When travelling along the motorway, most drivers will have a favourite service station or stopping point en route. However, if you’re heading towards areas such as Cheshire and Warrington, there’s one idyllic village that’s certainly worth considering.

With the congested roads, towering lorries and rapid traffic, motorists could be excused for assuming any tranquil villages in the North West must be far away.

Yet the picturesque village of Lymm in Cheshire sits just minutes from the grey stretches of constantly busy tarmac on the M62 and M6, and it’s a historic treasure of a location that offers plenty to engage and delight visitors on a day trip or those wanting to linger a little longer.

A brief stroll from the village centre leads you to the scenic beauty of Lymm Dam – with forests and grasslands brimming with wildlife – or, within the village itself, you could opt to wander along the towpath of the Bridgewater Canal which features an array of fascinating boats moored alongside that contribute to the village’s distinctive character.

The location is renowned not only for its waterways but also for a heritage that features a dinosaur’s footprint that’s an astonishing 240 million years old. 

At Lymm Heritage Centre, curious visitors can even encounter the reconstructed Chirotherium dinosaur, commonly known as a ‘hand beast’ – a Triassic animal which possessed feet approximately the same dimensions as a human hand. The genuine fossilised footprints are displayed in a nearby town centre exhibition.

Meanwhile, Lymm Cross has stood since the 17th Century, when it probably served as a gathering place, and underwent restoration in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Today, it features on the National Heritage list of England as a designated Grade I listed building.

Beyond its heritage, the village boasts its own micro-brewery alongside an extensive selection of pubs, bars, coffee houses and restaurants, ranging from The Jolly Thresher, dubbed the ‘best pub in Lymm’, to La Boheme which offers traditional French cuisine and Mediterranean restaurant Ego at The Green Dragon.

The centre also features numerous independent shops stocking a variety of goods that cater to all types of visitors.

One reviewer said: “Lymm is lovely, the village centre is very quaint and Lymm Dam is beautiful. It has a magnificent amount of picturesque countryside.”

Another commented: “Lymm is a perfect day out – peaceful, pretty and full of charm. Lymm Dam is a beautiful, peaceful spot with just the right mixture of woodland walks, calm water and village charm. The cottages along the dam are like something out of a storybook with white walls, yellow doors and flowerboxes bursting with colour. The whole area is spotless and well-kept.”