Fairy Woods

When we reached this spot on our walk today, the sun just shone through the trees and lit up the birch canopy and ferns like this - it was quite ethereal and beautiful. I don't usual say this but this is so much more effective when viewed large.

We had chosen a fairly local walk as we didn't want to spend too long in the car and wanted it to be as quiet a walk as possible. It worked on both these points.

We found a walk in one of the walking mags that took us to West Cheshire about 30 minutes drive away. Most of the walk hopped on and off the Sandstone Trail around the Bickerton Hills. We had stunning views across the Cheshire Plain and even across towards Liverpool, where we could see the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals. We also got views of Beeston Castle.

The scenery was lovely too. Heathland and woods, which meant plenty of wildlife, especially butterflies - including red admiral, gatekeeper, plenty of whites, and speckled wood.