Friday 26 December 2025 - Around Appleton (again)

                                             Setting off near Hillside Farm

Whilst Richard wrestled at home with 'man 'flu', Jenny joined me and Sue for a stroll in the sunshine around Appleton. We've been here on several previous occasions, on which I've reported here, so I think all that is needed for this entry is a comment - "It was a lovely sunny day in equally sunny company" and a few captions.

There were many encounters with friendly dog walkers today, including on this path from Hillside Farm

Bellfield, and the monument to Cromwell's horse, which legend has was buried here

after being killed in a skirmish nearby in 1648

On the path towards Hill Cliffe

We left our usual route, to take a path past Hillside Farm then heading west to Hough's Bridge, past a spring that I've not noticed before

The path to Hough's Bridge, where we crossed over and headed back on the other side of the canal

The Bridgewater Canal - a popular place for mallards; some of them are hybrids

After over 2km, we left the canal and took the road under Lumbbrook Bridge

Several benches have been placed on Lumb Brook Millennium Green; time for a coffee break

The woodland walk through The Dingle passes by a little house before continuing beside Dingle Brook, Ford's Rough and Dipping Brook

The very pleasant woodland path through Pewterspear, beyond this path through The Dingle, leads gently back to Hillside

Here's our route - slightly different from usual as we went down to join the canal beyond Hillside Farm, rather than going up to the cemetery and then down through the Rabbit Run to join the canal at the London Bridge. It's about 10km, with 100 metres ascent, taking a leisurely two and a half hours.

An excellent route for a short walk. Highly recommended.

Thursday 19 December 2024 - A Walk from Beeston Castle

An hour's drive took me and Sue to the Beeston Castle car park at SJ 540 590. (£3)

From here, the Sandstone Trail heads south through the narrow ginnel shown above, before crossing a road and reaching open fields with a view ahead to Peckforton Castle, now a hotel.

The view back to Beeston Castle

Looking back, the ruins of Beeston Castle, which dates from 1220 - a military stronghold with a turbulent history - hog the skyline.

The field path, today near a team of shooters after grouse, leads to a kissing gate and a bridge over a stream (below), then an ascent to another field path that veers to the right at another kissing gate and emerges shortly afterwards at Horsley Lane.

A right turn at Horsley Lane leads us to The Moathouse complex, the last building of which is an Elizabethan farmhouse with a massive brick chimney. Beeston Castle towers above the roofline.

After passing Ivy Cottage the Sandstone Trail takes a left turn along a track in Peckforton Woods, where after a kilometre a path junction is reached where eggs are for sale. A cheeky grey squirrel was unable to come up with any cash, and ran off when we intervened.

At this point we enjoyed elevenses before Sue continued along the prescribed route - Walk number 12 in Jen Darling's 'Walks in West Cheshire and Wirral' - and I left the Sandstone Trail and followed a waymarked path to the east.

The path was a good one, recently cleared of leaves, with notices threatening repercussions from any deviant behaviour! I stuck to the good path, and I didn't see or hear any 4WD 'Land Rover Experience' activity in the Peckforton Estate's private land.

Meanwhile, Sue continued along the Sandstone Trail for a little way before leaving it by turning left along Hill Lane and then passing under the Haunted Bridge, built in the 1850s to take carriages from Peckforton Castle to the gatehouse. A ghostly servant woman is said to walk from the ruins of a stone hut along the sandy track and up the bank, her severed head under her arm. Folklore dictates that if you see her you will die within a year.

Oyster mushrooms on Sue's route

Approaching the gatehouse/lodge near Peckforton Castle, this strange locked building stands alone.

Nearby, the gatehouse provided welcome shelter from a sharp shower. The road to the castle was surprisingly busy.

You can see where I was sheltering. This is where Sue's route rejoined mine, but she didn't catch up until nearly back at the car park.

Field and woodland paths led back to metalled surfaces beyond Willis's Wood and a long field.

There were more good views up to Beeston Castle, as we passed some picturesque cottages and a converted chapel on the way back to the car park, which is opposite the entrance to the castle..

Here are our routes. Sue mainly followed Jen's route, shown in magenta (she took the same route as me after the Lodge), and my route is shown in blue. 7km and 5.5km respectively, with around 150 metres ascent. Both routes took about 2 hours. I was moving hesitantly due to a poorly knee.

Wednesday 20 November 2024 - Little Leigh

Just Sue and I turned up for this short walk around Little Leigh - Walk number 18 in Jen Darling's 'Walks in West Cheshire and Wirral' book. It was a new route for us, though we had walked some of the paths before.

After a half hour journey from Timperley, we parked outside house number 39 by Clatterwick Lane (What 3 Words: subject.tidal.missions) and took the narrow footpath that goes down the driveway and past the house. A sprinkling of snow remained on some of the fields, but not on this one, where Sue practiced her horse whispering skills.

Thankfully the ground was fairly solid with frost, otherwise there may have been some muddy paths to contend with.

After a while a brief period of relief from the bright, low sun found us on a pleasant path heading down to the Trent and Mersey Canal. Autumn colours and the sounds of tits and robins enhanced our pleasure.

We met a man on his own, and narrowly avoided being caught up in a crocodile of ramblers, before heading along the somewhat muddy canal towpath for nearly 3 kilometres. A cormorant flew over, as we joined the canal.

Bridges numbered 206 and 204 are painted white, and there are some impressive mileposts.

We both indulged in numerous snaps of the late autumn colours, taking our chance before the last of the leaves fall. Bear with us...

Bridge number 204

Eventually we reached the Saltersford Tunnel. This is one of the earliest canal tunnels, taking only one narrow boat at a time, with no path for horses, so in the early days boatmen would have had to leg it through the tunnel.

Wood carvings next to the tunnel entrance

Our path led over the top of the tunnel, crossing the canal where it emerges, whence we strolled uphill to the village of Barnton. After a short period of tarmac, during which we enjoyed a flask of coffee and birdsong from a chaffinch and a family of sparrows, the walk concluded over several fields, thankfully not as boggy as they might have been, passing a colony of starlings, to reach Clatterwick Lane and a short walk to the car.

En route, Sue's pony whispering nearly cost her an arm! 

Several plants are still in flower, and blackberries are still aavailable.

Hogweed

Here's our route - 8.5km with 70 metres ascent. A lovely way to spend a sunny morning. We were home by lunchtime.

Thanks go to Sue for some of the pictures in this posting.