Historic Walks in Cheshire

20 walks around some of the outstanding countryside and rich historical heritage of Cheshire. The walks combine landscape with architecture, natural beauty with history, and our heritage with our diverse and complex culture. Includes walks around Chester, Beeston Castle, Dunham Massey, Marple, Northwich, Stretton watermill and Peover, to name a few.

Cheshire is a special place; this heritage county is squeezed in between the ‘Land of Princes’ to the west, the industrial Midlands to the south, the sweeping hills of Derbyshire’s Peak District to the east and England’s rugged north country. This has led to a long, rich and eventful history set in some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.

When walking, one of the most popular and rapidly growing leisure pursuits in Britain, it is almost impossible not to be aware of our historic past which makes its presence felt at virtually every fold and turn of our landscape. Whether it be a prehistoric mound or stone circle dating back to the first inhabitants of these fair islands, a ruined castle or monastery, a relic from medieval times, or a magnificent country house built and decorated more recently with the most ornate and elaborate stone and iron work, our past is everywhere. The number of people visiting these historic places has increased enormously in recent years, largely due to the hard work of the National Trust, English Heritage and the Historic Houses Association. We must not forget the numerous buildings and sites in private hands, where conservation and preservation, documentation and decoration are constantly taking place. The efforts of all these groups maintain the wealth and variety of historic sites which adorn this land, many of which would have otherwise vanished by now, either under concrete and brick, through clearance schemes for forest or reservoir, or local council acts proclaiming them unsafe.

The purpose of this book is to combine these increasingly popular interests in 20 walks, which have both a scenic and historical appeal. All the walks are circular and none of them are particularly demanding, the longest walk being a little short of 9 miles. However, some of them do venture out onto exposed sections of hillside where weather conditions can change dramatically in a very short space of time, so always be prepared. Although this book is intended as a step-by-step guide, you would be well advised to carry the relevant OS map should you require an alternative to the prescribed walk. (The maps in this guide are taken from the OS Landranger 1:50,000 series.)

In a little over 2000 square kilometres, Cheshire offers much of what is best about traditional England. There is fine walking on over 3500km of public rights of way that range from the wild, upland landscape of the Peak District to the lush riverside pastures and meadows of the plain. It also offers charming villages, friendly towns, famous stately homes, glorious gardens, fascinating museums and, of course, one of Europe’s most historic and popular cities, Chester. With a history stretching back almost 2000 years to the Roman period, Chester is without doubt one of the jewels in England’s well-studded crown and a joy to visit at any time of day or year.

Set gem-like in fertile pastures or perched on the banks of rivers are some of the county’s stately mansions and halls, many of which are privately owned (such as Arley Hall, Capesthorne and Gawsworth). Others are in the care of the National Trust, including the Georgian Tatton Park, Dunham Massey (with its sumptuous Edwardian interior) and the splendid Little Moreton Hall, the finest timber-framed manor house in Britain. Many of these are packed with treasures and works of art of the finest quality. Not only do we see works from the great masters in the media of stone, paint, porcelain, wood and landscape design, but many of the sites and buildings are closely associated with some of the greatest names in English history: Richard II, Henry VIII, William the Conqueror, Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, the Duke of Westminster, Sir Bernard Lovell and, of course, that most famous and well-loved of our four-legged friends, Red Rum.

Over recent years there have been dramatic discoveries in the county, such as the bog bodies on Lindow Moss and hitherto unknown Roman camps and forts, all of which have allowed archaeologists to re-write part of Cheshire’s early history and give a more complete and compelling picture of its past.

The chapters of this book attempt to reveal some of the splendours of this land of the ‘brindled cat’, with a series of walks which combine landscape with architecture, natural beauty with history, and our heritage with our diverse and complex culture. It is hoped that by approaching these historic sites on foot that a greater appreciation of their being, purpose and geographical setting is gained, along with the satisfaction of reaching the place under your own steam; their contours and outline unfold before you, thus enabling you to share an experience with the ancient and ancestral people who once inhabited, developed and built on this land.