IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Blakemere Lane, FRODSHAM, WA6 6NU

Probably a private facility for one young person's horse or pony.

This is Station Road entering Hatchmere, a small village on the edge of Delamere Forest Park.

Located behind Hatchmere village and on the border of Delamere Forest is a small area of wet woodland, one of many to found throughout the forest. Wet woodland occurs on poorly drained or seasonally wet soils, usually with alder, birch and willows as the predominant tree species, but sometimes including ash, oak, pine and beech on the drier riparian areas. It is found on floodplains, fens, mires and bogs, along streams, hill-side flushes, and in peaty hollows. These woodlands occur on a range of soil types including nutrient-rich mineral and acid, nutrient-poor organic ones. The boundaries with dry woodland may be sharp or gradual and may (but not always) change with time through succession, depending on the conditions and management of the wood and its surrounding land. Therefore wet woods frequently occur in mosaic with other woodland key habitat types and with open key habitats such as fens.Wet woodland combines elements of many other ecosystems and as such is important for many different types of wildlife. The high humidity favours bryophyte growth such as mosses and liverworts. The number of invertebrates associated with alder, birch and willows, is very large, although some are now confined to just a few sites. Dead wood within the sites can be frequent, and its association with water provides specialised habitats not found in dry woodland types. While few rare plant species depend on wet woodland as such, there may be some relict species from the former open wetlands on the site such as the marsh fern for example. For further, more detailed information see the UKBAP website at http://www.ukbap.org.uk/UKPlans.aspx?ID=4 . Delamere Forest, an area of approximately 2,400 acres (972 hectares), is one of the last remnants of the Ancient Forests of Mara and Mondrem, a hunting forest that once spread for over 60 square miles in the North-West of Cheshire and was owned by the Norman Earls of Cheshire. The harsh Forest Laws of the time greatly limited the use of the ground for agriculture until the early 13th century when the laws were relaxed and parts of the southern forest of Mondrem began to be cleared. Ownership of the remains of the great forests passed to the Crown in 1812, with Delamere Forest being handed to the Forestry Commission soon after it was set up in 1919 and they still manage it to this day. It is very popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders with several way-marked trails and tracks; there is also a Go-Ape aerial adventure course. Delamere Forest comprises a mix of habitats with Broad-leaved and Conifer woodlands at various stages of growth, with areas of grassland and wetland in between. These provide a home for many woodland birds such as nuthatches, treecreepers, crossbills, siskins, tawny owls and greater spotted and green woodpeckers. Dragonflies such as the nationally scarce White Faced Darter and the Southern Hawker can be found in the wetland areas, along with Marsh Fern and White Sedge- both locally scarce plants. Mammals include Foxes, Badgers and Bats.

The path runs along the very eastern edge of the forest, and here crosses what in wetter weather might be a small stream, but currently only mud.

Just behind Hatchmere is a ride junction, left takes a route around Blakemere Moss while straight on heads up towards Hunger Hill. Delamere Forest, an area of approximately 2,400 acres (972 hectares), is one of the last remnants of the Ancient Forests of Mara and Mondrem, a hunting forest that once spread for over 60 square miles in the North-West of Cheshire and was owned by the Norman Earls of Cheshire. The harsh Forest Laws of the time greatly limited the use of the ground for agriculture until the early 13th century when the laws were relaxed and parts of the southern forest of Mondrem began to be cleared. Ownership of the remains of the great forests passed to the Crown in 1812, with Delamere Forest being handed to the Forestry Commission soon after it was set up in 1919 and they still manage it to this day. It is very popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders with several way-marked trails and tracks; there is also a Go-Ape aerial adventure course. Delamere Forest comprises a mix of habitats with Broad-leaved and Conifer woodlands at various stages of growth, with areas of grassland and wetland in between. These provide a home for many woodland birds such as nuthatches, treecreepers, crossbills, siskins, tawny owls and greater spotted and green woodpeckers. Dragonflies such as the nationally scarce White Faced Darter and the Southern Hawker can be found in the wetland areas, along with Marsh Fern and White Sedge- both locally scarce plants. Mammals include Foxes, Badgers and Bats.

Most of the paths in the forest seem to be of the meandering kind. This one is straighter and wider with verges, and is probably a logger's road.

Looking down towards the junction of the rides at the bottom of the hill (Image). The post on the left is a waymarker, giving directions for one of the many marked paths and trails. Delamere Forest, an area of approximately 2,400 acres (972 hectares), is one of the last remnants of the Ancient Forests of Mara and Mondrem, a hunting forest that once spread for over 60 square miles in the North-West of Cheshire and was owned by the Norman Earls of Cheshire. The harsh Forest Laws of the time greatly limited the use of the ground for agriculture until the early 13th century when the laws were relaxed and parts of the southern forest of Mondrem began to be cleared. Ownership of the remains of the great forests passed to the Crown in 1812, with Delamere Forest being handed to the Forestry Commission soon after it was set up in 1919 and they still manage it to this day. It is very popular with walkers, cyclists and horse riders with several way-marked trails and tracks; there is also a Go-Ape aerial adventure course. Delamere Forest comprises a mix of habitats with Broad-leaved and Conifer woodlands at various stages of growth, with areas of grassland and wetland in between. These provide a home for many woodland birds such as nuthatches, treecreepers, crossbills, siskins, tawny owls and greater spotted and green woodpeckers. Dragonflies such as the nationally scarce White Faced Darter and the Southern Hawker can be found in the wetland areas, along with Marsh Fern and White Sedge- both locally scarce plants. Mammals include Foxes, Badgers and Bats.

According to another contributor who provides a close look at the weir Image, this mere was created less than 15 years ago by raising the water level in a marsh. It is thus a very shallow mere, no more than a couple of metres deep, although some 30ha in area. Any outflow - and it will usually be minimal - eventually joins the River Weaver.

Unlike the tall straight pines, these birches have grown up more twisted.

This is the stream that runs from the weir (Image) at the only outfall from Blakemere Moss lake. The lake was created sometime after 2000 by the Forestry Commission to attempt to recreate a habitat that supposedly existed "thousands of years ago". Prior to the flooding it was an area of marshland as depicted by the 2000 edition of the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 map of Delamere Forest, although later editions do now show the lake.