1. Leave the carpark towards the entrance and the main road. Cross straight over the main road (take care – visibility is difficult due to the trees and cars travel fast on this!). Turn right and follow the wide path around the edge of the lake. Cross over a small bridge and take the right hand path, heading uphill. Take the right path again and follow this path in a slight lefthand curve until it reaches a road.

2. Cross straight over the road and continue following the wide path. The OS map looks complicated however when on the ground, the trails are clearly marked and horses and cyclists have access to only certain routes. Stick to the waymarked gravel tracks and you can’t get lost. The path loops around the top bit of this woods and then returns back to the road you crossed earlier. You can make this loop longer by turning right here and riding up into the northern-most part of Delamere.

3. Cross the road again, taking the track to the right of Barns Bridge Car Park. This car park is free and could be used as an alternative start point, see parking notes below. Follow this path past a marshy pond on the left until you reach a cross roads. Turn left here for the Gruffallo! At the Gruffalo cross roads, turn right and follow the path over a railway bridge and then drop down, round a corner and skirt a field, sometimes full of cows, towards the main Delamere centre. There is a brilliant cafe here with a takeaway hatch, perfect for ponies, along with lots of picnic benches and grazing.

4. Keeping the car park on your left, cross the grassy parkland (this is where they hold music events) towards Old Pale Hill. Take the right hand path heading straight uphill through the woods. There are lots of canter opportunities up this hill depending on which path you take but they all pop out at the top so feel free to explore the fire breaks. Head for the transmitter mast but curve left just before to Old Pale Hill summit, a round 2 foot high summit platform. Continue on past this taking the white gravel path back down the hill. Follow this path down which will bring you out on the other side of the car park and main visitor centre.

5. Cross over the road at the car park barriers and over the railway bridge. Take the first right, signed Go Ape. NOTE: If Go Ape is taking place, you may feel more comfortable continuing straight and taking the second right turn instead. The zipline passes straight over the bridleway which might take some horses by surprise! It will be obvious if it’s open or not though. Continue along this path until you reach the corner of the lake again. Carry on around the lake until you reach your starting point. Turn right and cross back over the busy road to Whitegate Car Park.

6. You can add on an extra loop by riding straight through the car park and picking up the paths on the other side. This eastern section of the forest is small but the paths are a lot less busy and there’s more of an opportunity for a trot/canter on these tracks without risk of running over a toddler on a trike, family dog, cyclist etc.

NOTE: New horse trails are being added to the northern section in 2025, routes will be updated when they’re open! The GPX is a guideline of where to go to get you started by Delamere has numerous tracks criss crossing through and it’s well worth exploring further than the route shows. Make a day of it by combining this with the Oakmere Way (see route in the Cheshire section)