Welcome to the Cheshire stage of the Little Quest. When you find
the cache don't forget to take the numbers!
Everyday thousands of people travel over the top of this spot
(I'm one of them). Very few will ever come down to see the Thelwall
Eyes. In ancient times the Thelwall Eyes was marshland contained in
the bends of the River Mersey. The name derrives from the Saxon
word 'Ees' which means "land near a looping watercourse". In the
winter the eyes would be completely flooded and in the summer they
would have been used for grazing as it would be too wet for
cultivation.
The area was changed forever with the advent of the industrial
revolution. Mills, workers cottages and navigational cuts began to
appear. In 1896 the constuction of the Manchester Ship Canal,
radically altered the landscape, the very large meander of The
Mersey was bypassed and made redundant, it's still there but looks
rather still for a river. The last vestiges of farming where swept
away but now the area has been returned to nature again and it is
rich in Wildlife.
The best place to park is Weir Lane and then to walk across the
sluice. Its possible to get to the cache from Thelwall Lane but I
beleive parking is tricky and you'll get a much better walk from
Weir Lane. It is possible to make the walk shorter by crossing the
ship canal with the nearby Thelwall Ferry Its a
somewhat quieter way then going over the viaduct (visible from the
cache site at an odd angle). Don't forget to bring 11p with you for
the fare!
A final note contains the terrain. I was tempted to put a pram
icon on but the terrain for the last few feet was quite steep.
However 99% of the walk is suitable for a pram.
Finally please put the covering back in front of the cache. Its
a lonely spot but there are tell tale beer cans around.
