Winter may seem a very quiet time for woodland but in reality, there is plenty to see. Hundreds of migrant birds join our native species to feed and live in the wood, many mammal species live here, too and the trees themselves can look spectacular in frosty or foggy conditions. Join us for a virtual walk around Hob Hey Wood, Frodsham’s ancient woodland.
Limited parking is available on Townfield Lane and Langdale Way (shown as ‘P’ on the map). At a fast pace, this walk could be covered in about 45 minutes, but allow 1.5 hours to take in all of the beautiful sights of the season. Wear strong walking boots or (preferably) wellies. Many of the paths will be VERY muddy in winter!
Start at the top of Langdale Way (marked ‘start’ on the map), turn left onto a track and follow it for 100 metres. Go through the gap in the hedge and follow the field edge for another 200 metres. Go through the gap in the hedge and cross the field (the well-walked path across the field should be obvious), then go through the gap in the hedge and turn right. In winter, this field can host a huge flock of finches: chaffinches, greenfinches, and possibly even the rarer brambling.
Follow the field edge down to the bottom passing a small pond, go through a gap in the hedge down onto a path. Turn right and follow the path for 100 metres. You will come to a large fallen metal gate. Opposite the gate are two fields. The left-hand field has, this winter, hosted huge numbers of birds feasting on the abundant seed crop.
There are loads of species to see here including the winter thrushes (fieldfares and redwings) that spend the winter in Britain to escape the harsh climate of their Scandinavian home. Reed buntings, chaffinches, robins, greenfinches and dunnocks are all here, too, giving a great display as they feed up in the winter cold.
The fallen metal gate opposite is the entrance to the ‘new wood’ (Point ‘A’). Originally a field, nineteen years ago a local businessman bought it and planted 2,000 trees of eleven different native species. He created paths for the public to use. This is a good area to spot bullfinches, one of our most colourful birds. Listen out for their faint whistling calls and watch for flashes of red and black plumage.
The new wood has a large number of birch trees which are now devoid of leaves. In the morning, the winter sun can light up the trees, light reflecting off their silver trunks giving a beautiful display and some opportunities for landscape photography.
Most of the paths will be muddy, but this does give an opportunity to look for animal tracks. Badgers foxes, shrews, mice, and voles all live here. Deer tracks were spotted recently, too. How many can you spot? If it’s snowed, finding tracks can be even easier, especially if you’re the first person in the wood.
Follow the large path through the wood until it comes out at a clearing next to a bridge over the stream (Point ‘B’). This is the entrance to Hob Hey Wood. To be classified like this a wood must be at least 400 years old. Hob Hey is probably much older as it was part of the ancient forests of Mara and Mondrem that covered much of medieval Cheshire. Now there are only a few remnants left such as Hob Hey.
Ancient woodland is Britain’s most biodiverse habitat, home to many thousands of species of plant, animal and insect. It is a fragile habitat, and one that is constantly under threat across the country. Once an ancient woodland is gone it cannot be replaced. Hob Hey is therefore extremely important to the people of Frodsham and the wildlife that calls it home.
Go over the bridge and you’ll see a small clearing to the right. There are a couple of ancient, partly hollow ash trees here, bent into weird shapes over the years. Trees like this are home to bats. In winter, hundreds of bats of seven species may be hibernating only yards away from us oblivious humans. I wonder if these trees hold bats now?
his area of the wood is full of alder trees which produce tiny cones. These can attract small finches like lesser redpoll and siskin. Up to 12 have been seen recently, twittering away. Look for them high up in the trees. With the leaves off the trees, they
are easier to see (although binoculars will help). Also present will be great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch and treecreepers, Hob Hey’s woodland specialists, hopping around looking for prey.
Follow the path away from the bridge (Point ‘C’). There are lots of rotting logs in this area that are ideal for fungi to grow on. Even in winter some will be left. Their wide range of sizes and colours can make for a splash of brightness in the winter murk. Watch out for the bright ‘yellow brain fungus’ (which looks just like its description!) as this has recently been seen in the wood.
If you are first in the wood you may find one if its nocturnal residents hiding in the undergrowth. The woodcock is a wading bird that lives in Hob Hey. It ventures out at night to feed on the local fields then hides during the day. They are very well camouflaged so the most likely view you’ll get is of one flying away when you get too close!
Soon you will arrive at the main bridge where the bridle path bisects the wood (Point ‘D’). Hob Hey’s stream forms an artificial waterfall, here. In winter, this tiny stream can swell to a huge size after rains giving a feast for the eyes (and ears!) as the torrent thunders down towards the River Weaver.
The stream often attracts a beautiful little bird called the grey wagtail. More yellow than grey, it wanders along the side of the stream looking for insects, wagging its tail furiously. These birds can be quite confiding allowing a close-up look (and photo).
Cross over the bridle path (marked with a dotted line on the map) and into the northern part of the wood. There are two paths here, take the left one for a long loop of the northern wood. This is a good spot to search for signs of spring. Although the woodland may look devoid of life, spring’s flowering plants are already pushing up from the earth. They will be small, so look carefully, for shoots of wild garlic, bluebell, and even the first lesser celandine flowers!
January and February are good months to listen for great spotted woodpeckers ‘drumming’. To do this, they bash their beaks against a branch, again and again. If a human did this, brain damage would result after only a few seconds yet the woodpeckers do this all day. Special adaptions in their skull act as shock absorbers so they can ‘drum’ to set their territory and attract a mate without any worry of headaches!
At the end of the path is a horizontal horse chestnut tree (Point ‘E’). This has not fallen; it’s grown this way and produces many conkers in the autumn. Although there are no benches here (yet!) you can lean against the chestnut. And it’s worth doing so as this is one of the most isolated parts of the wood. Deep in a valley, surrounded by trees, the only sounds you’ll probably hear are birds calling, the wind in the trees, and the babbling little brook. Bring a nice coffee and rest here. Close your eyes and listen, it’s a lovely way to spend a few minutes. Spending time in nature this way is known as ‘Forest Bathing’. This has been shown to have proven health benefits such as reduced blood pressure, boosted immune system and improved sleep! With the current pandemic, we could all do with this!
This area has a lot of elder trees on which live a most unusual fungus; the jelly ear. This description is perfect as this fungus looks very ear-like and feels just like jelly. This is edible but it does not appeal to me at all!
Go over the bridge and up the steps to another path which leads back to the main bridge. About halfway there, there’s another set of steps and a huge, gnarled oak tree that dominates the skyline (Point ‘F’). This oak is over 200 years old. When the Battle of Waterloo was being fought, this tree was a sapling. Imagine all that’s happened in the past two centuries; this tree has endured it all, towering above humans and their frantic activities, and is still here today. In 2019 both great spotted woodpeckers (see the video below) and nuthatches nested in this tree so it’s worth looking out for them.
Carry on this path and you pass an area on the left with lots of rotting wood. Look here for more of Hob Hey’s fabulous fungi. Here, you’ll also see results of some of the work carried out by Hob Hey Wood Friends Group. We’ve planted over 1,400 trees in the past two years. You’ll see clear plastic pipes covering the tiny trees which are currently only about a foot tall. Hopefully, these oak, rowan, birch, hazel and others will grow to be valuable additions to our ancient woodland with bluebells flowering around them.
You will soon be back at the main bridge. Take the wooden gate opposite into the orchard (Point ‘G’). This is one of Frodsham’s community orchards and contains trees, the fruit of which is for people to pick and enjoy (in late summer). In winter, the trees look stark and bare. A hard frost transforms them, however, into bright skeletal sculptures reaching up towards the weak winter sun!
The orchard is also a good place to see the sunrise filtering through the leafless tree branches. It can look spectacular, especially in icy conditions. An image like this forms the cover of the 2021 Hob Hey Wood calendar.
Follow the orchard round, and take the stone steps down to the bridle path and turn right (Point ‘H’). Follow the bridle path up to Townfield Lane and turn right to take you back to the starting point.