Beeston Castle

Beyond Tarporley, the Sandstone Trail runs through the green tunnel of the ancient Back Lanes before dropping down to cross the Shropshire Union canal at Wharton’s Lock. It’s a picturesque spot with its white-painted canal bridge, locks and close-up view of mighty Beeston Crag ahead.

Across the tiny River Gowy, the Trail skirts below the stunning bulk of Beeston Crag, surmounted by its ruined medieval castle. Known as the ‘Castle of the Rock’, Beeston Castle is one of the wonders of Cheshire and enjoys probably the best views from the summit of any castle in England.

Recent excavations suggest the hilltop was an important place throughout prehistory; and the outer bailey’s medieval curtain wall overlies a late Bronze Age and Iron Age rampart and defended gateway.

Peckforton Castle

Beyond Beeston Castle, the Sandstone Trail crosses open farmland before ascending the eastern flanks of the wooded Peckforton Hills. High above is magnificent Peckforton Castle, an authentic Victorian replica of a medieval castle that is now a luxurious hotel and restaurant.

The Trail traverses the oak clad hills before climbing briefly to the superb Pheasant Inn at Higher Burwardsley with its en-suite accommodation, lovely food, real ales, beer garden and sunlit terrace overlooking the distant Welsh hills.

Ahead lies wooded Bulkeley Hill, Rawhead, and Bickerton Hill, topped by the Iron Age Hillfort of Maiden Castle

Bulkeley Hill

From Higher Burwardsley and the black-and-white Pheasant Inn, the Sandstone Trail, on Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge, crosses the delightfully named Elephant Track and skirts the woods to reach the picturesque Victorian gatehouse on Fowler’s Bench Lane.

The Trail now climbs through open woodland onto the National Trust’s Bulkeley Hill whose viewpoints span the eastern Cheshire Plain, Peak District, Cannock Chase and the Pennines.

Beyond Coppermine Lane, the Sandstone Trail traverses the steep western scarp of the hills, past Rawhead Farm to the curious Droppingstone Well, hidden Queen’s Parlour and Bloody Bones caves, and on to Rawhead itself — the highest point on the Trail with amazing 270˚ panoramic views.

The Trail crosses the main Nantwich to Wrexham road close to the old copper mine chimney before climbing once more onto the lovely Bickerton Hills.

Owned and managed by the National Trust, they are rich with a mixture of open woodland and lowland heath. Purple heather, bilberry and yellow gorse brighten the hills, and there are stunning views at every turn.

Bickerton Hill

Beyond a hidden cave called Mad Allen’s Hole, and a touching memorial called Kitty’s Stone, the Sandstone Trail crosses the ramparts of Iron Age Maiden Castle.

It’s perched on the edge of a sheer sandstone bluff, with views around the compass: to Wales, the Shropshire Hills, the Peak District and the Pennines. For many walkers, Bickerton Hill is their favourite part of the Sandstone Trail.

The Trail drops down through Hether Wood to emerge at the end of southern end of the sandstone ridge, close to Larkton Hall Farm.

Cheshire Farmland

Away from the southern end of Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge, the Sandstone Trail heads south across undulating farmland towards Whitchurch.

Walk past Larkton Hall Farm, where cheese is still made daily, past a series of overgrown ponds that started life as sandpits where glacial sand was dug for making cement and footings for local buildings.

The Trail circles Manor House Farm, now a stud farm for racehorses, owned by a famous footballer. Beyond Hampton Green, the route crosses rolling farmland to Bickley Brook, then traces its bank south to Bickleywood.

Shropshire Union Canal

Further south, the Sandstone Trail runs past the mysterious Barhill Fall, and on to Old St Chad’s — the tiny ‘chapel in the fields’, now cut off from any roads.

Past half-timbered Pearl Farm, the Trail drops down to meet the Llangollen arm of the Shropshire Union Canal at Willeymoor Lock and its isolated waterside tavern.

Ahead, the Trail follows the quiet rural canal on into Whitchurch to reach the southern end of the Sandstone Trail.