Delamere Forest Anomalies.
Delamere Forest is a large wood in the village of Delamere in Cheshire, England. The woodland, which is managed by Forestry England, covers an area of 972 hectares (2,400 acres) making it the largest area of woodland in the county. It contains a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees.
Delamere, which means “forest of the lakes”, is all that remains of the great Forests of Mara and Mondrem which covered over 60 square miles (160 km2) of this part of Cheshire. Established in the late 11th century, they were the hunting forests of the Norman Earls of Chester. Order was maintained under forest law. However this governance limited the agricultural potential of the area for centuries. It was not until ownership passed to The Crown in 1812 that the ancient ordinances were abolished. In 1924 the woodland came under the control of the Forestry Commission.
The area also includes Old Pale hill, the high point of the northern mass of the Mid Cheshire Ridge, and Blakemere Moss, a lake around 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in length. Black Lake, a rare example of quaking bog or schwingmoor, has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and forms part of an international Ramsar site; Linmer Moss has also been designated an SSSI for its fenland habitat. The white faced darter, a species of dragonfly rare in the UK, and marsh fern and white sedge, wetland plants that are rare in Cheshire, are found here.
Delamere Forest is a popular recreational area that is used by approximately 750,000 visitors each year, including walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
So the majority of visitors to Delamere Forest go home having had an enjoyable experience, however there are a tiny percentage that experience something so odd that it is difficult to describe and be taken seriously.
In April 1974 a group of six people described seeing an enormous animal resembling a sabre toothed tiger in a part of the forest. An even more incredible report came from A Mr and Mrs Taylor of Halewood and another witness, they were out walking one summer afternoon in 1985 when they came into a clearing and came face to face with what they described as an overgrown elephant which had a head similar to a dinosaur, they went on to state that it resembled a small Tyrannosaurus Rex which thankfully for them was dozing at the time. If one was going to make up a story like this, why would you make it so unbelievable and open yourself up to ridicule?
Unusual sightings date all the way back to Roman times, probably due to the fact that the Romans built a road through this area to connect the town of Chester to the salt mines located at Northwich. The Romans came into contact with something that was tearing deer and wild boars apart, also soldiers were disappearing with regularity, this may have a connection to sightings of what was described as a dragon during the middle ages which was said to have grey and black scales and which was also preying on the local population.
It has been reported that two people who were walking in the forest, somewhere between Frodsham and Delamere Forest railway station witnessed a ghostly apparition of a white lady, who was said to have stared at the couple before slowly ascending and disappearing amongst the trees.
Another ghostly sighting occurred when the witness was returning home having worked a late shift, he was close to the station cafe in the forest when he drove past a small horse drawn carriage dimly lit by lanterns, the driver who was on the carriage seemed oblivious to the car and stared straight ahead.
Go Ape in Delamere Forest is an adventure activity chain venue where groups explore the forest canopy via a treetop rope course. It was close to this activity centre when four young people became aware that they were being watched from bushes and undergrowth by what they described as something resembling a large black wolf which they believed was stalking them. They made the decision to make a run for it towards their car which was in the car park a short distance away. Although terrified they all made it safely back to their car, unsure of what it was that stalked them and where it had appeared from!
ludchurch 