My friend Lesley, who had a background in social history research, got me hooked on following the clues of census and register. I discovered that some of my great-grands came from Cheshire. As I'm currently visiting friends there it was interesting to take a look at the hills and trees and old cottages which they may have known, and more particularly to explore Over St. Chad, the church where my great-great-grandmother and her siblings were baptised and where her mother's family are, presumably, buried. The church itself was locked and all I could do was look at the outside and peer in through some windows, which was a shame because it has some interesting stained glass and lovely arches.
It was cold, so after a little while we went to find somewhere to eat. On the way to Tarporley there was a sign for Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre, complete with cafe. Perfect. Excellent food and lots of animals - we saw horses of course, various birds including huge geese, pigs, and small friendly black sheep which I wanted to take home. It was too cold to go searching for the red squirrels, and the otters weren't out. Next time.
