Cheshire

Cheshire – what a wonderful place to pull on a pair of walking boots and set off into the countryside. From the rugged uplands of the Peak District in the east to the low-lying wetlands by the Wirral, Cheshire is connected by a vast network of footpaths and bridleways, every step of which is just waiting to be explored. Some, such as the Sandstone Trail and the North Cheshire Way, are well-known long-distance hiking routes, some are canal towpaths or well-maintained routes through country parks but most are little-known public rights of way appearing to link forgotten corners. The Cheshire Plain is the most famous topographical feature of the county but even this expansive shallow basin is broken up by villages, woodlands, rivers and streams, as well as a dramatic sandstone ridge stretching southwards from Runcorn into Shropshire. The ridge forms the Helsby and Frodsham Hills in the north and the Peckforton and Bickerton Hills further south, their wooded slopes enhanced by red sandstone cliffs and ancient or mysterious sites and, of course, breath-taking views over the surrounding countryside. In the east, where Cheshire reaches into the foothills of the Pennines to share a border with Derbyshire, the landscape is open and wild, culminating in the county’s highest point at Shining Tor.

Cheshire is a county of contrasts: of hills and plains, of town and country, of industry and isolation, of palatial mansions and working farms, of salt mines and space telescopes, of motorways and packhorse bridges, of history in harmony with nature. Whether you want a vigorous walk to a lofty peak or a gentle stroll along a riverbank, Cheshire is the place to be.

History

In Cheshire’s long and often turbulent history, top of the list of dramatis personae has to be the Romans. They weren’t the first people to have left their mark in this part of England, and they stayed for only a few centuries, but in doing so they inadvertently gave the county its name. The Saxons, in the time of Alfred the Great, called the area Legeceasterscir, meaning ‘The shire of the camp of the Legions’. There is plenty of evidence of life before the Romans, most notably a series of Iron Age hillforts along the sandstone ridge overlooking the Plain, but the Romans brought peace and order to this corner of the land. Chester, or Castra Deva as they called it, was established as a fortress in around 80ad to control the Welsh and the people of North West England. Its strategic importance was reflected in the network of military roads which stretched out across the country connecting the garrison in Chester with York and London. The Roman routes form many of today’s highways and footpaths. When the Romans left, the Vikings arrived and Cheshire found itself divided between the Saxons of Mercia and the Norsemen in Daneland. In fact, they usually seemed to be fighting in this part of the world, either with the Welsh, the Scots, the Vikings, or with each other. One of the bloodiest battles ever fought on home turf, the Battle of Brunanburh, took place on the Wirral in 937ad. Anglo-Saxon King Athelstan’s 10,000 strong army got the better of an unholy alliance of Welsh, Irish, Scots and Danes. Nor did the bloodshed end with the Norman Conquest. After William I had brought the southerners to heel, he set about the rest of the country, razing Cheshire as part of the notorious campaign known as the ‘Harrying of the North’.

The Normans arrived in Cheshire in 1069 and, according to the Domesday Book, pretty much laid the place to waste. Norman lords ruled with an iron fist, while establishing vast Royal Forests where they could hunt game to their heart's content, stringing up any villager who dared take a deer or hare for the pot.Chester can claim to be the last city in England to fall under Norman rule and, again, the last to hold out against Oliver Cromwell in the Civil War. After a disastrous defeat at Nantwich in 1644, Charles I watched from a tower on Chester’s walls as the remains of his army were destroyed on Rowton Heath the following year. And it was in Cheshire that what’s regarded as the final battle of the Civil War took place in 1659 when a renewed rebellion was quashed at Winnington Bridge, near Northwich.

The next revolution – the Industrial one – changed Cheshire dramatically. A network of canals was built, allowing boats to navigate through the countryside carrying coal, salt, cheese, silk and cotton. Rivers were straightened and dredged to allow bigger vessels to reach further upstream and a vast ship canal linked the growing powerhouse of Manchester to markets in Britain and overseas. The forests had largely gone to be replaced by farms. Agriculture thrived, centred on pretty villages and market towns. Soon came the railways, and as rural workers sought work in the towns, their bosses moved out to the country. Fine country houses sprang up, reflecting the new wealth enjoyed by the factory and landowners. The railways killed the canals, and the roads gradually subdued the railways.

Today, Cheshire’s economy is one of the strongest in England, based on petrochemicals, manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. House prices are high, and its proximity to both Manchester and Liverpool make it a popular place of residence for highly paid footballers and celebrities. For the walker, there’s much to do and see. In addition to a variety of museums and heritage centres, in Cheshire you can walk round the most complete castle walls in England, you can ride on a Victorian boat lift, you can sit in the middle of a Roman amphitheatre, enjoy a flutter at Britain’s oldest operating racecourse or look deep into outer space at Jodrell Bank.

Walking in Cheshire

One of the reasons that Cheshire is so great for walkers is its network of footpaths and bridleways, as well as being home to around 35 long-distance trails which pass within or through the county. Probably the best known are the Sandstone Trail, which stretches for 55km from Frodsham on the Mersey Estuary to Whitchurch in Shropshire, and the Gritstone Trail from Disley, on the edge of the Peaks, to Kidsgrove, near Stoke-on-Trent. Others include the Baker Way from Chester to Delamere, the Delamere Way from Stockton Heath to Frodsham, the Dane Valley Way, Bishop Bennet’s Way and the South and North Cheshire Ways, all of which make for enjoyable routes through fascinating countryside.

On the whole, footpaths are well signposted and waymarkers are commonplace. It is important to keep to the established routes and not to stray onto private land, although if the right of way lies across a field of crops and is unclear, it is better to walk around the edge of the field until you can rejoin the path. Some stiles are showing their age and, if not treated with caution, can lead to a painful mishap. While many stiles are being replaced by gates, you will almost certainly have to cross stiles – whether following walks in this guide or devising your own routes. Check each for its strength before putting your trust in it, and remember that wet wood can be slippery.

Depending on the season, conditions underfoot can vary considerably and it is sensible to wear good-quality walking boots. In summer, nettles and brambles can make walking in shorts an uncomfortable experience so it is sensible to wear long trousers when venturing into the countryside. Avoid climbing over walls, leave gates as you find them and, of course, take your litter home. If you are walking with a dog, keep it under close control and make sure you clean up after it. Finally, always ensure that someone knows where you are planning to walk and when you expect to get home.

Landscape, wildlife and nature

You might think that a walk in Cheshire would offer nothing higher to climb than a stile in a fence. The Cheshire Plain, the low ground between the mountains of Wales and the Peak District, was created when the last ice age came to an end more than 15,000 years ago. But bisecting the Plain is the dramatic sandstone escarpment known as the Mid-Cheshire Ridge which forms a line of hills whose summits have, in the past, been a place both of sanctuary and strategic importance. Now they are linked by the Sandstone Trail, one of England’s most popular long-distance walking routes and one which offers superb vantage points over the surrounding countryside, the river estuaries either side of the Wirral and their sprawling industrial complexes. Further east, Cheshire’s border encircles the foothills of the Pennines, bringing into the county the windswept beauty of the Peak District. Study an Ordnance Survey map and the sudden transition between low Plains and high Peaks is stark.

Also apparent is the large number of ponds dotted across the countryside, clear to see in fields but also to be found in woodland. Indeed, it is claimed that Cheshire has more ponds than any other county in England. Kettleholes, or meres as they’re known locally, were formed when vast blocks of ice were buried by sediment as the glaciers retreated – when the ice melted, it left a depression in the earth’s surface which soon filled with water. Others are marl pits, many of them created by gangs of itinerant contractors who dug down to extract lime-rich sub-soils which they used to sweeten the top soil. Both kettleholes and marl pits provide valuable habitats for fish, frogs and newts, as well as birds like moorhen, coot and heron.

Other habitats are fast disappearing, such as Cheshire’s Lowland Heath, which is now limited to small pockets in the Bickerton Hills and on the Wirral. Some 85 percent of heathland has disappeared since the beginning of the 20th century, lost to agricultural ‘improvement’, development and the planting of conifers. Where it remains, the gorse and heather of the Lowland Heath buzzes with insect life while lizards and sometimes adders can be seen basking in the summer sunshine.

Delamere Forest, although managed by the Forestry Commission for timber production, is being selectively restored to wetland, with much of the area now designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The forest teems with butterflies, dragonflies, woodland birds, gulls and waders, depending on the time of year. In spring Cheshire’s woodlands burst into colour with bluebells, primrose and wood anemones. In summer, listen for the song of the skylark in the meadows and watch for butterflies on the heath and bats in the dwindling daylight. In autumn, the leaves turn to vibrant yellows, oranges and reds. Whatever the season and wherever the footpath, Cheshire’s hills, fields and forest are full of colour, full of wildlife and full of interest.

Getting around

For a number of the walks in this guide, it is not hard to reach the start by bus or train. This guide indicates whether bus routes or rail services are available to reach the start of the walk. However, as is the case for much of rural England, bus services in Cheshire are limited in many areas and may only run on certain days. In addition, services do change and it is advisable to check routes and timetables thoroughly before setting out. There is no getting around the fact that a car makes exploring the country a lot easier and, for some of the routes in this volume, there is no alternative to using private transport to reach the start point. For drivers, this guide will direct you towards parking where it is available. Some car parks have height-restricting barriers. If you park at the roadside, be careful not to block access, to keep clear of passing places and to leave your car in a way which does not inconvenience or annoy local residents.