Friday 28 March 2025 - Hockenhull Platts

We were booked into the Wildlife Photography exhibition at Chester Zoo at 17:40, so it was worth leaving home after lunch and ticking off one of Tony Bowerman's 'Walks in Mysterious Cheshire'. Tony had asked me to review the routes in this book, but nothing has come of what I've sent him, so I assume I'm not needed. Perhaps my editing suggestions were a little harsh.

Anyway we chose Walk Number 3, and whilst Tony's description has mostly stood the test of time, there are a couple of major flaws in his 1990 descriptions. I'll come to them, but I'll say now that the 14km route I followed with Sue and Paul on 27 September 2019 is superior to the one we went on today.

We parked opposite the church in Tarvin, where there is plenty of on street parking. Eschewing the attractions of  the George and Dragon, we soon reached Hockenhull Lane, and the main A51 road was safely negotiated. We had joined the route of a long-distance path known as the Baker Way.

We soon reached a junction with a rough track coming from the east.

This was Platts Lane, which narrowed after we turned right along the lane. The next picture looks back along this ancient way that is shown in Ogilby's 1675 Britannia Roadbook. That shows the route and the location of a nearby hangman's gibbet. There's evidence that Platt Lane was an ancient route, even in 1675.

The Platts Lane path descends to the River Gowy. This area used to be marshland but the land has been drained and the river is contained within high banks. The days of otters in this neighbourhood are long gone.

A sandstone edged causeway carries the track over boggy surroundings. This is the area known as Hockenhull Platts. Three packhorse bridges lead across it. The bridges probably originated in the 14th century but the current bridges are likely to be 18th century replacements.

Each bridge is less than 4 feet wide, so they were not suitable for wheeled traffic. This is clearly an area of great historic interest, not least as a haunt of highwaymen.

Tony Bowerman's book provides much more information about this area and the 'Roman' bridges.

After crossing the three bridges the path led up to a tarmac lane. Here, Tony's route goes right over a stile and along a permissive footpath created under the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Today the remains of the stile are wound with barbed wire, and there is no sign of the footpath. We chose therefore to continue ahead, as far as Cotton Lane, down which we turned right towards Cotton Hall.

Shortly after Cotton Hall we regained Tony's route description. A signed path pointed across a field in which crop spraying was taking place. We avoided any confrontation and stuck to the route of the path indicated by both sign and map (but not on the ground), eventually reaching a small footbridge.

Here, Tony's route would take us through the farmyard at Stamford Mill, but we were drawn instead to a footpath sign on a more substantial metal footbridge, the steps of which offered a good site for a tea break. After this we stayed on the right of the river and made our way past the mill, where the water flows down to the pond pictured below.

The route described by Tony from the mill to the main A51 road is clear, and we followed that. The alternative would be to continue along Cotton Lane and turn right along the A51. The reason an alternative may be needed is the condition of two footbridges that cross deep ditches that can't be avoided. The 'footbridges' now comprise two sets of narrow iron girders. I've come across similar river crossings on the TGO Challenge. Sue and I crossed them with relative ease, but they aren't for everyone!

Some new looking concrete steps led up to the A51. Once we had crossed that and made our way to the Stamford Bridge Inn, our route back to Tarvin was exactly as described by Tony.

First we walked along Lansdowne Road along a loop of the old Manchester-Chester main road. Then when the houses ran out we turned left for a kilometre or so along the route of one of the many Roman roads hereabouts.

Then we turned right onto what Tony describes as 'the old footpath used for centuries by local people taking the shortest walking route between Great Barrow and Tarvin'.

After that, paths along hedges beside a couple of fields took us back to the tarmac of Tarvin.

Tarvin looked to be a nice village with the path to the church lined by daffodils, sparkling in the afternoon sunshine..

Here's our route - about 9km, with very little ascent, taking a couple of hours.

Then we went to the Wildlife Photography exhibition at Chester Zoo, which was excellent.

Tuesday 17 September 2024 - Whitegate

This is Tony Bowerman's 'Walks in Mysterious Cheshire and Wirral' number 11. It was a beautiful day on which to stroll around this scenic 5km route. Longer walks are available from this starting point outside St Mary's Church, the history of which can be deciphered from a nearby information board.

Click on any image for a better view or a slideshow

I started up Vale Royal Drive, at the end of which parking is available, though I found a spot on nearby Grange Lane. Wrens busied themselves in the undergrowth.

After 300 metres beyond a gate, a partly obscured sign pointed across a field of harvested crops.

Looking back across the field, I wondered what crop would be sown next.

After wrestling my way along a path littered with fallen trees and unkempt undergrowth, I emerged at a fence on the boundary of a massive lawn. I turned right and soon entered this dewy expanse by way of a ladder stile.

After cutting off the corner of the lawn, field paths took me along to the River Weaver, and a narrow path through more woodland to meet a tarmac driveway where two right turns took me over a black and white bridge to Vale Royal Locks, part of the Weaver Navigation that saw large ships pass this way until 1969.

After some tea and cake beside the locks, I made my way back over the black and white bridge and onto the tarmac driveway.

After turning left along the driveway, a few metres on were some steep sandstone steps that I followed to reach another harvested field.

My route then crossed this 500 metre expanse of field. You can see in the next picture the undulating path, with some people on it just beyond a pylon in the distance.

There followed a short strip of woodland before entering a golf course and carefully making my way along a well marked path and past an ornamental pond.

Exiting the golf course, a stroll along St Mary's Drive brought me to a thin path that led to a right turn along Vale Royal Drive to return to Whitegate and this picture taken from the corner of Grange Lane.

Here's the 5km route. Ascent is minimal. It took me little more than an hour plus stops, of which there were many, with numerous folk enjoying these nice paths on a wonderful summer's day.

Saturday 14 September 2024 - Lindow Moss (again)

This was a repeat of my walk on 21 August, as I wanted to check out a few minor details.

Black Lake, pictured above, could now be seen above the vegetation, as a team of volunteers were cutting back the unwanted Himalayan Balsam and Willowherbs.

The next picture is of the newish wooden bridge crossed soon after passing Lindow Court Park, beyond which the Moss is entered.

A little further on, the 'artwork' remains in place.

 

After passing through the Moss, my memory was correct and there were no navigational difficulties along the track then road leading from Saltersley Farm to Racecourse Road. Beyond Racecourse Road, there are so many paths and tracks that it's easy to go wrong, but in the small area involved it's easy enough to get back to the car park, by which someone has made the best out of a dead tree trunk.

For more details and a map, see my earlier posting on this walk

Wednesday 21 August 2024 - Lindow Moss

A review for Tony Bowerman of his 'Mysterious Cheshire' walk number 12. 'Lindow Moss - In Search of the Bog Man'.

The walk starts in Wilmslow, from the car park across Racecourse Road from Hickory's Smokehouse, what3words: comply.pounds.detect

Black Lake is soon reached. Whilst this used to be a haven of recreation for the youths of Wilmslow, it is now a sanctuary for wildlife, including a family of moorhens.

At the far end of the lake, willowherbs and reeds obscure the view at this time of year.

Our route leaves the lake here and doubles back to take a path that leads to the edge of the common.

After crossing Racecourse Road we head towards the cream painted frontage of Racecourse Farm, where we take a path to the left of the buildings.

We continue through an avenue of birch and mixed woodland, on a path raised slightly above the surrounding land.

After turning left onto a broad bridleway, Rotherwood Road, we continue past a 'Public Path > 34' sign near a right turn along Moor Lane.

There have been changes along Moor Lane since Tony's book was last edited. A garden centre has been replaced with new housing, as has Wilmslow Peat Farm. The caravan site at Lindow Court Park has been superseded with a private estate of 54 small but exclusive housing plots, not caravans but not much bigger than caravans. I didn't venture past the 'Private' signs; our route takes a path just to the right of the blue sign pictured below.

After less than 100 metres, a path to the right leads through a gap in the fence and across a field to the wooden bridge pictured below, looking back across the field.

The path now proceeds across the Moss, which is currently graced by an artwork, offering views across the heathery expanse that has replaced the ugly sight of the peat extraction workings.

This is where 'Pete Marsh', a man who died some 2500 years ago and whose body was preserved in the peat, was discovered in 1983.

Another wooden bridge leads out of the Moss before a right turn towards Saltersley Hall Farm.

The path continues to the very private fishing grounds of Rossmere Lake.

After walking past the lake, we go straight on at a crossroads with Rotherwood Road bridleway, and head down Newgate Road to Newgate Nature Reserve, on the site of an above ground landfill site.

The long lane leads eventually to Racecourse Road, where we go straight across and continue towards Black Lake to join our outward route and return to the car park.

Here's the 5.5km route, with minimal ascent. It took me an hour and a half at a gentle strolling pace.