Walking around the tranquil water of Shakerley Mere it looks at first glance like the picture perfect rural escape in the midst of Cheshire. You could forget all about the hum drum of modern life as you walk along the scenic trail next to the lake - if not for the constant hum of motors whizzing right past its edge on one of the UK's busiest motorways.
For Shakerley Mere is situated right next to the M6 - between it's hectic junctions 19 at Knutsford and 18 at Holmes Chapel. Thousands of motorists will thunder past this spot every day without perhaps realising the tranquil beauty that lies just beyond the hard shoulder.
The mere itself is a former sand quarry that was flooded when work there ended during the 1960s, and gifted to the council to become a country park next to the M6 which had just opened. In an unusual geographic quirk, on the other side of the M6 is the larger private fishing lake of Dovemere too.
