Cecily Brook's Racing Labyrinth

During a recent visit to Cecilly Brook Nature Reserve in Cheadle, South Moorlands, unlike my many previous visits where I looked for water voles, bats, and moths or enjoyed a lovely walk through nature, this time I did something different. I took a look at a very special game they have there, called the Predator Prey Racing Labyrinth.

It's an area of natural descent, but has been set up in a certain order so that people (mostly children) can race against each other. It's a race for two, and it offers two possible routes, designed to allow them to race to a common goal, the prey taking the hard surface through the labyrinth, and the predator taking the running and stepping stone route.


Now, you'd think it would be straightforward who wins, but of course it isn't and there are lots of things that can vary. And as we know in nature, sometimes the prey wins, sometimes the predator.

The game was designed and constructed by Ian Naylor and is constructed from local materials, including the colored pebble inserts, many of which come from the stream bed, right there at Cecilly Brook.
The metalwork was built by Hilary Cartmel, and partially highlights the moon crater named after Mary Blagg, born in Cheadle in 1858 and known for her work with the Royal Astronomical Society.

The labyrinth is located very near to the entrance to the Nature Reserve from Queen Street and is located on the right-hand side.
You'll see the Racing Labyrinth sign and you might notice some stepping stones too.

Keep an eye out for it and make sure to have fun with your kids, whether they're little or older!

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Cecily Brook's Racing Labyrinth - created 28.10.25