coastal delights: Antony Gormley’s Another Place, above, is a highlight of the beach at Crosby, and the Red Squirrel attracts visitors to Formby
Beauty and the beach: England’s Northwest has miles of stunning sands and the coast provides a haven for many species of birds, including the black guillemot, below
BESIDETHESEA Natural beauty is, of course, hardly exclusive to the Sefton coastline. North of Merseyside, the coast stretches through Lancashire nearly 140 miles reaching up to Cumbria and the breathtaking Lake District. Morecambe Bay boasts both impressive wildfowl, spectacular sunsets and views of the Cumbrian hills on a clear day, and the pretty nearby ports of Heysham, Glasson and in particular, Fleetwood, are all steeped in maritime history. But it’s Blackpool that will remain synonymous with the Lancashire coast, the irreplaceable jewel in its crown and still the most visited seaside resort in the UK. Travel just a little further south out of the bustle and the screams from the Pleasure Beach rollercoasters and you’ll find the more sedate town of Lytham, with its cute pavement cafés and fine shopping. Across the bay from Hest Bank in Morecambe you can take the three-and-a-half hour walk to Flookburgh, a path originally trodden by monks from nearby Cartmel Priory until the 16th century. The route was then (and still is) led by royally-
appointed guides, steering visitors clear of the quicksand. Once there, it’s a short distance to Lord and Lady Cavendish’s magnificent Holker Hall, which features sprawling gardens and the Lakeland Motor Museum. Across Cartmel Sands and past Ulverston, with its peaceful Conishead Priory, home to a thriving Buddhist community with a temple in its grounds, is Piel Island, off Barrow-inFurness. Not only does it feature the impressive ruins of Piel Castle but it has had its own king since 1487. These days the title is bestowed on whoever becomes landlord of the Ship Inn. Travel a little way inland and you will find Furness Abbey, one of Cumbria’s finest sets of ruins, which counted William Wordsworth among its strongest advocates. At Millom is the Hodbarrow RSPB reserve, its man-made lagoon rich with wildlife, while north just within the borders of the Lake District National Park is Silecroft, where terns, oyster-catchers and natterjack toads can be viewed at close quarters. Jagged, imposing mountains and vast stretches of water might dominate the Lake District’s postcards but its coast
has more than its share of must-see spots, too. North towards Whitehaven is St Bees, great for bracing clifftop walks, and a fabulous beach at the base of the red sandstone which has the added attraction of being England’s only nesting place for black guillemots which tuck themselves into the crags. The historic Benedictine priory is worth a visit, too, with its remarkably well-preserved body of a medieval knight known as the St Bees Man, thought to be a local lord who was killed in battle. Whatever your level of horsemanship, you will be enthralled by a ride along the bay at Allonby, easily organised at the Rydal Mount Equestrian Centre, Gilcrux (01697 322 889). Views of Scotland across the Solway Firth are an added bonus. A little further up the Solway coast is the Victorian resort of Silloth, with gorgeous cobbled streets and a large stretch of seafront to the south. Catch it on the right day and you’ll see why Turner became inspired to paint the glorious glowing sunsets. There’s also a charming kite festival in July.
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The following morning, we headed south once more along the coast past Formby. We deftly avoided the army rifle range at Formby Bank and reached the beach at Crosby, another shining star in Sefton’s impressive coastal repertoire. Always a popular stretch for summer sun-seekers, there is now a new and awe-inspiring added attraction. The crowds currently flocking to the sands come to see Angel of the North sculptor Antony Gormley’s latest installation, Another Place, which has already had temporary homes in Germany, Norway and Belgium. A hundred figures, each weighing 650 kilos and modelled from cast iron in the artist’s own image, have been pinned into the sand at various intervals along 3km of coastline. Each stares out to sea and is intended as a rumination on tide and the movement of time. The effect is breathtakingly eerie, particularly as the sea advances and the light fades into the evening dusk. Then the figures find themselves in various degrees of submersion, remaining fixed in the water as spectators retreat to dry land. Fabulous assets to the beach, they are set to stay in Crosby until November 2006 before moving on to New York. The Seaforth Nature Reserve is even further down the coast from Crosby, bordering the Liverpool Docks. Even this close to the city it manages to attract a wealth of wild birds, including 2,000 common terns which return each summer. Meanwhile, to the far north past Southport is the RSPB’s Marshside Nature Reserve, an important refuge for wild fowl and wading birds that features a smart, heated and glazed hide where you can watch them in comfort. Whether it’s nature that attracts you to the Sefton coast, the amazing beauty of the coastline or delightful Southport with its covered boulevards and smart marinas, it’s clearly an area raising its game. But perhaps you should try raising your stamina levels a little more than we did before tackling those woodland trails.
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Lancashire and well beyond. With special squirrel food available to buy at the entrance, interaction with this protected species is encouraged and, as a result, these little creatures are astonishingly tame and run up to take food from your fingers. It’s hoped that the area in Formby where they currently live will be extended to embrace more of the surrounding dunes and woodland in coming years. This means that the species will have further protection from disease and will not be detrimentally dominated by the more common grey squirrel. We headed back towards Southport, this time via Ainsdale Sands. This is among the best-known locations in England for kite surfing and kite buggying, for those keen to throw themselves on the mercy of the blustering coastal winds. Both the kiting and the buggying clubs have more than 200 members each, with enthusiasts travelling from across the north to make good use of this wide and pristine tract of beach. Not only is Ainsdale now a popular sporting venue but, thanks to major investment in improving the water quality, the beach has been the proud owner of a coveted Blue Flag since 2004 — the first ever awarded in England’s Northwest — which places it among the cleanest places to swim in the country. Marine life is returning, too, with salmon breeding in the Mersey for the first time in living memory and Atlantic grey seals and porpoises setting up home here. From Ainsdale it was back to town for spectacular fish and chips on the seafront. Then we took advantage of the many welcoming pubs and bars scattered across the town. Southport is a relatively young resort and it’s possible to trace its origins back to a bathing hut erected on the seafront by entrepreneurial pub owner William Sutton at the turn of the 19th century. Sutton’s hut developed into a pub, then evolved into a hotel and so on, which may account for modern Southport’s zest for hospitality.
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mmersed in the spirited bustle of Liverpool’s city centre, it’s hard to imagine that a 10-minute drive north can take you from urban sprawl to rolling sand dunes and spectacular pine forests. So, with a couple of mountain bikes in the boot and a steely resolve to regain our lapsed passion for cycling through woodland paths, my companion and I arrived on the Sefton coast. Stretching from Crosby, just north of the city suburb of Bootle, to the banks of the Ribble estuary where Merseyside segues into Lancashire, this stretch of coastline is rich in countless natural, rural attractions . We kicked off from Southport on a clear and crisp morning in early spring. We slowly rumbled our way south towards Formby along the coast road, which cuts a swathe through the Birkdale Hills and where tall, golden sand dunes on either side enclose the famous Royal Birkdale golf course. Soon we reached the nature reserve at Ainsdale, a dense, imposing and fragrant pine forest. When we were in its centre it proved to be on a par with the best that even British Columbia has to offer. We navigated our way through the arterial tracks that weave through the trees. Mud-splattered, our stamina tested, we left the forest feeling rather more exhausted than we’d anticipated. We felt ashamed of our lack of fitness. And it wasn’t even lunch time. From Ainsdale, it was a short freewheel to the National Trust reserve at Formby, which we soon discovered has a number of rather unique selling points. Aside from the spectacular coastal views at Formby Point — which on a good day include the city skyline and the Liver Building — the forest harbours its own furry treasures. Living in one of the few remaining natural habitats in the UK, Formby’s Sciurus vulgaris colony (that’s red squirrels to you and me) is quite an attraction. The famous Red Squirrel Walk draws crowds from Merseyside,
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REPORT BY BEN ARNOLD FROM WILDLIFE AND SPECTACULAR BEAUTY TO WALKING AND BIKING, THE SEFTON COAST OFFERS A RANGE OF EXCITING PURSUITS AS WELL AS WONDERFUL VIEWS
8 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST CHESHIRE’S CANALS
Saturday, April 1, 2006
CHESHIRE’S CANALS ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST 9
Saturday, April 1, 2006
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REPORT BY LEE KAREN STOW THERE CAN BE FEW BETTER WAYS TO RELAX THAN ON A NARROWBOAT ON A WARM DAY IN THE MOST IDYLLIC COUNTRYSIDE IMAGINABLE. IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD THE INTRICATE NETWORK OF CANALS ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT
venues for a week, perhaps at a country pub for supper and ale, swapping boat tales with other boat people. Or I could take a one-way cruise, my luggage and me whisked off to one of a choice of starting points. Beginning with bite-size chunks means I could one day tackle a full-blown narrowboat adventure. Such as the one everyone talks about – the Cheshire Ring. A 102-mile circular network of canals passing through Manchester city and beneath the crags of the Peak District, the Ring can take 10 days to a fortnight to complete. It threads through four tunnels, over two aqueducts, into 90-odd lock systems, and worships at the “Cathedral of the Canals”, the Anderton Boat Lift, built in 1875 as the world’s first lift, carrying two boats at the same time, one up, the other down. For now, I’ve been invited to glide for the day on the Shropshire Union
I IMAGINE DITCHING THE MORTGAGE, COUNCIL TAX AND MOTORWAYS AND BEGIN, INSTEAD, TO THINK ABOUT MOVING TO PASTURES NEW ONLY FOR A CHANGE OF SCENERY AND A PINT OF MILK
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whole change of life flashes before my very eyes. Taking the tiller to steer Tilstone, a narrowboat made for two (four if you must), I imagine ditching the mortgage, council tax and motorways, and begin instead to think about nights writing my journal by hurricane lamp in the cosy cabin below and moving to pastures new only for a change of scenery and a pint of milk. Such is the amazing pull of canal boating, and here in Cheshire, with 200 miles of waterways – the region claims to have a greater length of canals than any other county – narrowboat holidays are as popular as the area’s cheese. Following an extremely informative briefing, I discover that I could rent a beauty for the day, take an effortless three-night weekend break, or moor at various
Malcolm is a local, whose family grew up around the “cut” – the traditional term for the canals. He kindly lends me his brother Robert for company, who remembers spending his boyhood helping the boatmen on the working barges. We board Tilstone, and it is here that I have visions of downsizing to the watery Good Life. Less than two years old, this 45ft by 6ft youngster has central heating, sit-in bath, shower, toilet, double bed and a television with DVD player. The kitchenette is fitted with gas cooker, fridge, sink and cupboards equipped with enough crockery and cutlery for picnics and alfresco, candlelit suppers. And lo and behold there’s a lunch hamper (which you can pre-order) of Cheshire Cheese and Shropshire Blue, chocolates, local pork pie,
fishing from the banks. “We are the only country with this sort of system,’’ he says. “People like it because of the history, the architecture, the engineering. How the canals were built is amazing. The fact is they were dug out years ago by hand, by gangs of men with barrows and horses and carts.’’ We pass by narrowboats named S’Wonderful, Cloud Nine, and Opted Out. Other boat people cruise by, tiller in one hand, mug of steaming tea in the other, and shout “hello!” “Generally you find people are more friendly,’’ Robert continues. “Once they get on the cut they change. There’s an old song that says if you get a boatman for a friend you get a friend for life.’’ My exciting journey is just beginning, then.
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olives, fruit and wine from the lovely Hollies Farm Shop in Little Budworth (tel: 01829 760414). There’s a map and straightforward instructions for easy narrowboating, everything from turning on the boat’s ignition and checking the weed hatches to accomplishing perfect lock negotiation. With the kettle on and biscuits out, we get underway at a laid-back four miles an hour along a rippling corridor that is inhabited by ducks and swans and is flanked by hawthorn and hazel hedges, hogweed and yarrow. Our destination is Nantwich, eight miles away, through the Cheshire Plains. Robert reckons the reason why the Cheshire farmers are so rich is because when it rains all the money washes from the hills on to the plains. He loves the canals with a passion, especially frosty October mornings lit with sun, and heron
LOVELYLAKES
FACT FILE
LEE KAREN STOW
FREEDOM OF
Get afloat: Cheshire has 200 miles of waterways — more than any other county in England and narrowboat holidays are a relaxing way to discover them. The Shropshire Union Canal runs through the heart of historic Chester and is a starting point for the Cheshire Ring or, take a turn, and you’ll be on a leisurely trip to Llangollen in North Wales, passing friendly faces and fantastic scenery along the way, travelling in perfect comfort. Narrowboats for hire boast mod cons such as central heating, fitted kitchen, bathroom, double bed and TV
Canal which runs through the heart of historic Chester and is a starting point for the Ring or for taking a turn and ending up in Llangollen in North Wales. Built in 1826 and arrow-straight for much of its 67-mile length, “the Shroppie” is a canal of two halves. North of Nantwich the wide waterway follows rolling landscape to Ellesmere Port, while the southern half is a feat of engineering, with long embankments, deep cuttings and elegant bridges, through which boats once carried cargo from England’s Northwest to Wolverhampton and the Midlands. I begin at Bunbury Locks near Tarporley, where I meet Malcolm Sharpe of Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays, who comes fresh from beneath a poly tunnel where he’s been painting a narrowboat, one from a fleet of 130, in the company’s new colour, British racing green.
Anglo Welsh Waterway Holidays Tel: 0117 304 1122; www.anglowelsh.co.uk Lee Karen Stow stayed at Rookery Hall, Nantwich, Cheshire Tel: 01270 610016; www.handpicked.co.uk/rookeryhall A sandstone, Georgian country mansion set in 38 acres of gardens and parkland, bordered by the river Weaver and 30 minutes’ drive from Bunbury Locks. A beautiful interior of mahogany panelled rooms, oak staircase, log fires and sofas, with fine wines and food, and even a ‘bath butler’ who brings you Champagne or home-made Bailey’s ice cream while you soak. More information www.visitchester.com
Bassenthwaite Lake, The Lake District, Cumbria Bassenthwaite is home to the first wild ospreys to breed in the Lake District for more than 150 years. By mid-April, the ospreys should return from wintering in Africa and hopefully lay three eggs. High-powered telescopes, set up by the Lake District Osprey Project and RSPB at a special viewing platform in Dodd Wood, offer close-up views of these magnificent birds with their 5ft wing spans as they feed on pike and perch. At nearby Whinlatter Forest Park Visitor Centre, television screens relay live footage from cameras positioned at the nest site. Both Dodd Wood and Whinlatter Forest (England’s only mountain forest) are starting points for circular walks and family nature trails through sheltered woodland or over open fells. Whinlatter Forest Park, tel: 017687 78469. Lake District Osprey Project: www.ospreywatch.co.uk Sail and Walk, Ullswater, The Lake District, Cumbria Board a 19th-century steamer, now converted to diesel, across England’s second largest lake from Glenridding to Pooley Bridge (two hours), or alight to walk through a honeypot loved by Coleridge and Ruskin, and where William Wordsworth wrote about golden daffodils. Sip hot
chocolate laced with brandy from the bar and spot peregrines, sandpipers, cormorants and red deer grazing on fells cloaked in bracken and juniper bushes. Easy-to-follow walks filter round the lake shore, or strike off over the fells to Bronze Age stone circles. New for 2006 is Lady Wakefield, built in 1949 and fully refurbished. Ullswater Steamers, tel: 017684 82229; www.ullswater-steamers.co.uk. Also, the Ullswater Walking Festival May 12-14, with guided walks, lectures and music, tel: 017684 82414; www.ullswater.com Black Moss Reservoir, Forest of Bowland, Lancashire The Forest of Bowland is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Its nationally protected landscape is internationally important for its heather moorland, blanket bog and rare birds. Black Moss Reservoir – the upper reservoir completed in 1894, the lower reservoir in 1903 – is noted for its variety of birdlife. During summer especially, are lapwing, curlew, redshank, linnet, stone chat, skylark, common sandpiper and reed bunting. There’s a picnic spot and a circular reservoir walk from Barley which takes about three hours. Pendle TIC, tel: 01282 661701; www.forestofbowland.com
HORSE POWER
REPORT BY GARY KING WATERFALLS, WOODLAND, SOARING FELLS AND FAST-FLOWING STREAMS — YOU GET THE BEST VIEWS AND KEEP YOUR FEET DRY, TOO, WHEN YOU SEE THEM FROM THE BACK OF A WELSH COB
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ovely to meet you,” booms Barbara Burton simultaneously shaking one hand and thrusting a riding hat into the other. I’m barely out of my car and she has me pushing my arms into a heavy wax cotton coat that comes all the way down to my shins. “It will cover your legs in case we get
lanes to the hamlet of Millthrop. Lunch is followed by a steep climb up Holme Fell where the reward is a view to rival that of any in the area. The rest of the day is spent descending back into the Lune Valley before crossing farmland and reaching the village of Barbon and its 17th-century coaching inn. The Barbon Inn has refreshed weary travellers for more than 400 years and is the perfect tonic after a long day in the saddle. After a hearty breakfast, the day starts with a ride through stunning woodland and on to the hamlet of Gawthrop and Combe Scar, known to be a nesting site of the rare peregrine falcon. From there, a variety of terrain is covered that includes a gated lane by the River Dee, an old golf course and the original bridleway up the Cautley valley and back to the stables.
BRIAN SHERWEN/CUMBRIA PHOTOS
D&P Equestrian Enterprises run a number of different trail rides. For more information visit www.dandpequestrian.co.uk or call 01539 620 349.
The Barbon Inn Trail Ride After leaving Low Haygarth farm and fording the River Rawthey, a bridleway is picked up that runs down the side of the Cautley valley towards the town of Sedburgh which is skirted through a network of small
Riding high: the scenic wonders of Cumbria have an added thrill when explored on horseback
a downpour,” she says by way of explanation. A thick mist hangs in the air and the forecast is for heavy rain but I doubt anything in the world can dampen the spirits of this instantly likeable woman. I’m in an area that is sandwiched between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales called the Howgill Fells and Upper Eden Valley. It is home to some of the most dramatic and
sweeping countryside in the country and I’m here to explore it on horseback. Barbara owns D&P Equestrian Enterprises with her business partner Linda Devitt. They specialise in trail riding holidays. “Trail riding differs from trekking because we cover longer distances over a variety of terrains with generally more experienced riders,” she explains. “We follow bridleways, ancient drover
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TRAILRIDINGINCUMBRIA The Fat Lamb Country Inn Trail Ride Sets off from Low Haygarth Farm through woodland and open fell to the villages of Ravenstonedale and Newbiggin on Lune with a break in between for lunch. Then it’s a jaunt across the interestingly-named Friars Bottom to a beautiful valley which is home to the Smardale Nature Reserve, one of the many Sites of Special Scientific Interest in the area. This is followed by the chance to canter and gallop on Smardale Fell before heading back to Warton Fell and Common. Recuperation and board for horse and rider is provided by the renowned Fat Lamb Inn; home of refreshingly large meals made from local produce run by the welcoming Paul Bonsall. Even the trout is caught in a nearby lake. On day two there’s a climb on to Cote Moor and then across Clouds Rocks, a mass of limestone that stretches as far as the eye can see. Weather permitting, lunch is at the top of Harter Fell, where views for mile upon mile can be admired while munching on a home-made sandwich. The day is rounded off by a ride over secluded fells and winding valleys back to the stables.
roads, open fells and everything in between. On our multi-day excursions we also stay at carefully selected country pubs and hotels.” I’m introduced to Margaret White who is one of Barbara’s trail leaders. She is going to be my guide for my own trot into the Cumbrian countryside. I’m also introduced to Moonshine, my trusty steed for the day. She’s a magnificent Welsh Cob, apparently a breed renowned for their sure footedness and, in this particular case, her wonderful easy-going temperament. All of Barbara’s mounts are well-schooled horses that have been hand-picked or home-bred and professionally broken by herself or one of her team. This does inspire a certain confidence, especially as I’m no Frankie Dettori, so I’m not expecting to go galloping into the sun, should it appear. After a few basic instructions, such as how to hold the reins, where not to put my feet and how to turn left and right, I feel comfortable enough to begin. We bid farewell to Barbara, and Margaret leads the way on her horse, Sorrel. Our first obstacle is about 100 yards from the stables, the River Rawthey. “Follow me,” shouts Margaret over her shoulder. “There’s a deep bit in the middle.” With Moonshine’s nose inches from Sorrel’s rump we navigate the waterway, climb up the other side on to the riverbank and start a gentle amble across the peaty fell. The mist is beginning to clear and I again hear the sound of water. Looming to the left of us is one of the area’s highest points, Cautley Crag, and cascading down its face is one of England’s biggest waterfalls, Cautley Spout. It’s a splendid sight; a frothing mass of white water twisting down the rock face. “It freezes during the winter and people use if for ice climbing. One year
somebody got stuck halfway up and the mountain rescue team had to come and pluck them off,” Margaret says with carefree aplomb. And with that she decides it’s time to have a canter. I bend my legs, shorten my reins and we blast up a particularly steep incline. Moonshine’s mane flaps in the wind, a jolt of adrenaline shoots through my system and I suddenly get a taste of what this horse riding malarkey is all about. Margaret is a fount of all knowledge about the Howgill Fells and as we traverse different terrain at varying speeds she tells me that on a clear day it’s possible to see the Lakes, the Scottish Borders and the Pennine Chain in a 360 degree panorama from Green Bell, one of the area’s highest points. It emphasises the central location of this beauty spot that is possibly one of England’s Northwest’s best kept secrets. There’s also an abundance of wildlife along the way such as the indigenous fell ponies, much loved by the Duke of Edinburgh for carriage driving, plus buzzards, deer, peregrine falcons, rabbits and hares. There’s even a population of red squirrels flourishing in the nearby village of Outhgill. We pass an Iron-Age fort, several Sites of Special Scientific Interest that are home to wild flowers, various flora, fauna and an ancient woodland. All of this within a few miles of the stables. Margaret is there to greet us as we make our way back across the river. “How was it?” she says with characteristic enthusiasm. “Wonderful,” I reply. “When can I do it again?” Gary King went trail riding with D&P Equestrian Enterprises, Low Haygarth Farm, Cautley, Sedbergh, Cumbria LA10 5NE. For more information visit www.dandpequestrian.co.uk or call 01539 620 349. For more information on the Lake District National Park, visit www.lake-district.gov.uk
FOREST OF BOWLAND ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST 11
Saturday, April 1, 2006
hen the witches of Pendle set out on their escorted hike to trial and the scaffold in Lancaster the best part of four centuries ago, they could be forgiven if they were a tad too preoccupied to appreciate the majesty of the hills through which they tramped. Even today, the Forest of Bowland is one of the great unsung treasures of the British countryside — a gem narrowly missed to one side or the other by armies of motorists hell-bent on reaching the Lakes or the Yorkshire Dales. And although it lies within minutes of the M6, enlightened visitors follow the trail blazed by those luckless hags during their fateful summer of 1612 and begin their voyage of discovery from the eastern rim of the ancient forest — the village of Barrowford, near the northern tip of the M65. Here the Pendle Heritage Centre in the lovingly-restored 15th-century farmhouse of Park Hill, ancestral home of the world’s first four-minute miler, Roger Bannister, is both an intriguing architectural and social journey back into mediaeval England. It is an essential introduction to the mighty events of the 17th century which have etched the glowering heights of nearby Pendle Hill into the history books, and whose myths and mysteries still dominate the entire region. For the mountain, which towers over the village of Barley, was not only the scene of the weird locals’ clandestine gatherings which led local magistrate Edward Bromley to declare, with notable conciseness, “the king (James I) believes there are Catholics and witches all over England”. It was also the irresistible magnet which some 40 years later drew the visionary George Fox. “As we travelled on,” Fox wrote in his diary, “we came near a great and high hill called Pendle Hill, and I was moved of the Lord to go to the top of it, which I did with much ado, it was so very steep and high. When I was come to the top of this hill, I saw the sea bordering upon Lancashire and from the top of this hill the Lord let me see in what places He had a great people to be gathered…” The Quaker movement was born that very day. From Barrowford, the modern adventurer snakes a route westwards through clefts in awesome, heather-clad hillsides, between dry-stone walls and past picture postcard villages towards Morecambe Bay. Small diversions include Stonyhurst College — where J.R.R.Tolkien visited his student son and fell in love with the countryside which inspired the epic tales of Middle Earth — the wonderful walks through and around the village of Slaidburn and the educational nature trails through Gisburn Forest alongside the blue expanse of Stocks Reservoir. The Forest of Bowland is one of Britain’s first Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Riding alongside me, its principal planning officer, Don McKay, soon dispels any lingering notion that it all happens without a little help from its friends. “On the tops we have filled scrapes with water to provide winter nesting sites for wading birds such as lapwing, curlew and redshank,” he said, “and we leave broad verges at the side of roads to allow wild flower seeds to germinate themselves — nature will always come back if you give it a chance. We are always under pressure from some quarters to widen roads to
cater for more visitors, but it is no good if we destroy the very things they come to see.” And a few minutes listening to Peter Jepson, Lancashire County Council ecologist and countryside manager, as we gaze down from a bridge over the River Hodder, is enough to fire the most latent enthusiasm for the wild open spaces. “We have otters, kingfishers, dippers, and the other day I saw a merganser shepherding her brood across the river,” he recalled dreamily. “The wet grasslands contain such rarities as the birdseye primrose and not far from here I could show you a hillside which turns blue at the end of May with bluebells, which still flower, although the trees around them have long since gone. Then we have golden plovers, dunlin and, of course, the hen harrier for which the Forest of Bowland is most noted.” The trail west soon passes Clitheroe, a picturesque and prosperous town where familiar-sounding chains are still kept out of the centre by shops which have remained in the same family for generations, and the cluster of stone-built houses which make up the glorious village of Dunsop Bridge, with its phone box which marks the geographical centre of the British Isles. From there, a few majestic miles of roadway pass through the Trough of Bowland — certainly one of rural Britain’s best-kept secrets — towards Lancaster and the coast. And why not end by turning back into the Forest of Bowland from the A6 at Claughton on Brook, south of Garstang, and following the signs to Cobble Hey Farm, where Edwina Miller, her husband Dave and son David have lovingly created a unique garden out of the windy hillside? It is filled with an unparalleled collection of geraniums, phlox and snowdrops, where visitors young and old can come face to face with rare breeds of pigs and sheep — and even try out their newly-acquired skills at making a dry-stone wall. The Forest of Bowland is full of surprises like that.
LANCASHIRE AND BLACKPOOL TOURIST BOARD
Saturday, April 1, 2006
HIDDEN
TREASURE
REPORT BY WILLIAM GREAVES DISCOVER ENGLAND’S SECRET CENTRE WHERE THE GHOSTS OF DOOMED WITCHES STILL WALK THE EARTH AND HEN HARRIERS SOAR OVER ANCIENT FOREST AND HEATHER-CLAD HILLS
More information: www.forestofbowland.com; Bowland Visitor Centre, tel: 01995 640557
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CUMBRIA ON HORSEBACK D&P EQUESTRIAN ENTERPRISES
10 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST
Wonders of nature: awesome Bowland is one of England’s best-kept secrets. It is one of Britain’s first Areas of Outstanding Beauty and has a host of wild flowers and species of birds
Saturday, April 1, 2006
FOOD WITH LOCAL
FLAVOUR
REPORT BY WILLIAM GREAVES FROM CHORLEY CAKES TO WALLINGS FARM PIGS’ CHEEKS AND FROM SAD CAKES TO SARSAPARILLA, WHEN YOU EAT OUT IN LANCASHIRE THEY WILL NOT ONLY NAME THE VILLAGE WHERE THE INGREDIENTS CAME FROM — THEY CAN PROBABLY NAME THE PIG
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ingredients come from. What is more, f you treat yourself to a gourmet they insist that their pampered meal at Northcote Manor, at Old patrons are equally well informed. Langho, near Clitheroe, dishes Once the smoke-belching, likely to stare out from the menu loom-clattering birthplace of the might include Battersby’s sheep milk gnocchi, carpaccio of Ashcroft’s cauliflower, Wallings Farm pigs’ cheeks or pan-fried wild Lytham seabass. Peter Ashcroft’s cauliflower farm is just up the road at Tarleton, near Preston, Wallings Farm is at Cockerham, south of Lancaster, Battersby’s are award-winning butchers at Ormskirk, between Liverpool and Southport, and Lytham lies a few miles away on the mouth of the Ribble. Under gentle questioning from my dining companion, Helen Kirkham, of Made in Lancashire, one of five Northwest of England agencies that comprise the Fantastic Food Partnership, our waiter revealed that the suckling pig came from Barry and Gillian Pugh, just up the A6 at Eat treats: along with other locally Garstang, the woodcock produced food, Lancashire cheese from Whitewell in the enjoys a fine reputation worldwide Forest of Bowland and my bread roll was flavoured with local cheese. And when next evening I switched my allegiance to the village of Mellor, just north of Blackburn, and Stanley House, the crumbling manor magnificently restored into a luxury hotel by local businessman, Fred Walker (whose late brother, Jack, famously took Blackburn Rovers to the Premiership title) the menu featured pan-fried breast of Goosnargh duck, from the eponymous village near Preston, and a mouth-watering prune and armagnac soufflé with “Anne Forshaw’s yoghurt ice cream”, whose Little Town Dairy can be found at nearby Thornley. By this time, the message was clear. Lancashire not only boasts some of Britain’s finest cuisine – a few miles away at Longridge, near Preston, Paul Heathcote’s world-famous restaurant still proudly retains its coveted Michelin star – but its chefs know exactly where their
industrial revolution, Lancashire is now a mammoth market garden. Ironically, it was partly the foot-and-mouth catastrophe – very harsh on the northern counties at the
turn of the century – which persuaded many farmers to diversify into farm shops and food production. And it is largely due to this new century’s agricultural revolution that
Lancashire’s many first-class eateries – from exclusive hotels and multistarred restaurants, through to cafés and tea rooms to the farm shops themselves – now enjoy the enviable luxury of being able to prepare their menus from arguably the finest range of local produce anywhere in Britain. Typical of this new wave of food suppliers is Simon Barnes, whose rapidly-expanding shop and café on his brother’s farm at Bashall Barn, Bashall Town – its nine residents comprise Britain’s smallest town – opened for business in the year 2000. “When we started we were 80 per cent retail but now our café is half the business and we’ve got people eating here several times a week,” says Simon. “We make our own ice cream, cakes and ready-to-eat meals but just being here encourages other local people to set up in business. For our fish pies, for instance, we buy fish from local fishermen, potatoes from the Fylde and we’ve even started adding English wine. Within 10 miles of here, there are five or six similar outlets, and we all benefit each other.” Nothing gets more local than Simon’s popular steak-and-ale casserole, with the beef coming from Forest of Bowland cattle and the beer from the micro-brewery next door. Richard Baker set up his Bowland Beer Company just three years ago and three of his range – Hunters Moon, Bowland Gold and Sawley Tempted (Sawley being the name of a neighbouring village) – have won CAMRA medals. Just listening to him is enough to start taste buds tingling. “Using different hops and malts, there are any number of distinctive brews I can come up with. These are just nine of the malts I use. Here’s a pale maris otter malt which has a honey flavour… this is a mild ale malt with a Weetabix aroma… this rye malt gives a tangy, apple flavour and this wheat malt leaves a creamy lacing on the glass… these two are chocolate malts…” The enthusiasm is infectious. Nowhere does the special supplierto-eater relationship get more localised than in nearby Clitheroe, where several floors of The Emporium are filled every day by people eating from a strictly regional menu. There are offerings from Cowman’s of Castle Street, whose latest sausage list contains nearly 70 varieties which are regularly exported by mail order to customers as far away as Papua New Guinea, Argentina and Russia. And drinks from Byrnes wine merchants of King Street, where a labyrinth of cellars are so thickly stocked with wines from all over the world that 400 different labels of single malt whisky are forced on to a top shelf only reachable by ladder. But it is for an entire vocabulary of its very own dishes and delicacies that Lancashire enjoys a global reputation. Listening to Deborah Robb, project manager for North West Fine Foods, reel them off is a culinary education. “There’s Lancashire cheese, all three varieties, and Lancashire hotpot, of course, but that’s only the beginning,” she said, with only the slightest smile to betray the revelations to come. “Simnel cake, Eccles cakes, Chorley cakes, Goosnargh cakes, sad cakes – similar to Eccles and Chorley cakes but a bit larger – barm cakes, which aren’t cakes at all but bread rolls – whitsun open tarts, made with rhubarb or gooseberries, Vimto, Tizer, sarsaparilla, Dandelion and Burdock and, of course, Fisherman’s Friends, first made in Fleetwood around 1865… “And don’t forget Morecambe Bay Shrimps, which bear, arguably, the ultimate accolade – a prestigious Royal Warrant.” We wouldn’t dare. More information: www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com/taste
Saturday, April 1, 2006
CATCH OF THE DAY ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST 13
FRUITSOFTHESEA With North Sea trawlers operating out of Fleetwood, miles of inshore coastline from the top of Morecambe Bay to the Mersey estuary and rivers abounding in salmon and trout, it is scarcely surprising that Lancashire’s menus are as rich in seafood as they are in the produce of its fertile landscape. “Although most of the catch is probably destined for other parts of Britain and Europe, some of it undoubtedly goes straight to local outlets and the range is about as large as you would expect to see in any good wet fish shop,” says Stephen Atkins, chief executive of North West and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee. “Cod is getting scarcer these days, as it is everywhere, but we’ve got plenty of haddock, flat fish includes plaice, sole and flounders, there’s mackerel and herring, bass, some mullet, lobster farming up towards Barrow, salmon netting around the estuaries – which might not please the anglers but is both legitimate and sustainable – and, of course, wonderful mussels and cockles around Morecambe Bay.” Andrew Lanigan, whose notable shop at Lytham supplies the famed dining room of Northcote Manor, near Blackburn, and it’s sister pub, The Three Fishes, at Mitton, is just one of the local outlets for fresh fish. “From the immediate area we rely mostly on brown shrimp and sea bass,” he says, “but fish comes daily through Fleetwood, not only off the trawlers but also overland via the town’s many wholesalers and filleters.” But for visitors who really want to know the source of what they are eating there is always the option of catching it themselves! Gazing down from a bridge over the Hodder, near
Clitheroe, John Wellbank, project manager for the environmental agency Lancashire Rural Futures, points with obvious pleasure to the silver reflection of a dead salmon on the river bed. “It might seem strange to rejoice in a particularly large number of dead fish this winter,” he says, “but salmon do usually die after spawning and their presence points to a prolific period ahead.” Fish need all the protection they can get from the environment boffins to beat off the combined forces of industrial and agricultural pollution, and it is all credit to the work of their habitat groups and catchment trusts that the Lune is now rated second only to the Tyne as England’s foremost salmon river. Moreoever, the Ribble and its tributary, the Hodder, are fast recovering the statistics they enjoyed before the cotton mills invaded their territory. After a tough decade through the Nineties, the Lune has comfortably exceeded its sustainability target level of 5,000 returning salmon every year of this century, with a peak of nearly 12,000. And last autumn a single angler caught five sea trout of over 15lbs each on the Ribble – with the biggest a mammoth 21lbs! Visitors who want to join the fun should enquire for day tickets at the tackle shops of Fawcett’s, in Lancaster, Ted Carter in Preston or Ken Varey in Clitheroe. Fly-fishing for trout is also available on rivers, ponds, meres and reservoirs – most notably Stocks Reservoir high in the Forest of Bowland and the idyllic 23-acre Cleveley Mere, within a mile or two of the A6 just south of Lancaster and signposted from the village of Forton. And boatmen are on hand in most coastal resorts to lead the adventurous into deeper waters.
Catch of the day: from Blackpool beach, top, to excellent fly fishing, above, and from cockles and mussels to succulent salmon, right, the area is rightly prized for its wide variety of fantastic fish
PHOTOLIBRARY.COM
PRIME PRODUCE
ALAMY
12 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST
ENJOY
1 Carlisle
Bassenthwaite
CUMBRIA AND THE LAKE DISTRICT 1
Hodbarrow
2
Millom
Kendal South Walney
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Leighton Moss 5
Lancaster
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REDSHANK Marshside BULLFINCH Mere Sands Wood LAPWING Gowy Meadows GREENLAND WHEATEAR Seaforth BARN OWL Martin Mere GREAT CRESTED GREBE Hatch Mere
LANCASHIRE
4
Marton Mere
Blackpool
Mere Sands Wood Marshside Southport
Wigan and Pennington Flashes
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Martin Mere GREATER MANCHESTER Seaforth Manchester MERSEYSIDE Liverpool Ellesmere Port
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BIRD-WATCHING ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST 15 Little quackers: a muscovy duck and her chicks have ospreys as neighbours at Ullswater today
RICH TWITCHING
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Saturday, April 1, 2006
PHOTOLIBRARY.COM
Saturday, April 1, 2006
14 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST BIRD-WATCHING
Macclesfield
Hatch Mere Gowy Trentabank Meadows Reservoir Chester CHESHIRE
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REPORT BY DANIEL BUTLER BIRDSONG RINGS OUT FROM THE MUDFLATS TO THE MOUNTAINS AS ARCTIC BIRDS – ALONG WITH ENGLAND’S LAST GOLDEN EAGLE – TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN THE AREA
ention England’s Northwest and most people think instinctively of its great industrial towns rather than wildlife. This is a pity, for the region is home to many of Britain’s premier wildlife sites. Otters, water voles and red squirrels have strongholds here, but its bird-watching is perhaps the region’s greatest strength. Certainly keen ornithologists flock here to revel in the sheer scale of the huge numbers of migrants that winter along the coast. Estuaries such as the Dee, Mersey, Ribble and Solway are magnets for huge flocks of waterfowl driven south by the Arctic winter. Vast numbers of pintails, black-tailed godwits and pink-footed geese graze on the waterlogged pastures and neighbouring fields of the Lancashire coast, while short-eared owls, driven by cold from their upland breeding grounds, hunt the numerous small mammals which flourish among the tussocks. Meanwhile, the vast mudflats of Morecambe Bay draw in tens of thousands of waders, forced west by harsh weather. Here they can probe the soft ground for invertebrates which are locked away from delicate beaks by hard frost on the Continent. The coast is also a natural migration route for Arctic birds such as little gulls and Greenland wheatears. The presence of these huge concentrations of birds inevitably attracts predators such as merlin, hen harriers and peregrines. But the activity is not confined to the coast. England’s highest mountains are found here and the Lake District is the place to watch English ospreys and perhaps to catch a glimpse of England’s last golden eagle. Similarly, many of our most elusive
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upland birds can be seen along the Pennines. The Forest of Bowland, for example, has redshank, curlew, ring ouzel, red grouse, dipper, peregrine, hen harrier and short-eared owls. Last, but not least, are the scores of small nature reserves built in and around the region’s great industrial towns. Gravel pits, abandoned mines and former factories have all been transformed into wildlife havens which ring with song through spring and summer. As a result, England’s Northwest has something to offer every level of bird lover, from beginner to dedicated twitcher.
RESERVES TO VISIT Gowy Meadows (Cheshire Wildlife Trust, near Ellesmere Port) Although dominated by Stanlow Refinery, this 400-acre wetland reserve has peregrine, lapwing, skylark and reed bunting. Trentabank Reservoir (Cheshire Wildlife Trust, near Macclesfield) This supports mallard and tufted duck, little grebe and common sandpiper. The surrounding woods have resident crossbills, siskins and goldcrests, boosted in spring by garden warblers, blackcaps and pied flycatchers. Hatch Mere (Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Delamere Forest near Norley) Important breeding birds on this acidic lake include great crested grebe, reed bunting and willow warbler. Leighton Moss (RSPB, near Carnforth) The largest reedbed in Northwest England. Its shallow meres, edged with sedge and scrub, attract a rich mix of birds, most notably bitterns, marsh harriers, shovellers and tufted duck, not to mention water rails and pochard.
Martin Mere (Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, near Ormskirk) One of the bird-watching jewels of the Northwest, highlights include whooper and bewick swans, and pink-footed geese. In summer, bird watchers are drawn by the tree sparrows and barn owls. Marshside (RSPB, near Southport) The Ribble Estuary is notable for its wet coastal grassland. This provides important winter grazing for wildfowl like pink-footed geese and wigeon, while waders such as black-tailed godwit and golden plover probe the frost-free ground for worms. As the weather warms, it becomes an important nest site for lapwings, redshanks and avocets. Hodbarrow (RSPB, near Millom) Large flocks of wading birds and waterfowl are drawn to the freshwater lagoons in winter while three tern species nest here in summer. Bassenthwaite (Lake District Osprey Project near Keswick) Every year since 2001 the Whinlatter Visitor Centre has had great views of an osprey nest. Marton Mere (Blackpool Council, near Blackpool) These open water reed beds are the main wintering site for bittern and a noted long-eared owl roost. In summer, rarities such as Cettis warbler breed in the dense undergrowth. South Walney (Cumbria Wildlife Trust, near Barrow) There are 25 bird species breeding on this narrow spit of land jutting into Morecambe Bay (of which lesser black backed and herring gulls are the most numerous) but ,in all, 265 species have been recorded here.
Mere Sands Wood (Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside WT, near Preston) Sand was once extracted to feed the industrial revolution here, but now its pools and scrub are home to tufted duck, great crested grebe, reed bunting, bullfinch and water rail. Seaforth (Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside WT, near Sefton) As well as its breeding colony of common terns, spring highlights include passage Arctic migrants such as little gulls, Greenland wheatear and white wagtail. Wigan and Pennington Flashes (Wigan Council) Two flooded former mine workings are now home to willow tits, reed and sedge warblers, with regular sightings of black-necked grebe.
BIRDS TO SEE Bittern: This shy and well camouflaged relative of the heron is rarely seen, but counted by the booming calls of the males from March onwards. One of our rarest birds, Lancashire is a key stronghold. Peregrine: A cliff-nester, it breeds on rocky coasts or mountains, but in winter and spring frequents estuaries where it preys on waders and waterfowl. As the world’s fastest animal, it can reach 200mph. Merlin: Britain’s smallest falcon breeds in the uplands, but in cold weather abandons these for the easy pickings of smaller birds like starlings along the coast. Osprey: England’s first genuinely wild pair of ospreys in almost two centuries
have bred at Bassenthwaite in the Lake District since 2001, raising seven young under the scrutiny of 500,000 bird watchers. Whooper swan: Roughly the same size as our more familiar mute swans, these winter visitors from Iceland have a more upright neck and a yellow, rather than orange, bill. Great crested grebe: In spring their heads are adorned with striking frills of rusty brown feathers and they perform spectacular, strictlychoreographed, courtship displays. Pochard: A stocky diving duck, males sport rusty heads and grey bodies, while females have a dark head and blotchy cheeks. Lapwing: Also known as peewit and green plover, this once-familiar farmland bird, has declined sharply across Britain. They remain a familiar sight in England’s Northwest, however, where they nest in damp, tussocky, pasture. Redshank: This grey-brown wader gets its name from its long red legs. It winters in large flocks along the coast, but often moves inland to breed on damp pastures and moors. Pied flycatcher: A black-and-white summer migrant which loves small woods and copses, where it lives up to its name by feasting on insects which it catches in bouncing flight. More information: The Wildlife Trust: www.wildlifetrusts.org The RSPB: www.rspb.org.uk
OSPREYSRETURN Last year, retired National Trust Warden for Ullswater, Ken Ratcliffe, saw an osprey flit across this most beautiful Cumbrian lake. For Ken, whose life has been spent watching the light dance on the near eight-mile stretch of silvery blue water, the sighting was a symbol of hope. Ospreys have been extinct in these parts for more than 150 years, last seen probably in William Wordsworth’s day. But in 2001 a male and female returned to Bassenthwaite, another lake in a nearby valley, and have since bred chicks. “We’re hoping she – or he – comes back,’’ he tells me on a circular ramble to the popular beauty spot of Aira Force, one in a web of walks from the Aira Force National Trust Car Park at Watermillock. “We’ve got one golden eagle across the mountains in Haweswater, a male. Sadly the female died last year.’’ I later learn that the male can sometimes be seen defending his territory and performing acrobatics in the hope that a female, on a flight path from Scotland, might be smitten. Ken rolls species of bird off the tongue faster than it takes for a roebuck to prance from our path. It disappears into an ornamental copse of Chilean and Himalayan pines and Sitka spruce planted by the Howard family of Greystoke Castle in 1846. Beyond this arboretum, the woodland becomes more natural, with ash, hazel and cherry rising above banks smothered in common cow-wheat
and primrose. Fern and lichen coat the oaks. Thriving here are dippers, kingfishers, maganza ducks and most of the tree birds such as tree creepers, nuthatches, greater spotted woodpecker and also robins and sparrows. “And they’re not difficult to see,’’ Ken says. ‘“There are at least two dipper nests along the beck, one of them is underneath the waterfall.’’ We reach the 60ft cascade tumbling from a crevice between slate and volcanic rock, and where in late morning shafts of sunlight cast a triple rainbow. Wordsworth wove Aira Force, “… that torrent hoarse’’ into three poems including The Somnambulist, an ancient tale of a knight’s love for his maiden and his heartbroken retreat into a cave beneath the falls to mourn her death. Our invigorating walk continues over the fields towards Dockray village and into the open fells of Gowbarrow (routes vary from an hour to a day to complete), taking in views high above Ullswater and the three Ice Age sculpted peaks of High Street, High Rise and Helvellyn. Meanwhile, scores of footpaths, tracks and quiet lanes await walkers of all levels of enthusiasm and ability, especially the twitchers among us. For more details contact The National Trust Cumbria, tel: 015394 35599. LEE KAREN STOW
16 ENGLAND’S NORTHWEST PRIZE DRAW
Saturday, April 1, 2006
WIN ONE OF FIVE SHORT BREAKS
From the rolling Cheshire plain to wild and rugged Scafell Pike, from rare red squirrels to swathes of swaying daffodils, England’s Northwest is home to a multitude of landscapes supporting many species of plants and animals. It boasts England’s largest National Park, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and miles of wonderful coastline. Enter our prize draw and you will have the chance to explore one of England’s most naturally diverse and inspiring regions GARSTANG COUNTRY HOTEL AND GOLF CLUB, LANCASHIRE
LAKELOVERS HOLIDAY COTTAGES, CUMBRIA
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akelovers Holiday Cottages offer the best in Lakeland self-catering holidays and an ideal base to explore the stunning landscape of England’s largest National Park. Win a relaxing seven-night stay for four people in the holiday cottage of your choice; choose from bustling Lakeland towns or the idyllic setting of unspoilt fells. Either way, Lakelovers can help you select just the right property for your break and make the most of your time away. Please note that dates and property size are subject to availability.
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in two nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast for two in a fantastic four-poster bedroom at the Garstang Country Hotel. Situated in the picturesque market town of Garstang, this modern, family owned hotel on the banks of the River Wyre has its own parkland golf course. It is ideally situated for exploring the picturesque Lune Valley and the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This prize includes admission to the award-winning Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site at Martin Mere, afternoon tea at Cobble Hey Gardens and a Lune Aqueduct Canal Cruise.
For more information on Lakelovers Holiday Cottages call 015394 88855 or go to www.lakelovers.co.uk For more information on Cumbria — The Lake District, visit www.golakes.co.uk
For more information on the Garstang Country Hotel and Golf Club, call 01995 600 100 or go to www.garstanghotelandgolfclub.co.uk For more information on Lancashire, visit www.visitlancashire.com
MARRIOTT WORSLEY PARK HOTEL AND COUNTRY CLUB, GREATER MANCHESTER
NUNSMERE HALL, CHESHIRE
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unsmere Hall has arguably the finest setting of any four-star country house hotel in England. Surrounded by a 60-acre lake and beautifully landscaped gardens, Nunsmere lies in the heart of Cheshire’s Delamere Forest and the stunning Cheshire countryside. Win a two-night break for two at this elegant county house hotel, bursting with fine furnishings, antiques and magnificent chandeliers. The prize includes a romantic dinner at the hotel’s Crystal Restaurant, renowned for its award-winning cuisine.
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anchester is surrounded by more than 500 square miles of inspiring countryside; explore it from the four-star deluxe Marriott Worsley Park Hotel & Country Club. Perched between the city and the countryside and surrounded by over 200 acres of beautiful parkland, this hotel offers a refreshing change of pace. Win two nights’ bed and breakfast and a round of golf on the hotel’s fantastic championship 18-hole golf course. For more information on the Marriott Worsley Park call 0161 975 2000 or go to www.marriott.co.uk/mangs For more information on Manchester’s countryside, visit www.manchesterscountryside.com
SCARISBRICK HOTEL, SOUTHPORT
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he stunning Sefton coast and neighbouring pine woodlands are perfect for nature lovers, walkers and cyclists and are the ideal habitat for rare species such as the natterjack toad and red squirrel. Win two nights’ bed and breakfast at the Scarisbrick Hotel in Southport, ideally situated for exploring this varied coastline, plus admission to Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site Martin Mere and two tickets for the Summer Classics Music in the Park concert, featuring the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in Victoria Park on Saturday, July 29, 2006. For more information on the Scarisbrick Hotel call 01704 543000 or go to www.scarisbrickhotel.com For more information on Southport, visit www.visitsouthport.com
For more information on Nunsmere Hall, call 01606 889100 or go to www.nunsmere.co.uk For more information on Chester and Cheshire, visit www.visitchester.com
HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win one of these five short breaks call 0845 600 6040 or log on to
www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com/telegraph (entrants will be asked to specify which prize they would like to enter the draw for).
Closing date: April 24, 2006. Terms and conditions 1. The prize draw is open to residents of the UK aged 18 or over except employees of Visit England, anyone professionally associated with the draw or members of their families. 2. How to enter forms part of the terms and conditions. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the competitor agrees to abide by the rules. 3. The winners will be drawn at random from all entries received by the closing date. No responsibility can be accepted for incomplete, illegible, lost, damaged or corrupt entries. Proof of sending is not proof of delivery. 4. The prizes are as described. They do not include any incidental costs, such as travel, meals, telephone calls, mini bar or travel insurance. 5. The prizes are offered subject to availability and must be taken by September 30, 2006. 6. The prizes are not transferable and there are no cash alternatives. Conditions and some exclusion periods apply. Once a booking has been made and accepted, no amendments will be accepted. 7. Events may occur that render the promotion itself or the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Telegraph and the Telegraph may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion and the reader agrees that no liability shall attach itself to the Telegraph as a result thereof. Promoter: Northwest Regional Development Agency, Renaissance House, PO Box 37, Centre Park, Warrington WA1 1XB.