Airfields Near Middlewich

[Pudnucker]

Guys,

I'm going to need to regularly get up to Middlewich in Cheshire (bought a business up there). Nearest airfield I can find is Ashcroft. Owners are not that happy about me bringing a PA28 in there due to soft surfaces.

Does anyone know of any other strips (550m+) that I could approach. Needs to be a reasonable taxi fare away from Middlewich. Warrington is a bit far out as is Haydock Park (which has a lovely landing surface btw)!

Cheers!

[42psi]

I live about a mile from Ashcroft Farm ... that does explain why I rarely see anything other than microlights around there these days.

I'm thinking you might have to look around the Nantwich area.

There are a couple of farms who operate their own helicopters .. but I don't think they permit others.

I'll see if I can find out anything locally..... Tilstock ?

[Sir George Cayley]

There are a surprising number of strips in the area. Most are small and keep themselves to themselves. LAC moved from Barton to Kenyons Fruit Farm near the Junction of M6 and M62. It's well big enough for a PA28. There are 3 other strips within a stones throw as well. But all near Warrington.

There is a strip with a hard surface quite close and if you PM me I'll tell more.

There's an even bigger private strip with a huge runway not that far away - Hawarden:ok:

Sir George Cayley

[magpienja]

Stretton???

[ifonly]

There was a strip north of Worleston - Dairy House Farm which was about 550m - postcode CW5 6DN should get you close on Google Earth

[Pudnucker]

Thanks chaps. Will look at those suggestions. A decent airfield slap bang in the middle/South of the low level route and near a station for easy access to Liverpool/Manchester would make a fortune!

[DX Wombat]

Being nosey, I've just had a look at that postcode and there appears to be a field with 2 grass runways (X-shape) just to the NE of Rookery Hall Hotel & Spa.

[Pudnucker]

Guys,

An old thread that I started a while back... Have been successfully flying in/out of Ashcroft but now I exceeded the horsepower limit for the airfield :-/

Looking for somewhere close to Middlewich - need 500m ideally. Sir George Cayley said a while ago there was a hard decked airstrip nearby.

Any thoughts anyone?

P

[Jan Olieslagers]

My usual resource suggests Ashcroft indeed.
Even nearer there is a mention of "Sproston Green" but don't ask me for details.

https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=53.192&mlon=-2.443&zoom=12#map=12/53.2471/-2.4637

[ETOPS]

there was a hard decked airstrip nearby.

Unfortunately it got sold to one of the multi-millionaire owners of Moneysupermarket for his car collection - Think realistically you might be stuck with Hawarden.

[Pudnucker]

Thanks Guys,

Dairy House Farm CW5 6DN looks super - does anyone have any contact details.

Also, the strip in Middlewich mentioned above looks OK (maybe a tad short) but maybe worth an investigate.. Again any details?

If I win the lottery, I am going to buy a bloody great big field around that area and call it South Barton..!

Enjoy this magnificent flying wx!

P

[Planemike]

Is there anything left at Stretton these days?

[Pudnucker]

It's still on the chart but all I can find on the web is that they only accept "PFA types".. not sure what that means..

The a/c I fly isn't an EASA machine nor supported by the PFA..

[applebyca]

Thanks Guys,

Dairy House Farm CW5 6DN looks super - does anyone have any contact details.

Also, the strip in Middlewich mentioned above looks OK (maybe a tad short) but maybe worth an investigate.. Again any details?

If I win the lottery, I am going to buy a bloody great big field around that area and call it South Barton..!

Enjoy this magnificent flying wx!

P

Yes I have contact details for Dairy House. PM me if of interest.

Anyone know what the strip is mentioned in this thread near Middlewich? Apart from Ashcroft Farm.

Thanks

[ETOPS]

Just bringing this up again for the following reason...........

An organisation called "The Cheshire and Warrington local enterprise partnership" have just published their revised "Strategic Economic Plan"

Some facts they trumpet are;-

871 square miles in area
population 920,000
41,000 businesses
£27.6 billion economy

forecast to grow by 2040 to

£50.0 billion economy
extra 120,000 jobs
build 127,000 houses

But absolutely no mention of aviation in the slightest. Even their maps only show two airports (MAN + LPL) neither of which are in Cheshire :ugh:

You might be tempted to think the benefits of Business aviation has passed over this lot's heads.........

Link here if you can be bothered

http://www.871candwep.co.uk/content/uploads/2017/07/Revised-SEP.pdf

[Animal Mother]

Is Arclid any use?

Arclid Airfield Approach Plates (http://www.cheshiremicrolights.co.uk/arclid_plates.htm)

[Saxon Ops]

My usual resource suggests Ashcroft indeed.
Even nearer there is a mention of "Sproston Green" but don't ask me for details.

https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=53.192&mlon=-2.443&zoom=12#map=12/53.2471/-2.4637

Pudnucker. Sproston Green, if accessible, would be ideal. Less than one mile from Middlewich; you could walk to your office.

It's a private airstrip built late 1980's. Nearly 2300ft long originally (think business jet, not Cherokee), it had two hard landing pads either end and the main runway was grass (however, underneath the grass is compacted stone and the whole site benefits from extensive and expensive drainage system). The site has been split and sold off so the "runway" is now just one landing pad at one end and a grass surface for the remainder (estimated at about 1700ft).

The Council were not keen on the airstrip but they did give various permissions over the years to develop the site. I believe there are even two underground fuel stores somewhere on the site. As far as I am aware the Council never revoked permission so, I presume it could still be used.

Good luck getting permission to land there though.

It is rumoured that the owner of the house (Dawfields Farm) adjoining the field - which did/does own the site - is Everton footballer Gareth Barry.

[Saxon Ops]

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.185482,-2.386593,455m/data=!3m1!1e3

Pudnucker

This is the centre of the "runway" at Sproston Green

[Pudnucker]

Thanks guys - anyone have any contact details for Sproston Green? I may go and recce it by car next time I'm there!

I've just been discussing this with the team from GAIN - worth a look for those who depend on our aviation infrastructure!

[ETOPS]

Hi Pudnucker

I take it that "GAIN" isn't the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition :p ;)

Any clues or a link?

[Jan Olieslagers]

You speak for me, too, @ETOPS, though I rather thought of Global Appraisal of Individual Needs.

[Oscar Charlie 192]

Hi Pudnucker

I take it that "GAIN" isn't the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition :p ;)

Any clues or a link?

ETOPS, General Aviation Information Network is my guess.

[Jan Olieslagers]

And what may be said General Aviation Information Network?

[TURIN]

Apologies for raising a thread from the dead.

I've lived around this area for most of my life and I had no idea there was an airstrip there.
RAF Cranage was just up the road but Sproston? Never heard of it.

[magpienja]

Just looked myself at the google maps veiw...sure enough a few sections of the runway still exsit....good mile South of Sproston Green...looks like they still have paint on the short sections I see.

[Jan Olieslagers]

As far as I can observe, there is no more flying activity at Sproston Green. I'd be glad to learn better, though.

[octavian]

I think you might find that the “Airfield” at Sproston Green was part of a plan by, I believe, a Citation or possibly King Air owner to operate his aircraft from there. The grass strip was graded and prepared together with two touchdown/threshold zones, which remain. I believe this was all carried out rather discretely, however, when the local council planners found out, they applied various orders prohibiting its use as an airfield/private landing strip. The area has now been bisected by hedges and is unlikely to be used for anything but agricultural purposes.

Regarding the OP, did you ever locate your aeroplane near Middlewich?