Walk 9: Working up a Danson’S Wood Head of Steam Danson’S Wood Adds a Pleasant Detour to This Walk
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Walk 9: Working up a Danson’s Wood head of steam Danson’s Wood adds a pleasant detour to this walk. It is about halfway along Distance: 7.1 miles / 11.5km • Duration: about 3¾ hours the canal section and is accessible via Starting point: Whitchurch Heritage Centre Danson’s Bridge. It was planted as a An interesting walk over varied sloping and flat terrain on Millennium Wood by the Woodland a mixture of paths, tracks, green lanes and minor roads. Trust with the help of local volunteers. Expect a number of stiles, some road crossings and at certain times of year, soft ground underfoot. Greenfields Nature Reserve As an alternative route back into town, you can walk through this small but Waymills Brook (3 on walk) varied reserve managed by local Despite its unpromising position on an industrial estate this brook is still volunteers of the Shropshire Wildlife home to a colony of water voles. Maybe its isolated position has protected Trust. Water voles and otters use the them from predators such as the American mink. brook and in summer the grassy slopes are an excellent habitat for butterflies No steam without and wildflowers. Staggs Brook The brook used to supply water Whitchurch Canal Arm to Whitchurch Station in the days The first section of the when the steam engines of the Whitchurch Arm was reopened in Cambrian Railway needed to 1993. The Whitchurch Waterway replenish their boilers. Trust have plans to extend it through two more bridges and Hinton Bank, home of create a basin for eight boats. blue Cheshire cheese The original route of the canal Until quite recently, blue Cheshire cheese was made at Hinton Bank Farm. into town has been largely built Apparently, the secret was rediscovered when a Cheshire cheese was left in on so this is as far as the recon- a car boot during the foot-and-mouth epidemic in the late 1960s. struction will probably go. Grindley Brook – a multi-use intersection Hinton Old Hall Roads, the canal and once a railway Hinton Old Hall fell into disrepair joined and crossed at Grindley by the 1970s but has been well Brook. Now it’s a ‘Crewe Junction’ restored along with the farm of major footpaths, where the buildings. The footpath used to Shropshire Way, the Sandstone go across the front garden but Trail, the South Cheshire Way and now circumvents it via the golf the Maelor Way all meet. There are course. six locks including a flight of three adjacent to the A41. Jackson’s Bridge Walk 9: Working up a head of steam B5395 side. These should become visible Bishop Bennet Route Description Way South Cheshire as you go over the rise. Way Hinton Manor From the Civic Centre 1, walk down the High Street to the clock. On reaching Mile Bank Road, turn The Fields Bubney Grindley Farm 0 KILOMETRES ½ 1 left and then right into Terrick Road. Hinton Turn right through the pedestrian Brook Bank Grindley Brook Hinton area and turn left into Watergate Follow Terrick Road for about 800 Locks Old Hall 0 MILES ¼ ½ Grindley metres passing Terrick Hall and the A41 Brook Street. Now follow the Shropshire T A R P A49 O Golf Club car park. Just after a house R Way up Watergate Street and past L E Hotel Y R O the Dodington Lodge Hotel. After on the left you take the path A Sandstone Trail D B Hill Valley 5 Shropshire Way 4 7 Cemetery the mini-roundabout 2, cross over through the gateway on the outside 6 Golf Club Brooklands and walk down Edgeley Road. You of the left hand bend 6. D A T O E R R K R N Danson’s I A P Mount Farm C B will go under a railway bridge E K E A L Wood R I R T R EE M You now cross the Hill Valley Golf L A O N E A (Crewe – Shrewsbury) after which Danson’s D Course passing to the left of the Bridge you take a footpath on your left 3. C H E S T E R D pond and then following the line of R O A A O Alport Staggs D R B5 D 395 T A Greenfields Supermarket R O Brook P O R a ditch, until you reach another A L Yockings K Follow the path with the hedgerow R Nature Reserve A Bridge B P A LO Gate R NDO T K G N RO S C House A AD IT T P A E Y L S A Hospital B pond. Continue along the tarmac L to your left and into the Waymills S C A525 T STRY EMI SM CH ALL BROO ON K ROAD SHERRYMILL HIL NGT path until it starts to move away L DI H Industrial Estate. Take the path on R I YA G N H Civic Centre E W S T T R O E Chemistry W E L T I N from the hedgeline. Leave the path N Jubilee the right just past the Groconti- D IVE E CA SH DR N S ARPS Park TLE REEN EN A H G D V I LL REET TALBOT ST nental cold stores. The path crosses and follow the hedge, looking out EET TR S W W ILL Supermarkets A D R E A S A41 R O X H M T T N A E A O M R T L T R O G I E A D A O B B T N for a footpath running down the 5 E a brook. Turn left and follow the 3 T R 9 S E 8 T E O R TR A E R S D E TE T EWA IDG N R BR E O W S path between the brook and the bank on the right. P E M O R A T R R Y O L A A D The Oaklands Grocontinental yard. N E D Cross a stile and turn left on to the O A R O N G T Oldelds N Waymills Belton I K L A S Industrial The path emerges on to Station tarmac lane and go straight across E D G Estate F O A Y R E the A49 and along another lane E N W D D G Road beside a bungalow. Cross the Q E E U B L UE 5 E Broughall CH AVEN 3 Y BEE 9 5 R O A House opposite. As you enter a field7 , 6 D road and turn right. Continue past Cricket 7 4 5 B DISMANTLED RAILWAY Edgeley Ground D A P R E E S R O A D O House look for, and cross, the stile diago- R the roundabout towards ‘Oldfields’ K C O T S L the first house of a group. Take the nally on your left. Go down the I T © Copyright Ordnance Survey path to the left immediately after green lane and continue along the A41 College Open Source data the brick wall 4 . hedgeline through several fields. In A525 the field by a farmhouse, walk diag- Follow the path through several have a choice – either straight ‘Town’, either direct or via Green- onally to your right towards the stile fields along the hedgerow – NB the across the main road to the walker- fields Nature Reserve on the other in front of the bridge under the old path changes sides after the first friendly Horse & Jockey pub or side of the valley. railway line to Chester 8. along the canal to the Lockside Café field – and you will arrive at, and When you reach the road at Sherry- (closed in winter). cross, a railway bridge with Staggs You reach Grindley Brook by mill Hill, go straight across, through Brook running parallel to the track. crossing the Llangollen branch of You now follow the Shropshire Way the car park and then through or the Shropshire Union Canal. The At Yockings Gate 5, turn right and and Sandstone Trail along the canal round the fenced-off part of Jubilee walk now continues to the left then take the footpath immediately for about a mile into Whitchurch, Park. Go up the steps, turn right and along the canal towpath past the after the farm buildings. Cross the crossing a lift-bridge 9 on to the at the mini-roundabout turn left into well-known locks. If you are looking field going slightly to your left short canal mooring arm towards Pepper Street, which joins the High for refreshments at this point you towards a gate and stile on the far Whitchurch. Follow the signs to Street just below the Civic Centre..