Davenport

The Swettenham Arms again welcomes lunchtime customers after the lifting of Lockdown restrictions.

Once part of the Brereton Hall Estate, this area was planted with Scots Pine trees in the 19th century- which were then felled during the First World War to provide pit-props for the mining industry. Some of these remain and there have been some new ones planted as a reminder of the past. After this the area began to be taken over by Silver Birch and a gamekeeper was employed by the estate to rear game birds for sport. In 1959 silica sand was discovered and a quarry was opened, at one point extracting up to 500 tonnes per day for use in the production of glass and making casting moulds for the metal industry. The quarry was abandoned in 1972 after the sand ran out, filling with water and making the present lake, and the site was then purchased in 1982 by Congleton Borough Council for the creation of a country park. 2004 saw the country park being designated as a Local Nature Reserve, and is now managed for the benefit of both wildlife and members of the public. In 2009 Congleton Borough Council merged with Cheshire East County Council who now, along with a group of volunteers, manage the site. Also in 2009 Brereton Heath was awarded a Green Flag Award, which was earned again in 2010. There is a varied landscape on the site, with a lake, woodland, meadowland and rare lowland heath. This variety in the landscape also produces a wonderfully varied flora and fauna. There is also a very good visitor centre with toilets, and excellent disabled access including the ‘Brimstone Trail’ going through the woods and circling the lake. This trail is completely ‘wheelchair and buggy friendly’. For more information visit: Link

Taken from the restricted byway that runs down the eastern edge of the reserve

Off Swettenham Lane, Swettenham.

The equestrian sport of Eventing comprises three phases: dressage, showjumping and cross-country, which test horse and rider skills and abilities in different ways. (Both dressage and showjumping exist as competitive disciplines in their own right, but only eventing combines them and cross-country in a single competition). Competitions are called 'horse trials' and take place over one or more days, hence 'one-day event' (ODE), 'three-day event'. There will usually be several classes at an event, each graded according to difficulty, complexity and/or duration, and run under either national rules (the UK governing body is British Eventing) or international rules (the FEI, or International Equestrian Federation). In the UK there are six levels of affiliated eventing to cater for all levels of horse and rider: BE80(T) (the 'T' stands for Training), BE90 (formerly 'Intro'), BE100 (formerly 'Pre-Novice'), Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. International classes are graded with a star system from * to *****. A five-star competition is the highest level of eventing. There are only seven such competitions in the world, two of which are held in the UK: Badminton in the spring and Burghley in the autumn. Scoring is on a cumulative penalty basis. In dressage, each movement is scored out of ten, with the total being added up and converted to a penalty. In showjumping, penalties are awarded for fences knocked down and also for exceeding the time limit. In the cross-country phase, penalties are awarded for a variety of infractions such as refusals, falls, circling between lettered obstacles, and exceeding the optimum time. The competitor with the fewest penalties at the end is the winner of the section. For more information see: British Eventing website Link Eventing entry in Wikipedia Link

G Gee's is the on-site cafe for Somerford Park Farm, a large equestrian facility between Congleton and Holmes Chapel.

The equestrian sport of Eventing comprises three phases: dressage, showjumping and cross-country, which test horse and rider skills and abilities in different ways. (Both dressage and showjumping exist as competitive disciplines in their own right, but only eventing combines them and cross-country in a single competition). Competitions are called 'horse trials' and take place over one or more days, hence 'one-day event' (ODE), 'three-day event'. There will usually be several classes at an event, each graded according to difficulty, complexity and/or duration, and run under either national rules (the UK governing body is British Eventing) or international rules (the FEI, or International Equestrian Federation). In the UK there are six levels of affiliated eventing to cater for all levels of horse and rider: BE80(T) (the 'T' stands for Training), BE90 (formerly 'Intro'), BE100 (formerly 'Pre-Novice'), Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. International classes are graded with a star system from * to *****. A five-star competition is the highest level of eventing. There are only seven such competitions in the world, two of which are held in the UK: Badminton in the spring and Burghley in the autumn. Scoring is on a cumulative penalty basis. In dressage, each movement is scored out of ten, with the total being added up and converted to a penalty. In showjumping, penalties are awarded for fences knocked down and also for exceeding the time limit. In the cross-country phase, penalties are awarded for a variety of infractions such as refusals, falls, circling between lettered obstacles, and exceeding the optimum time. The competitor with the fewest penalties at the end is the winner of the section. For more information see: British Eventing website Link Eventing entry in Wikipedia Link

See SJ8164 : Somerford Park Farm equestrian centre: aerial 2015 and SJ8065 : Somerford Park Equestrian Centre: aerial 2015.

See also SJ8065 : Somerford Park Equestrian Centre: aerial 2015 and SJ8164 : Somerford Park Farm equestrian centre: aerial 2015.

See also SJ8065 : Somerford Park Equestrian Centre: aerial 2015 and SJ8065 : Somerford Park Equestrian Centre: aerial 2015.