important breeding site for the Common The front garden of this impressive building Stop on the bridge over the Mill Brook 4. A Circular Walk around the Toad and during the summer months House is now managed as a wildflower meadow. In the past this has been a good site to Martins and Swallows can be seen catching Mill Brook Wildlife Corridor At its best during the observe Kingfishers. During the summer insects over the water. Freshwater fish D early summer months, months this is an attractive place to look Start location: The Mill Pond species, including Tench, Rudd, Carp and E V and listen for a while. Turn immediately left RI Yellow Rattle, T D Length: 3 miles Eels, are found in the pond. R Y ER E and walk up towards Glebe Meadow 5. U K O Ox-eye Daisy, O C O Duration: approximately 2 hours R ENU E V Walk into Mill Field. 2 The Mill Brook Knapweed and M TTENHALL ROA A L Mill Brook is now on your left and on O TA H G runs in a channel on the left hand side other once common S This circular route takes you along the CHESTER ROAD the bank to the right wildflowers such as N E The Park

of the field with a spectacular Weeping meadow species grow V

important Mill Brook Wildlife Corridor as Red Campion and Knapweed provide a A HARDIN

Willow adjacent to the High Street. The Mill in profusion. The route R School it passes through Tattenhall. Learn about valuable nectar source for butterflies and Field is in the process of being restored as passes Tattenhall Centre 7 local wildlife, what can be seen and what bees during the summer. Note the a wildflower meadow. On the right hand on your left and Mitchell’s 6 is being done to encourage nature into young Ash saplings on the bank. side is the Barbour Institute, where House Wine Bar on the right. At this the heart of the local community. The Dragonflies such as the Southern 5 Martins build their nests under the eaves point note the classical style route can be accessed from any point Hawker and the smaller Common during the summer, using mud from the buildings opposite on Rose Corner which shown on the map. Darter are often seen along this part Church edges of the Mill Pond. Note the village war were built in 1927 and designed by Clough of the route hunting for small insects 8 The Mill Pond 1 was created to drive the memorial before turning left into the High William-Ellis the architect responsible for within the vicinity of the Mill Brook. 4 BURW Street and cross the culverted Mill Brook, Portmeirion village in North Wales and for ARD SLE water wheel of the local mill. The pond Y R which flows in another direction towards remodeling parts of Bolesworth Castle. At Glebe Meadow take time to look across O A D was relined and restored in the 1990s and Post E the Spinney. this beautiful Cheshire meadow – a natural LAN once again provides a large water body in Office D 9 Turn right into Rosemary Row and follow EL jewel in the centre of the village. It is an FI the heart of the village - an excellent place Following the low sandstone wall, pass the footpath past Spinney End to the important area of unimproved grassland; for dragonflies, bats and birds. It is also an Tattenhall Hall which was built in the early Spinney 3. This small patch of woodland 3 increasingly rare in Cheshire and a has 17th century and greatly altered in the late was originally planted as a Willow coppice th th been noted as a Local Wildlife Site due 19 century. in the early 20 century but having never HIGH STREET to the presence of over 23 grass species. been managed, the mature trees now Managed by Tattenhall Wildlife Group for Flacca Field provide a significant habitat for a variety 2 the Parish Council the Meadow is regularly of woodland birds including Tawny 1 $ Jubilee grazed by rare breed cattle owned by FROG LANE Wood Owl, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Cheshire Wildlife Trust. These animals Nuthatch. During the nesting – usually Dexters – provide a perfect # ! season the air is full with the solution to keeping the grass short sound of arguing Rooks Tattenhall and in so doing provide space for to Dark Lane and Jackdaws whilst the Centre traditional meadow species including woodland floor is a carpet of Tattenhall Buttercups, Tufted Vetch, Lady’s Smock Hall Celandine, Bluebells and Wood

and Celandine. Some plants such as BOLESWOR Anemones. Opposite the Spinney, Thistles are managed and controlled the mature Alders in the patch of open as is Common Ragwort which is space provide good habitat for Siskins removed at the end of the summer. ROCKY LANE THROAD and Redpolls during the winter This vivid yellow flowering species attracts months. Contains Ordnance Survey data many bees and hoverflies and provides a © Crown copyright and database right 2012 habitat for the Leaving the churchyard the surrounding fields as they fly laboriously comprising native Cheshire species, have caterpillar of the the route enters the centre between the mature trees which dot the been planted by the community as part Cinnabar Moth of the village via Church landscape. of the Parish celebrations of the Queen’s A Circular – but when Bank. Diamond Jubilee 2012. Jubilee Wood is an cut and dried, Approaching the kissing gate, the land important element of the Corridor and as Walk around can be highly You are now in the heart of the falls away quite steeply into the shallow the trees mature, they will provide habitat poisonous to village and during the early summer valley of the Mill Brook. for small bird species such as tits, finches livestock. listen out for the noise of screaming Swifts and warblers. the Mill Brook To find out more about as they perform their speeding aerobatics Passing through the kissing gate 9 turn Tattenhall Wildlife Group visit The route continues to above the High Street. From Church Bank, right on the footpath which follows the Before entering the Flacca Field through www.tattenhallwildlifegroup.org.uk Barn Field 6. This small turn left into the High Street and walk Mill Brook along its valley, which is liable to the kissing gate, have a look at the two Wildlife Corridor field, sloping down to the uphill past the Post Office and the Nine flood during the winter months. ponds which are gradually being restored. Mill Brook, is being restored Houses. Pass the Sportsman’s Arms public Although the Brook is not very Originally marl pits, they are two of over as another wildflower house and continue up Burwardsley Road. wide, Sticklebacks can be 100 ponds which can still Guidelines for Walkers meadow and already attracts butterflies be found in the Parish. Follow this road for 350 metres out of found and Water Voles such as Peacocks, Small Skippers and are likely to be present The larger of the two Be safe, plan ahead and follow Tortoiseshells. the village before turning right onto the is a favourite breeding any signs along its course. Reeds are developing public footpath which takes walkers across site for the Common Frog The route leaves the Corridor through farmland to Dark Lane. At this point the which, together with the water loving Leave gates and property as you find them Willow provide a useful habitat for and during late February Ravensholme Court and up to Chester Road. route passes into open countryside where early March, massive clumps of Protect plants and animals and take your litter Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings. Turn right at the junction and walk towards spectacular views across to Raw Head frogspawn can be seen. Smooth home the village past Glebe Meadow on your (227 metres) and the Sandstone Ridge are Nettles and thistles along this part of the route form important nectar sources for Newts and Great Crested Newts Keep dogs under close control right and The Park on your left. Opposite dominant. butterflies and autumnal seed heads for are also found in this pond and the Park Primary School and immediately there has also been a record of a Consider other people after Glebe Meadow, take the footpath on You are now entering Buzzard country. Goldfinches and Greenfinches. This Walking across the intensively grazed field area is a potential Site of Grass Snake. This walk has been produced by Tattenhall the right towards Mill Brook. Biological Importance and Wildlife Group 8, rare breed sheep (Welsh Badger Face) Pass through the kissing In about 50 metres turn left into the can often be seen. During the winter the 20 species of butterfly, gate, turn left and walk Churchyard 7. Note the traditional Yew fields are popular with ‘winter thrushes’, including Common along the new hedgerow hedge and mature Yew trees which are so the Fieldfare and Redwing, and small flocks Blue, Orange Tip and which borders the Flacca typical of churchyards, and during the late of Lapwings are often seen on the wing or Purple Hairstreak have Field #. Take time spring capture the strong smell of ‘garlic’ sometimes motionless in now been recorded. A to stop and look left coming from the white flowered Ramsons. the surrounding fields. series of shallow scrapes towards Bolesworth The Churchyard itself provides an important Follow the nine in-field have been excavated Castle. Look out for wildlife habitat and in recent years Spotted trees (seven Oaks and two here to retain flood water Buzzards circling overhead or Artwork by MA Creative • www.macreative.co.uk Flycatchers have nested. Churches have Ash) marking the remnants to provide new habitat for resting in the trees and, at dusk, Foxes and stood on this site since the beginning of an old hedgerow amphibians and wetland bird species the occasional Badger can be seen hunting th of the 12 century with the present and notice the dips and such as Snipe and Water Rail. or marking out their territories. At the building – the Parish Church of St Alban’s undulations between the The mature woodland on the other side end of the Flacca Field, by the Cricket Club – dating from a reconstruction in 1869, trees which were once the site scoreboard, turn left onto the Millennium th of the Mill Brook now forms part of The European Agricultural Fund although the tower is of 16 century origin. of four ponds. The croaking call for Rural Development: Europe Jubilee Wood !. More than1000 trees, Mile and walk back to the Mill Pond. investing in rural areas of Ravens can often be heard in