Strenuous Leader: Carole Distance : 9-10 miles
From Frodsham we join the Sandstone Trail going south. Then descending to cross Tarvin Rd on our way to Helsby. After climbing Helsby Hill we go cross country to rejoin the Sandstone Trail. Returning north to Frodsham via Snidley Moor Wood and Beacon Hill.
Moderate Leader: Joan Distance : 7 miles
We start our walk passing the local railway station, park and church. Just after the church we pick up the Sandstone trail, which after a gradual climb we arrive at Frodsham Hill. The hill gives us dramatic views over Cheshire and Liverpool. Note the Iron Age fort remnants.
We continue our walk along the sandstone way as we make our way to Helsby.
Along our way the views vary between woodland, quarry, parks until we hit a road.
A small walk along the road until we turn off to the right and start making our way back to Frodsham. We pick up the Sandstone trail again. This part of the walk is fairly flat. But we do hit two small inclines until we walk flat again along the trail which is level below our original route.
Once we hit the road by the church we make our way back to the town centre where we will grab some refreshments before meeting up on the High Street before departing from the bus stop.
Approx 1200ft elevation.
Easy Leader: Pamela Distance : 4 miles
The coach will make its way to Lady Heyes Village where the driver will park for the day. We will visit the tea room for a quick beverage before leaving for our walk. There are toilet facilities here in both the café and within the shopping area.
Turning right from Lady Heyes we will make our way down tracks, bridleways and across fields (muddy and with stiles) to our lunch stop by the River Weaver.
We will walk adjacent to the river through fields which will contain livestock and be damp underfoot. We will pass the old locks and make our way past the watersports centre to the Sutton Causeway. We will go up and over the road and climb back into the town via housing estates and main road routes.
NOTES ON THE AREA
Frodsham lies 3 miles south of Runcorn and 16 miles south of Liverpool with the river Weaver on one side and the Mersey to the west. The presence of iron age hill forts on the hills behind the town, and its position on the likely route from Deva (Chester) to Wilderspool, suggests that Frodsham’s origins may be very old indeed. The town was important to the Norman Earls of Chester who built a castle here.
Frodsham became an important staging post in the stagecoach era, and the Bear’s Paw (named after the bear-baiting which used to take place nearby) and Queen’s Head recall those days. Both inns are on the broad High Street, one of the most attractive features of the town. St Lawrence’s church, off Church Street, has Norman remains. Today it is on the railway line to Chester and has the M56 passing nearby.
It has been important since medieval times and today a market is still held every week, and to reflect its importance, until recently there were several building societies and branches of the main five banks. Today there is a lot of modernisation with many bars, restaurants, takeaways, pubs and numerous small businesses.
Where the Weaver meets the Mersey became an important port for trade especially for salt. Large locks and swing bridges mean that boats up to 130 ft long and 35 ft wide can use the Weaver, and so there is always a variety of shipping to be seen, particularly in the section between Northwich and the Mersey. For the last four miles the Weaver is tidal, and so it has been bypassed by a canalised section that takes boats to Weston Point Docks, where there is a connection with the Manchester Ship Canal and the Mersey estuary.
The Sandstone Trail, 32 miles in length, bisects the county of Cheshire, and follows a ridge of sandstone created in some geological upheaval aeons ago. This backbone makes a fine ridge walk and is a continuous viewing platform for the surrounding countryside, and at one point there is a superb view over the Mersey estuary and towards Liverpool. On a clear day planes can be seen taking off from John Lennon Airport.