The village of Goostrey nestles on the edge of the Cheshire Plain between Holmes Chapel and Knutsford which are access points from the M6 motorway. Goostrey is close to the world famous Jodrell Bank Observatory and the giant dish of the Radio Telescope overlooks much of the village. The village is also home to the world famous Goostrey Gooseberry Competition!
Goostrey is well signposted from the A50; either along Goostrey Lane or along New Platt Lane and from the A535 along Goostrey Lane which brings you to Goostrey railway station which is on the Manchester - Crewe line and is the starting point for our stroll. A ten minute walk along Station Road brings you to the Red Lion public house where Mike and Karen provide a good choice of beers wines and spirits and host two Goosfest events; the Comedy Night and the Folk Train. The Morris dancers will also perform outside the pub.
Just a little further along Station Road is St. Luke's church, where David Ottley, the village vicar, provides the venue for the Goosfest Organ Recital. Throughout Goosfest the church will be decked out with a wonderful display of Harvest Festival flowers. From St. Luke’s, it is only a very short walk further along Main Road to the village school. The school has a split site, with the Junior school on Main Road, and the Infants School behind the houses in The Old Paddock. Adjoining the Infants building is the Village Hall which is the venue for the larger Goosfest events including Comedy of Errors and Frankly Sinatra.
Just a few more steps down the road from the Junior School brings you to the Crown Inn where Gerry and Cynthia welcome you to eat and drink at the Goosfest Music Recital and at the Goosfest Trad Jazz night. You can also enjoy an evening of Poems, Pints and Music in their upstairs room. The Morris dancers will also perform outside this pub. Opposite the Crown Inn is the Old Village Hall. the venue for the Goosfest Gig Night.
Continue along Main Road and on the left you will find the Methodist Church which is the Goosfest venue for the Café Scientifique. The road winds on from the Methodist church past a small parade of shops to the pretty village green known as the Bogbean, one of the locations where the Chester Town Crier will announce the official opening of Goosfest.From the Bogbean a short detour down Mill Lane takes you to the Old Mill which is the Goosfest venue for the Pottery Workshops. From the Old Mill you can also take the footpath through the woods which are delightfully called The Bongs.
Returning to the Bogbean and back on to Main Road which you follow up to an unmade road appropriately called Sandy Lane. The far end of Sandy Lane brings you out on to Boothbed Lane where you turn right and walk right to the very edge of our village where you will find the Sports Field. The Sports Field is a community funded facility exclusively for the use of villagers and features a football pitch, three floodlit Astroturf tennis courts, which also can be used as a multi-sport facility, a bowling green and a pavilion which has an upstairs gallery the Goosfest venue for the Watercolour Workshop.
Retracing your steps along Boothbed Lane, past the turn for Sandy Lane, brings you back to Main Road which you cross over and follow Hermitage Lane out of the village and into open countryside. At the next cross roads you turn left on to Twemlow Lane. About a quarter of a mile along Twemlow Lane on the right, you will find Orchard Farm where the room above the cowshed is the Goosfest venue for the Country and Western Evening. Continuing along Twemlow Lane eventually brings you out on to the A535 and a few paces to the left takes you up to The Yellow Broom restaurant which has sponsored the Goosfest Art Exhibition which you can enjoy with a glass of wine in hand. Returning back to Twemlow Lane you immediately turn right on to Goostrey Lane which brings you back to Goostrey Railway Station.
We hope you enjoyed your stroll in words through Goostrey and look forward to welcoming you to Goosfest, or another of our village events. For more information about Goostrey visit www.goostrey.info
