Enjoy a Marvellous Day Out in Cuddington on the Mid Cheshire Line
Gary Cliffe, Director of Whitegate Station Community Group says:
“A warm welcome awaits you at Whitegate Station Café.
You will enjoy our friendly, volunteer led, good old-fashioned service.”
In our Marvellous Days Out booklet, John Hulme says:
If you take the train to Cuddington, you will find the Station House is now an art gallery.
Way back, the station name boards at Cuddington used to say ‘Cuddington. Change here for Whitegate and Winsford’.
In 1870, the Cheshire Lines Committee built the railway to Winsford to profit from the lucrative salt trade. This freight traffic ran until 1967 but its passenger service was less successful. Its claim to fame was that it was one of the few railway lines that was closed to passenger traffic three times!
Stretching from Cuddington to the Salt Union mines at Winsford, the track bed is now a delightful 6-mile walkway.
No one can explain the way better than my old pal, Rock Salt Jim, who is a retired face worker at the Winsford Salt Mine.
“I often walk the Whitegate Way. No trains these days but watch out for the fleeting joggers and cyclists. It really makes a perfect day out that can capture your imagination.
As you take the path of the long-gone salt trains, keep your eyes open for the beautiful flora and fauna. I often saw badgers, buzzards and foxes, especially when I walked to work in a morning. It’s all a reminder of how lucky we are to live in such a lovely area.”
These days you will be in for a surprise at Whitegate.
Since Bernice was out there painting, volunteers have opened the Station as a community café.
With tasty homemade food, delicious hot and cold drinks, it is a welcome break for the walker. There are even treats for your dog.
The café is open 7 days a week from 10am to 3pm on weekdays and 10am to 4pm weekends and Bank Holidays.
Even trikes for hire for your children!
And, you don’t need to ask. There are toilets a few steps away from the café.
