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Winsford Flash



O.S. Grid Ref:- SJ657660.

The Winsford Flashes, known as Top Flash, Middle Flash, and Bottom Flash, are a series of three shallow lakes along the course of the River Weaver.

The lakes were created in the nineteenth century as a result of ground subsidence into underground caverns, formed largely as the result of brine extraction, in which rock salt deposits were dissolved and washed out by water. As the ground subsided into the caverns, the River Weaver widened at each point, forming the flashes.

Sometimes referred to as the 'Cheshire Broads', Top Flash is a popular location for fishing, Midddle Flash is silted up and Bottom Flash is the largest and most popular lake for sailing, fishing, and walking. Flash is a dialect word for lake, with a regional distribution centred on the north-west counties of Cheshire and Lancashire.

Winsford Flash Sailing Club is based on Bottom Flash, which covers 90 acres. There is also a large caravan park as well as a Marina.

The Weaver Way long distance footpath passes the flashes. Stretching from Frodsham in the north to Audlem, the route follows the River Weaver and Navigation, as well as the Trent and Mersey, and Shropshire Union Canals.


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