17 reasons to visit Cheshire in the English countryside, quite close to Wales!

A view of the Penhaligon's shop sign from The Rows in Chester!
A view of the Penhaligon’s shop sign from The Rows in Chester!

So last week, I went to Cheshire and I had a most marvelous time!

As you know, I obtained an MA – Masters of Art Degree at the University of Chester.

Good Times!

If you would like to know a little bit about England just follow the links below:

Cricket and a spot of lunch!
Cricket and a spot of lunch!

And of course, if you want to read about Scotland and other British things, just follow the link here!

As I told you a few weeks ago, Cheshire is very close to Wales, sometimes having both Welsh and English names, in various parts of the county!

Wales is very nice. I might write about it someday!

The White Hart Hotel, Cheadle, next to St Mary's Church.
The White Hart Hotel, Cheadle, next to St Mary’s Church.

I grew up in Cheadle, a suburban village in what was then known as Greater Manchester, and when my brother and I went to university, my family moved to Cheshire.

Cheshire is an Anglo-Saxon settlement first thought to have been created by King Edward (Edward the Elder) in AD920. The county is in the country (the country-side) and is mostly rural with small towns and villages supporting the local agriculture and industry, and so we have horses not far from the home of one of my brothers!

It’s a lovely place so now’s the time to write about it.

17 REASONS TO VISIT CHESHIRE IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE, QUITE CLOSE TO WALES!

Cheshire's Peak District.
Cheshire’s Peak District.
  • Cheshire is a county in the North-West of England and has a population of about 1 million people.
  • Explore Cheshire’s Peak District which covers 100 square miles of inspiring scenery brimming with dramatic landscapes, world-class events, fascinating history, wonderful heritage and beautiful gardens.
  • Take a vigorous walk through the Gritstone Trail – a 35 mile walking route covering wild moorland, rocky outcrops, impressive peaks and breathtaking scenery. Gulp!
  • Go on a rather more gentler sprint through the Sankey Valley Country Park & Trail.
A swan in Sankey Valley Park in Cheshire. © Mike Boden.
A swan in Sankey Valley Park in Cheshire.
© Mike Boden.

The 15 mile (24km) Sankey Valley Park is steeped in history and follows the course of England’s first and oldest canal spanning from St Helens in Lancashire right down to Speke in Liverpool!

The canal was opened in 1757 to carry coal from the mines around the St Helens area to the markets of Liverpool and Cheshire and pioneered the canal age from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.

We were in the Great Sankey section which has a combination of rivers, ponds, woodlands and meadows, all forming a superb backdrop to a variety of recreational and historic features.

We took a stroll under many a bridge but I was slightly worried about some of the marshland that we waded through, as I had on one of my favourite orange suede shoes!

Ooops!

Sankey Valley Park in Cheshire.
Sankey Valley Park in Cheshire.

The Sankey Valley Country Park & Trail is easy to navigate and has a history of canal activity. Just imagine horses pulling boats, the canal full of life and the sounds and smells of artisans hammering, wood-cutting, metal working, coal-burning and steaming timbers!

The park is also enjoyed by walkers, cyclists and anglers and has a maze.

  • Go the old haunted house known as Bewsey Old Hall where tales of a ghostly white rabbit, being chased by a pack of hounds, are to be seen!
Bewsey Old Hall in Warrington, Cheshire. You can see why they thought it might be haunted! @ frigger, on Flickr
Bewsey Old Hall in Warrington, Cheshire.
You can see why they thought it might be haunted!
@ frigger, on Flickr

Bewsey Old Hall is situated at Great Sankey and is on the western side of the Sankey Valley Park! Once a monastic grange, owned by the monks of Titley Abbey in Essex, Bewsey Old Hall and estate was home to the Lords of Warrington from the thirteenth (13th) to the seventeenth (17th) century and was also visited by the first Stuart king – James I – in 1617!

  • Follow the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) which is an exciting route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, linking the North and Irish seas, passing through the Pennines, alongside rivers and canals, and through some of the most historic towns and cities in the North of England!

The Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) passes from coast-to-coast between Southport and Hornsea, is 215 miles (346km) long, runs along disused railway lines and canal towpaths, is a relatively easy trail, and is open to horse riding!

Follow the path and route in Cheshire!
Follow the path and route in Cheshire!

My type of trail!

The Shadow Catchers at the Warrington Museum in Cheshire.
The Shadow Catchers at the Warrington Museum in Cheshire.

Now Warrington isn’t on the map for the world’s greatest artist, but what I saw there, left an impression on me nevertheless! I was interested in going there because I’ve always liked knowing about the history of a people and this museum had loads to teach me!

I had no idea that Warrington was so famous, or had such influence on life in the North, made clearer through the lenses of local photographers, and historic collections, in the 1840’s!

Wow!

  • OK but I bet you wouldn’t believe that Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, otherwise known as Lewis Carroll, the author of the children’s classics Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, used to live in the Old Parsonage at the Cheshire village of Daresbury. Quite near Great Sankey!
The dreadful Red Queen & Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!
The dreadful Red Queen & Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!

In fact, it was said that Warrington and the countryside of Cheshire gave him inspiration and there’s even a Lewis Carroll Centre in Daresbury and a large stone table of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in the centre of the shopping quarter in Warrington!

  • Go for a Snowdrop Sunday Stroll at Adlington Hall and experience the showcase of snowdrops within the wilderness of Adlington’s Gardens.
  • Jump into a lambing weekend where you can actually see new lambs being born!
Lambs being born in Cheshire!
Lambs being born in Cheshire!
  • Ramble along to a Spring Bird Walk at Hare Hill which is a tranquil woodland garden, surrounded by parkland an a delightful walled garden.
  • Join a local bird watching expert for an informative two-hour walk through the garden and parkland at Hare Hill so that you can learn to identify birdsong and discover more about bird activity at this time of year. Or if you’re feeling particularly energetic, you ought to  join the Rangers at that very same Hare Hill to gain an insight into Ranger life and learn about the day-to-day running of the park, and the life of a National Trust Ranger.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Chester.
Chester.
  • Because Chester!

This article is isn’t sponsored and even though I rambled along the Sankey Valley Country Park & Trail, all the mud on my orange suede shoes, are my very own!

In April, I’ll be going to Portugal and Spain. Olé!

As usual, you can also follow me via daily tweets and pictures on Twitter & FB!

Watch this space!

17 reasons to visit Cheshire in the English countryside, quite close to Wales!

Have you ever been to the English country-side? Which reason to visit Cheshire did you find inspiring?

See you in Berlin.

If you like this post or if you have any questions about Cheshire, Chester, or England, send me a tweet, talk to me on Facebook, find me on Linkedin, make a comment below, look for me on Google+ or send me an Email: victoria@thebritishberliner.com

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39 Comments on “17 reasons to visit Cheshire in the English countryside, quite close to Wales!

  1. I wouldn’t fancy walking around in one shoe at the best of times, let alone through marshlands… 😉

  2. I grew up in Cheshire (Macclesfield), but I am now living in New Zealand. You’ve created a substantial list of reasons…I love visting Tatton Park to see the deer and Hare Hill is great too.

    • Thanks very much Jennifer!
      Another expat Manc. Sort of. Yay! Tatton Park is lovely as is the Peak District, and the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. It sometimes makes me long for the English countryside, and slightly home-sick!
      Thanks so much for following my blog and you’re living in New Zealand too. Awesome! How long have you been out there?

  3. This looks nice. I wouldn’t enjoy the mud and don’t have a great love of animals like sheep etc..too much of a scaredy cat :-). I wouldn’t mind spending some time here, but it is low on my list. There are just soooooo many places to see first 🙂

    • Thanks so much KemKem! The English countryside has more than enough mud to share. For All! Think of Britains’ largest music festival – Glastonbury – Mud! Mud! And yet more Mud! Fabulous!
      What a shame that you don’t like sheep. Do yu like horses? Or forget that! Just come for the wonderful culture shopping, food, and delicious cider instead lol! 🙂

  4. I really love the fact that this place is all about the nature – getting close to it, exploring it and feeling so free and natural. Running there in the morning would be my dream to come true! I would also take a vigorous walk through the Gritstone Trail – sounds like a plan to me! 🙂

    • Thanks so much Agness! Cheshire is such a beautiful location and quite rural! It’s amazing how close nature is. In our case, just a 5 minute walk and you’re already at the Great Sankey Valley Park. A 20 minute drive will get you on the Gritstone Trail! And the beauty of it all? It’s all common public land so that you can walk, cycle or horse-ride, for as long as you like, and as far as you can. Just like in Wales! You’d love it! 🙂

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  9. Seems like a lovely spot for hiking but those deer now scare me, after a close encounter at Richmond Park last October!

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