Delamere redevelopment project
Phase 1 - completed
Visitor centre, cafe, bike shop and car park
The first stage of the redevelopment project saw the construction of a brand-new Visitor Centre with larger and improved toilet facilities which include a changing places facility, cafe, and a staffed Visitor Welcome Point – a place for our visitors to ask questions, become a member, pick up a map or get an activity pack for our children’s activity trail.
The new car park has made it much easier for people to arrive and enjoy their visit, with ample spaces and ANPR technology.
We also renovated our existing buildings to create new premises for our bike hire & shop partners, and a classroom for our learning partner. The old visitor hub and café is now the site offices for Forestry England and the Forestry Commission.
Phase 2 - completed
Bike trail
The next phase involved our cycling facilities. We created 4km of blue graded single track loops off the main 10km family cycle trail and we built a skills loop next to the bike shop which is being enjoyed by families and those new to mountain biking to practice and perfect their off-road cycling skills. This work was completed and open for summer 2023.
Phase 3
Improved signage - scheduled for 2025
We’ve already made a number of improvements to many of our existing trails and we are now reviewing the site signage so that we can replace signage across the forest, making it easier for visitors to find their way around and follow the waymarked trails.
Whitefield – Wellbeing, play and fitness - scheduled for early 2025
Although the main car park for Delamere Forest is at the visitor centre where all the visitor facilities are, another notable option is Whitefield, just a stone’s throw away.
At the moment there are minimal visitor facilities at the Whitefield site. In years gone by it was where we sold Christmas trees, and more recently it has been used for film crews using the forest as a backdrop. But mainly it is used by the local community looking for a quieter forest fix and for horse riders and for people to exercise their dogs. And although Whitefield will remain a great place for all of these things, we have plans to make it even better.
As part of the planning conditions attached to the Forest Holidays development, they are providing funding so that we can enhance Whitefield’s offerings so that local people can better use the woodland for exercise and fitness, play and to generally get more of the wellbeing benefits of being outside in the forest.
We are going to develop loops of trails designed with 3 themes in mind – wellbeing, play and fitness. The trail will start at the car park and will feature two loops as well as a short cut. We have been working closely with our landscape architects and civil engineers to find the best way of covering the three themes all while making the most of the natural features of the site, and considering the needs of the people we want to benefit from this new facility. This includes existing users such as horse riders, so things like sight lines are all being considered carefully.
This means we have a fitness trail, with an optional extra loop for those wanting a longer run with a naturally built-in incline to really get the heart pumping! A wellbeing route with quieter spots for reflection and mindfulness practices. And a play route that will be perfect for a walk in the woods with places to stop and play along the way. You can find out a bit more in this video presentation: Delamere Forest's Whitefield development - full presentation (youtube.com)
We have carried out competitive procurement exercises and have partners in place to work with, and work will be starting in Autumn 2024 with the final trail due to be open in the winter.
Main visitor centre play – scheduled for Spring 2025
At the moment there are no formal play facilities in the main visitor centre area. Although we have the introduction of play facilities at the Whitefield site, we are always looking at ways to improve and develop Delamere Forest to keep it a fun and memorable day out for everyone so we are also creating a play area close to the café and toilet facilities too. Behind the scenes, planning work for this is taking place at the moment, and when designs are ready we will share those ahead of works taking place.
During any of the current and future works that are taking place around Delamere Forest, we promise to try and keep disruption to a minimum and to keep you all safe, so please adhere to any works signage and diversions there are in place.
