Hidden Dell Wood £119,000 Freehold
- Madeley, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
- over 5 ¾ acres
- The Welsh Marches
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Secluded quarry with a shallow cave, a wonderful camping opportunity
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A majestic oak
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This unassuming valley leads you to the quarry
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An oak basks in the late afternoon sun
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Numerous long, straight sycamores thrive amongst the oak
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Rays of autumn sunlight create a wonderful spectacle
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One of many large oak trees dotted throughout the wood
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The old quarry features its very own work of art.
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The old quarry dappled in autumn's sun
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Looking down on the quarry
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Trees cling to the edge of the quarry
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Trees have reclaimed the quarry's crest
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Bluebells carpet the woodland floor
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Fallen wood and leaves support a multitude of fungi
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Badger sets and burrows are dotted throughout this wood
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A beautiful daffodil
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Looking out on the neighbouring pasture
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Your very own dedicated parking
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Entry gate
Description
Situated conveniently just outside of Madeley in Staffordshire, this wood is ideally positioned. On arrival, you are greeted by a recently renovated track, granting easy access to this beautiful wood. Towering broadleaf species dominate the area with a dense woodland floor, providing home to an array of mammals, birds and insects.
Undulating in the north-west and flattening out more towards the south-east, Hidden Dell Wood features a prominent valley that winds south, leading you to a small, sheltered historic quarry. This is an extraordinary find, with a rock face featuring a carving commissioned some years ago and hosting a shallow rocky recess, resembling a cave. The rocks have been partially reclaimed by the wood, providing an incredible atmosphere.
Above the steep stone slopes, mature trees stretch out dramatically, filling the sky and creating a magical, mystical dell where camping and outdoor pursuits can be hosted.
Trees
Hidden Dell Wood predominantly consists of mature oak, ash and sycamore trees, with some silver birch, small conifers, holly, hawthorn and other smaller species on the periphery.
Wildlife
The woodland floor is dense in places with bramble and bracken, providing an excellent environment for hares, badgers and a variety of insects.
A variety of birdsong rings out through this wood, with blackcaps, chiffchaffs, wrens and robins among the many birds in the native broadleaf canopy.
Features
Hidden Dell Wood is a well-established wood, that truly envelopes you on arrival. It is rare to find such a pristine wood in close reach of so many residential areas. It is more unusual to find a wood with a feature as captivating as the old quarry, it is man-made but nature has reclaimed it; roots spill over the exposed rocks, creating a mystical feel.
Hidden Dell's floor is shaped by its history, quarrying activities have created valleys and mounds; one leads to the aforementioned quarry, and another has created a ridge that runs parallel to the road. This wood features undulating terrain that generally slopes away from the West, with numerous flat areas.
Access, tracks and footpaths
Access to the main entrance of Hidden Dell Wood is just off Bowsey Wood Road. Beyond the gate is a short track that has been recently renovated to a high standard and fully accessible to cars. There are no public footpaths or public rights of access.
NOTE: Hidden Dell Wood has a secluded quarry, which is beautiful and has been reclaimed by the wood, but it features some sheer sides. Until you've inspected it, it's important to keep children in sight.
Rights and covenants
As is the case for all our woodlands, the purchaser will be asked to enter into a covenant which serves to protect the peace and quiet of the woodland.
Activities
Camping, bushcraft, shelter building and foraging are all possible, and adventure awaits those exploring the historic secrets of the wood. Clearing some small paths and careful management of a woodland on this ancient site will increase the biodiversity of the wood.
As you might imagine, the local area is full of outdoor things to do.
Onneley Golf Club is within just a few miles https://www.onneleygolfclub.com/
The village of Madeley is just up the road, there are a variety of walks and points of interest, discoverable on https://thetravelfox.co.uk/guides/staffordshire/madeley/
Local area and history
Hidden Dell Wood is a part of a larger broadleaf woodland located in the civil parish of Madeley in Staffordshire (near Crewe and Newcastle-under-Lyme). Madeley is a historic village in Staffordshire near Crewe, with origins dating back to Anglo-Saxon times as Madanlieg (Mada's clearing).
The area features notable local geology, including exposures of sandstone. This woodland features an old abandoned quarry, largely reclaimed by the wood. Active quarrying dates back to the 18th century, stone from the area was used for the Crewe Estate.
Madeley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as having 2,160 acres of wood. The first Madeley Old Manor was built by Robert de Stafford, with the local church being founded in 1200. Nearby Heighley Castle was built in 1226 by Henry de Audley and was ordered to be demolished by a Parliamentary committee sitting at Stafford in 1644, to prevent its use by Royalists.
Wood maps
Wood map
Boundaries
The northern boundary is marked by a fence that runs parallel to the road. The western boundary is created by the access road, and a row of painted stakes. The southern boundary is created by a fence, separating the woodland from a pasture, and the eastern boundary is marked by a row of painted stakes.
Find this wood
Location
- OS Landranger: OS No. 118
- Grid ref: SJ 768 463
- Nearest post code: CW3 9DH
- GPS coordinates: 53.0136, -2.34707
Location map
Directions
W3W words for the gate and on Google maps Entrance to the wood
From the M6:
Take the A500 exit, heading towards Crewe and Nantwich. At the first roundabout, take the first exit onto the A531, after a mile or two you will come to the next roundabout, take the first exit (Newcastle Road) towards Betley. Take the 2nd exit on the Wychwood Park roundabout, carrying on straight.
Passing through the towns of Betley and then Wrinehill, immediately after a large layby on your right, you will turn right onto Bowsey Road heading up the hill towards Madeley, the wood is now on your right hand side and a few hundred yards along the road, on the bend you will see the entrance to the woodland on your right hand side. I would recommend reversing into the space to make rejoining Bowsey Road easier.
From Nantwich:
Take the Shavington bypass, heading as if you were going to the M6, just after the turning for Weston, you will take the 3rd exit on the roundabout onto the A531, after a mile or two you will come to your next roundabout, take the first exit (Newcastle road) towards Betley. Then take the 2nd exit on the Wychwood Park roundabout, carrying on straight.
Follow the same directions as above and reverse into the gate mouth.
How we support our buyers
Membership of the small woodland owners’ group
£300 for a woodland course of your choice
One year's free membership of the royal forestry society
Please note this wood is owned by woodlands.co.uk.
Our regional managers are often out working in our woodlands, so if you email an offer and want to be sure it has been received, please phone our manager on their mobile phone. The first offer at the stated price which is accepted, whether by phone or email, has priority.
Please take care when viewing as the great outdoors can contain unexpected hazards and woodlands are no exception. You should exercise common sense and caution, such as wearing appropriate footwear and avoiding visiting during high winds.
These particulars are for guidance only and, though believed to be correct, do not form part of any contract. Woodland Investment Management Ltd hereby give notice under section 21 of the Estate Agents Act 1979 of their interest in the land being sold.
This excellently situated woodland features a variety of mature broadleaf species; its undulating topography hides a secret, a winding valley leads you to an old quarry, with a shallow cave and sheer rock face. This vibrant wood is alive with mammals, birds and insects.
