Introduction
This amazing summer weather in springtime is not to be missed. After taking two lovely walks along the Trent And Mersey Canal between Northwich and Middlewich on the last two days, I decided to take a longer walk on the nearby hills today.
I know the area well, particularly the Sandstone Trail section, but much of the first half of the walk was new to me.
This walk is just under an hour’s drive from Cheadle Hulme.
It should be just 5.4 miles, , but an unexpected path closure extended it by a further mile.
It took 3 hours 15 minutes to complete, plus 15 minutes for lunch.
This is a decent walk with a dog. There were no livestock on the farmland and only a few short road sections.
The walk is on OS Explorer Map 267.
I parked at Beeston Castle English Heritage Car Park, free for me as a member, £4 for non-members, postcode CW6 9TX, What 3 Words ///leads.eased.spend. Drive along the first short road section of the walk, and there are places to park on the roadside, away from the vicinity of the castle entrance.
My 5.4 mile planned route is shown below, followed by maps showing the closed section and the diversion route I used:
Beeston Castle To Waste Hill
I set out from the car park, from where the castle isn’t visible, but it has a grand entrance.
Beyond the village, I used the farmland paths, which will soon disappear beneath the crops that are just peeping through the sandy soil.
Looking back, the glorious castle outcrop is rather Uluru like, in shape, if not scale and colour, as it rises from the Cheshire plain.
See what I mean….
Moving on, I reached Beeston Moss, where I spotted the fiendish “path closed” sign.
So, I headed through this gate, south to Hayhurst.
From Hayhurst, I took the road west towards Peckforton, before taking the path through the field with a beautiful crop of rape.
Returning to my planned route, I cross a road and ascend Waste Hill via an impressive stone byway. All along this section, a cuckoo was doing what cuckoos do in May, delivering a beautiful sound of spring.
Peckforton Hills
Now I crossed to the west side of the ridge, joining the Sandstone Trail. I found a shady bench, so stopped for lunch.
The pretty path traverses the hillside for quite some distance.
When I reached these sculptural trees, the path begins its descent.
This is a gorgeous woodland, and the steep slope kept me seemingly up in the tree tops!
There are occasional views out to the Wirral and North Wales too.
At lower elevations, the path meanders down a gentle slope, with birdsong all around.
I finally emerge at Moathouse Farm with Beeston Castle once more providing the backdrop.
There’s some stunning property round here….for example:
The last stretch covers the field of dandelions as I approach the ruins of the castle on the hill.
This is a lovely walk for a warm spring or summer’s day. The detour could have been awkward, but in the end, added to my enjoyment!
And Finally….
My friend Bethan has mentioned that I might like this Manchester band, Corella, and I do!
This song is called “Drifting”, and I love the video too – that’ll be me before too long.
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