It boasts a marina, canal walks and plenty of places to grab a bite to eat
It boasts a marina, canal walks and plenty of places to grab a bite to eat
A beautiful, little known village with charming waterside cafes, scenic walks, a popular independent bakery and more is only an hour from Liverpool. Getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city, I took a midweek trip to visit a small village in West Lancashire that I’m ashamed to admit I hadn’t heard of until a friend recommend I visit.
Full of white-walled houses, marina areas, a canal and a number of thriving independent businesses, Rufford is steeped in history and rural landscape. The picturesque village is around an hour’s drive away from Liverpool city centre – but you can get there in similar time on the train from various routes, in most cases making one change to get to Rufford station.
As you pull up at the station, you’re surrounded by countryside and just steps away from heading into “the small village that has a lot to offer.” Turning onto Station Road, there’s little traffic and you’re immediately met by a stunning, award-winning waterside café.
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Situated by the beautiful Fettlers Wharf Marina, Tastebuds at the Wharf offers breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas, as well as a delicious selection of cakes and scones. On a warm, spring day, many customers are sitting on the patio soaking up the sun and looking out onto the marina.
Inside gives an “olde-worlde” feel and customers are queuing up at the counter to place their orders. Owner Lisa Hunter, 57, began selling homemade cakes and pies on the farmers markets around 15 years ago.
After giving birth to her son, Lisa had her own teashop in Mere Brow, where she is from. But the opportunity later came to take on her current site, a bigger venue, in the lovely village of Rufford around a decade ago.
Tastebuds at the Wharf has continued to go from strength to strength and even midweek, Lisa said the venue becomes “extremely busy.” Lisa told the ECHO: “Tastebuds is a unique place – and everybody says that.
“It’s a café, but it serves restaurant quality food – it’s very causal and has a casual vibe. We get cyclists, walkers, dog walkers – everyone.
“It’s olde-worlde but the food is modern, so it’s an eclectic mix – that’s our selling point. It’s wonderful – the patio is a real suntrap.
“We get all the bedding plants out in the summer, so it’s even more beautiful in the summer. It’s a hidden gem, you can’t see it from the road, so we have a lot of signage.
“But once people find us they do keep coming back. We pride ourselves on being friendly and the feedback we get from customers, they do love coming here.
“Its a lovely place to work and a lovely place to be. It’s hard work but it’s good fun.”
Customer favourites at Tastebuds include its sourdough special for brunch, its Sunday roasts and the different duck dishes its has to offer. Lisa said many are starting to visit Rufford from outside the area.
She said: “We are slowly pulling in more people from a wider area. We do get a lot of people visiting from Liverpool.
“The train station is two minutes away, it is so easy to get here. Everything is walkable and you don’t need your car – so it’s really good.
“It’s a very small village – but for such a small village, there’s a lot to offer. There’s Rufford Old Hall, but even if you’re not into visiting National Trust properties, the gardens are beautiful at Rufford Old Hall.
“Then there’s the canal you can go onto, there’s a few different restaurants, a pub, Mere Sands Woods which is absolutely beautiful to walk around. You could spend an enjoyable day here quite easily.”
A few steps away up Station Road, you can easily get onto and walk along the Leeds and Liverpool canal. And this was my next stop.
Surrounded by countryside, the canal walk is so peaceful and the little traffic noise is left behind in the distance, replaced by the sound of birds and other wildlife. On a sunny day, you could spend hours walking the different routes, one which also leads to the nearby “chocolate-box” village of Croston.
Walking down the canal, I’m met by couples of different ages, young families and groups of friends all making the most of the nice weather and getting their steps in. I looped around onto Liverpool Road to get to Old Rufford Hall, a fine Tudor house and colourful garden owned by the National Trust.
Sadly, the site was not open during my visit – but I’ll definitely be coming back to see it. But before I headed further out of the village, I made a stop at another charming waterside café.
Off Diamond Jubilee Road, The Boathouse Brasserie was absolutely heaving with customers when I arrived. Located inside a renovated dairy farm, the family business opened in 2008 and offers stunning views over the busy marina.
It serves everything from mixed fish platters, jacket potatoes and Sunday roasts – but it was the huge, homemade cakes behind the counter that caught my eye. My friend told me The Boathouse Brasserie has “the best cakes” – so I had to try one for myself.
I regret not taking a strawberry ‘big boy scone’ to go and enjoy later – but I absolutely loved the Eton Mess sponge. Inside was packed, so I headed outside to one of the benches.
It’s such a lovely outdoor seating area looking out on the water, with its own gazebo and little duck egg coloured cabins for customers to sit in. Tucking into my cake, the sponge was so light, with crunchy pieces of meringue, a thin layer of jam, thick cream and big juicy pieces of strawberries.
It was a huge slice and very filling – but in a good way. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ve got to get a sweet treat from The Boathouse Brasserie while in Rufford.
If you’re more for visiting a traditional pub, Rufford is also home to The Hesketh Arms. The Grade II listed pub on Liverpool Road serves everything from real ales to pub classics and seasonal specials.
Inside gives that authentic, cosy, country-pub feel as soon as you walk through the door. And outside, there’s plenty of seating, perfect for enjoying a pint outside in the summer.
A few minutes away from Liverpool Road you’ll also find Brick Kiln Lane, home to Rosebuds Farm Bakery. Situated next door to the factory that makes Fiddler’s Lancashire Crisps, the popular business is owned by Rose Orchard, 52, who opened her beautiful shop just over 14 years ago.
As you walk in, you’re immediately hit by the smell of the incredible sweet and savoury treats that are behind the counter. I was only inside for a few minutes, but so many customers passed through the door in such a short space of time to buy their favourite items, like the huge sausage rolls and mouth-watering banana and Nutella blondies.
The small independent bakery offers a wide range of homemade goodies, from scones to bread, pies, jams and chutneys and even their own honey. Owner Rose, who has lived in Rufford for 43 years, told the ECHO: “I wanted to be a stay at home mum, so I made cakes for local coffee shops.
“They flew of the shelves so I thought, maybe they could fly off my own shelves. That was the seed that made me think about having a bakery.
“Our best savoury item is our sausage rolls, with the meat coming from a local butcher. The best slices are the traditional almond slices, paradise slices and flapjacks – but I had to live with the times and do some modern baking like cookies, cookie pie, blondies.
“My niece works for me, she’s a great asset to the bakery. She’s the one who does the modern baking.
“I’m the sole owner of Rosebuds Farm Bakery, but I couldn’t have done it without my husband, Adrian.” Over the years, the business has seen lots of alterations and has extended twice.
This year, the team are making more space for the customers, introducing a coffee machine and also hoping to have their own butty bar and deli counter. In the past, a number of famous faces have also visited, such as Alison Hammond and The Hairy Bikers who previously filmed on the farm.
Rose said: “We provided food for them both and the film crew. Alison came in and had a chat and a giggle with us – she said our sausage rolls and brownies were amazing. The Hairy Bikers signed a book for me and Jacqui.
“I would love Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood to visit next.” Seeing customers visit from the area and beyond, Rose said what she loves the most about Rufford is “the people” and its “quietness.”
She said: “Rufford is a small farming community. I wasn’t sure how a bakery would survive, but we get customers in from all over. Rufford is only small but we have the lovely Rufford Old Hall, Mere Sands nature reserve, a couple of marinas and some nice walks.
“We are quite central to Preston, Liverpool, Manchester, the Lakes are just over an hour a way and Blackpool is not that far. You could make a day of it by visiting Rufford Old Hall, having a nice walk around Mere Sands Wood, having lunch at one of the marina cafes and then be sure to call in to Rosebuds to get your goodies to take home.”
Mere Sands Wood, owned and managed by the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, boasts 42-hectare and has its own visitor centre, café, wildlife viewing spots and nature trails, but sadly I didn’t get to see it for myself on my visit. Rufford is a great place to spend a full day – but is also central enough to visit other attractions nearby.
A short drive away, you’ll find Windmill Animal Farm, which has many rare breed and exotic farm animals, as well as indoor and outdoor play areas. Around a 10-minute drive away is also the popular Martin Mere Wetlands Centre.
Rufford is a gorgeous destination in the sunshine – but I can imagine it to be just as beautiful on a crisp, winter day. If you’re looking to venture a little further outside or Merseyside and try somewhere new for a walk and bite to eat, Rufford should definitely be added to your list.
