My “Contour” Road Book of England (Northern Division) arrived yesterday and was delivered by James in the evening. It describes the road from Warrington to Northwich that I was travelling today in the reverse direction as ‘Class II. The road has good surface but is slightly rough approaching Northwich’. Points of interest are: Manchester Ship Canal, Budworth, Budworth Mere and Northwich Salt Works’. Today was dry and warm but overcast and even a little misty to begin with. I left Lostock Gralam on the A559 Hall Lane. It passes Wincham Hall which is now a hotel and wedding venue. A little further on the road crosses the Wincham Brook.
At the Great Budworth Crossroads there is a small hut and I wondered what it was.
Looking inside, it is a well and used to be the only water supply for the village. My water bottle was still full at that point.
Further on, in Marston is the Lion Salt Works, down a side road, which is now a museum. The road continues to wind around through Antrobus and Lower Stretton. By the time I got to the A49/M56 interchange, I had done just over seven miles. In total I passed five pubs, one derelict and none of the others open for coffee. At least there was a bench just before the roundabout for a rest. I had left Vale Royal and was entering Warrington. Like many of our larger towns and cities the outer main roads are lined with 1930s houses. Car ownership had increased, and people moved further out. This is the case in Appleton. The road started to descend towards the Bridgewater Canal. It is part of the Cheshire Ring which is a 98 mile walk.
The A49 London Road here is on the route of a Roman Road but the current bridge dates from 1936. The sun was trying to get through, it was warming up, a canal side pub, The London Bridge was open, and a cold beer was needed. The bar staff were asking what I was doing and thought I was a bit daft but wished me luck and re-filled my water bottle.London road continues through Stockton Heath where the buildings are Victorian and crosses the Manchester Ship Canal with only one mile to go to the centre. I had my lunch near here and a mile further on, I crossed the River Mersey to Centre Park where my accommodation was.
I sat by the river for a while. Network Rail were repairing the rail bridge upstream. I heard lots of birds and bees were feeding on the clover but there was no wildlife on the water, just a plastic bottle floating downstream.
Total mileage today was 11.4 and after yesterday on the Cheshire Plain with altitudes less than the 86m above sea level we are at home, the highest point today was 106m.
Tag: Lostock
Walking to Edinburgh: Smallwood to Lostock Gralam
May is National Walking Month and we did do quite a bit of walking in Arran, but I started off on my big walk on the penultimate day. James saw me off and I headed north up our lane and over the brook, the first of many watercourses that I will cross. At the end of the road is a path alongside the brook which goes to Brookhouse Green. It can be walked, cycled or ridden but has not been a through road for the last 200 years when a ford was in place. Unfortunately, many digital maps have not caught up with this and endless peoples’ satnavs send them down what they think is a through road. I used to walk around these lanes a lot when we had the dog. Just north of us there are farms and some equestrian centres.
I exchanged greetings with a runner, a cyclist and a guy working on his garden. After 3.7 miles I came to Brereton Green where I paused for a while. The A50 south of Brereton is known as Newcastle Road as it eventually leads to Newcastle under Lyme. A stretch between Brereton and Holmes Chapel is called ‘Dog Lane’ and I have no idea how that arose. I did spot this old sign almost hidden away at the side of the road.
I had a fairly early lunch and rest at a bench in Holmes Chapel and then set out to complete the remaining eight or so miles. Unfortunately, the forecast rain set in soon after so it was time to put the camera away and don the waterproofs. It persisted as I walked for two miles up the A50, then on a B road towards Northwich. Had it been dry, a stop at Shakerley Mere would have been in order. This is a lake with wildfowl and woodland around it where we used to walk the dog. I continued, getting splashed by trucks as there were huge puddles at the side of the road. In Lach Dennis, I diverted up the quieter Birches Lane, through Lostock Green and into Lostock Gralam, my destination. After a bridge over Wade Brook, I passed this smallholding with black sheep and pigs.
The main road that runs east to west through Lostock Gralam, Manchester Road, is part of the Roman Road, Watling Street. Lostock is also the home of one of Cheshire’s oldest football clubs, Lostock Gralam F.C., who have played continuously at their Manchester Road ground since 1892. They are one of the Cheshire’s leading amateur clubs, despite being based in a relatively small area. Lostock’s population is just over 2,200. My total distance for today was 13.6 miles, giving me time to dry off before meeting James for an evening meal.