Welcome to Cheshire's Sandstone Trail
Cheshire's Sandstone Trail stretches for 34 miles/55 kilometres across lovely rural Cheshire and north Shropshire. It's one of the finest and most popular long distance walks in North West England, in the UK.
The Sandstone Trail follows the elevated ridge of wooded sandstone hills that rise dramatically above the Cheshire Plain.
The Sandstone Trail is the ultimate 'Cheshire Way'. It meanders across the still largely green and pleasant English county of Cheshire from the ancient market town of Frodsham on the broad Mersey estuary, in the north, to Georgian Whitchurch in rural north Shropshire, in the south.
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The Sandstone Trail runs for 55 kilometres/34 miles north to south along Cheshire's central sandstone ridge. |
Information on Cheshire's Sandstone Trail |
| Start/Finish: The Sandstone Trail runs roughly north-south across Cheshire and northern Shropshire between the pleasant market towns of Frodsham and
Whitchurch. |
| Maps: The Sandstone Trail is covered by two orange-covered Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer series maps — 267 Northwich and Delamere Forest [North], and 257 Crewe and Nantwich [South].
Full excerpts from these maps appear in the official walkers' guide, 'Walking Cheshire's Sandstone Trail'. The maps in the book are the only maps you'll need. |
| Length: The complete Sandstone Trail covers 55 kilometres/34 miles. |
| Time/Duration: Allow around two to three days to walk the whole Sandstone Trail, depending on fitness and ability. Most people choose to stop overnight close to the halfway mark, around Tarporley, Tiverton, Beeston, or Higher Burwardsley. Only the super fit can complete the Sandstone Trail in one go; this is best achieved during the long summer days and takes around 12 hours. |
| Difficulty: The Sandstone Trail varies in difficulty from easy to moderate, depending on the terrain. Short, steep sections include those at Frodsham,
Beeston Castle, Higher Burwardsley, Rawhead and Bickerton. The easiest, flattest sections of the Sandstone Trail are those in Delamere Forest Park and alongside the Llangollen branch of the Shropshire Union canal between Willeymoor Lock and Whitchurch. |
| Terrain: The varied landscapes along the Sandstone Trail include wooded sandstone ridge, cliffs, crags and caves, open woodland and ancient forest, green
lanes, lowland heath, heather, bilberry and gorse, undulating Cheshire farmland, and canal towpaths. |
| Highest point: Rawhead, near Bickerton in central Cheshire, rises
227 metres/746 feet above sea level. It's the highest point on the Sandstone Trail and the views from the summit 'trig' point are exceptional. |
| Total ascent: Total ascent/descent for the whole Sandstone Trail is 1268 metres/4160 feet. |
| Accommodation: There are over 50 welcoming hotels, pubs, inns, farmhouses and B&Bs providing accommodation along the Sandstone Trail. An up to date accommodation list for the Sandstone Trail (PDF) is prepared each year. |
| Toilets: Because the Sandstone Trail runs through open country, there are few public toilets along the route. Public toilets exist at: Frodsham, Delemere Forest Park visitor centre, and in Whitchurch. However, there are toilets for customers' use at many pubs, hotels, cafes and tearooms along the Sandstone Trail. |
| Bikes and Horses: Mountain bikes are actively discouraged on the Sandstone Trail, while horses are allowed only on short sections of designated bridleway. |
| Dog friendliness: Dogs are welcome on the Sandstone Trail but should be kept under close
control, especially near farm buildings and livestock. Please consider
other walkers and clean up after your dog. |
The Best of Cheshire: along the Sandstone Trail
The Sandstone Trail is undoubtedly the best known walk in Cheshire. Walking a short section makes a perfect family day out. Along the way you'll experience the very best of Cheshire and Shropshire, in north west England: everchanging views and lofty panoramas over Wales and the Pennines; sun-dappled wooded escarpments, rust-red sandstone cliffs, viewpoints and caves; undulating, oak-dotted farmland, and ancient and vast Delamere Forest.
Look, too, for prehistoric hillforts, dramatic medieval and Victorian castles; black-and-white and sandstone pubs and farmhouses and attractive historic inns; Roman roads, sunken green lanes, packhorse trails and old coach roads; tranquil rivers, streams, marl pits and rural canals; mosses and meres; lowland heath, heather, bilberry and gorse.
There are plenty of things to do along the Sandstone Trail, too, for all the family, from mountain biking and horse riding to making candles or visiting an ice cream farm.
Wildlife on the Sandstone Trail
Unspoilt Cheshire and Shropshire are bursting with wildflowers and wildlife, too. Along the Sandstone Trail can be seen everything from bluebells and bilberries, to buzzards and barn owls, brown hares and butterflies.
Whatever the weather or the time of year, the Sandstone Trail is a real breath of fresh air. Don't miss it.
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