A most unusual day, the sun was shining and hardly any wind.  We had parked in the pub car park of the Plough at Whitegate and with boots on we were off at 9.55am.  A short track took us to Whitegate Road and then after a few yards down the road the first decision of the day.  We had determined that we would not cross over any muddy fields today but a footpath led straight towards the centre of Whitegate or we could stick to the road which was nearly twice the distance.  We decided on the footpath which turned out fine the underlying soil in this area being sand with good drainage.  Emerging onto Cinder Hill Road we were walking downhill to Whitegate centre when we passed a roadside bank called “The Cinder Hill Wildflower Verge”.  On a previous walk we had passed this verge in summer and were delighted to see them in flower many being very rare nowadays.  Further down the hill we passed the school and came to a conservation area in front of the church called “Church Green”.   From here we passed St Mary’s Church and virtually opposite the church entered the lane leading to Vale Royal Abbey. There were a few houses on the right hand side of the lane but then we came to a gate across the lane barring passage to vehicles.  The explanation for this was seen as came across a new estate of large houses which had their own access road back into Whitegate.  Joining this road we turned right and within a few hundred yards came to Vale Royal Abbey which has been turned into private residential apartments and a club house for the golf course which is directly opposite the Abbey.  After stopping for a quick group photo by one of the gateposts we left the Abbey behind and continued down the track towards the river Weaver.  We were now walking parallel to the Weaver which lay to our right along a lane which is virtually closed to vehicles and has become an excellent footpath.  A track branched off our lane leading to Vale Royal Locks.  Turning into this track we came to a small bridge crossed over a backwater of the Weaver.  This area with the old course of the river and many fishing pools looked good for birds and we were not disappointed when one of our group spotted a Kingfisher perched in a pondside bush.  It stayed for a minute giving us great views then more great views as it flew away.  As we continued our walk we passed Dogs Mercury and Lesser Celandine both in flower, a reminder that spring is just round the corner and then had good views of a Buzzard overhead.  Reaching the A556 road we turned right and walked across the Hartford Bridge to reach the other side of the River Weaver and then turned down the track to the riverside bank.  Here we turned to the left and were now walking along the Weaver towards Winsford.  This part of the Weaver is most attractive with good plants for the botanist and plenty of birds for the ornithologist.  After walking under the railway viaduct carrying the main west coast line we came to Vale Royal Locks.  Though the river is no longer used to carry salt and commercial and private boats are pretty rare the locks looked in superb condition and we spent a few minutes chatting to Peter Shaw the lock keeper.  The major repairs to the Anderton Boat Lift are nearly complete linking the Weaver and the Trent & Mersey canal and we could imagine many private boats using the river Weaver when this happens.  Leaving the locks behind we carried on along the Weaver bank and shortly came to a number of pools on our left which were created in the days when the river was straightened and improved over the next 200 years following the 1721 Act.  These pools are now great bird watching areas with a good smattering of plants for the botanist.  Further down the Weaver we came to a Bailey Bridge with its resident swans and crossing over the Weaver we turned left and walked down Bradford Road towards Winsford.  Immediately on our left we came to the Winsford Rock Salt Mine and one of its pit shafts.  The salt extracted is used to grit the roads and large piles could be seen as we walked along the road passing different parts of the complex.  Unlike us the owners are probably hoping for really cold weather so they can sell all their salt.  By the side of the Salt Mine we passed the Winsford and Middlewich Sea Cadet Unit and wondered why it was located in such an outlying area.  Now walking faster as we were in danger of being late back to the pub and missing lunch we soon came to the Whitegate Trail created from an old railway line.  The trail is used by both hikers and horse riders but it seems that horse riders have to dismount and walk over certain sections.  At the point where the trail reaches and crosses the Whitegate road we left the trail by scrambling down a steep bank wondering why no proper access had been made at this point.  After only a few yards along the road we came to a track which led back to Beauty Bank Road and the Plough Inn.  Along this track we passed a deserted house in Gooseberry Hollow which, though it was it very poor condition, was in an ideal location for a person who loved the wild. Back into the pub car park at 1.30pm and a good lunch with a pint of Robinson’s beer to finish an excellent day.

INDEX PAGE for the THURSDAY GROUP WALKS