Alvanley and Woodhouse Hill Near Helsby

Introduction

I headed west today, and was pleased to find the M56 quite clear.

The sandstone ridge that stretches from Frodsham to Whitchurch hosts the Sandstone Trail, and many other really good footpaths besides.

The stretch of this walk from Birch Cottage to Buckoak was included in my walk on 23 December 2021, but otherwise these were paths that I didn’t know.

The weather was cloudy and dry. The sun came out as I arrived home!

It’s a 40 minute drive from Cheadle Hulme to Alvanley.

This is a 7.7 mile walk can be walked either way. Anticlockwise gives a gradual uphill gradient for a long time, whilst clockwise involves a steep climb up Woodhouse Hill, and easy walking for most of the rest of the route. I chose the latter. It took 3.5 hours.

There was quite a lot of road and farmland walking. However, Woodhouse Hill Wood and Snidley Moor Wood are are great for any dog to have a good run around!

I parked on Church Way, near Alvanley Village Hall , postcode WA6 9BZ.

The walk is on OS Explorer Map 267.

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Alvanley To Woodhouse Hill

I set off on the North Cheshire Way, leaving the road opposite the attractive looking White Lion pub.

The fields gave nice views of the church.

The cottage at the first road I came to has a lovely duck pond.

From here, the land falls, and there are attractive views to the Mersey estuary.

Ahead and to the right I could see my route up to Woodhouse Hill Wood.

Nearing the bottom of the hill is a quintessentially English rural hamlet.

After crossing the road, the scale of the hill was very apparent from the field-side track.

The path goes straight up the hill, but is well served by a mix of wooden and sandstone steps. In total it’s about an 80m ascent.

The wood is owned by The Woodland Trust, and they have done a considerable amount of rhododendron clearing, though it is a seemingly endless task here.

At the top of the steps, my route took my slightly left then right to traverse the final climb to the site of the iron age fort. I couldn’t resist diverting up to the top.

However, there isn’t much view as it is heavily populated with silver birch.

Apparently the defensive rampart on the more gently sloping side of the hill was originally 4m high. It’s now visibly about 1m high, though not easy to pick out in a photograph.

The Sandstone Trail

I met the Sandstone Trail as I descended from the fort. The red rocks and extensive woodland made this a lovely section of the walk.

As the path leaves the wood, there is a handy map showing the many paths that criss-cross the area. I had entered from the black arrow on the left, climbed over Woodhouse hill, and I exited on the yellow dotted path at the bottom.

The Royalty, Organ Lot, And On Across The Farmland

Turning off the Sandstone Trail, the route took me through a really delightful, deep, sheltered vale past The Royalty

It meandered on under this fallen tree and up to Riley Bank.

A road section followed, passing some fields, oddly named “Organ Lot”.

Bushells Lane To Alvanley

Crossing New Pale Road at Birch Cottage, farmland stretched out ahead of me.

This was pleasant walking , with much bird song in the hedgerows.

Crossing another road, I soon arrived at Manley Old Hall.

I joined Sugar Lane, and came upon this unusual mobile home in the making!

A little further I was delighted to find my first spring lambs enjoying the fresh air.

I left the lane at a sharp hairpin bend where a friendly donkey stood guard.

The fishing ponds at the rear of Manley Old Hall came into view, protected from herons by a high vis jacketed scarecrow!

I crossed the farmland, stopped to watch many native birds in the trees and bushes around Moor’s Brook, then rejoined the road to return to Alvanley Church.

All in all, this is a fine walk, in rolling countryside, with a bit of a kick in the climb up Woodhouse Hill. Very enjoyable.

And Finally….

Not to be confused with the Crosby Stills and Nash song, this new song by Supertramp drummer Danny Goffey is this week’s interesting offering.

From the album “Bryan Moone’s Discopunk” this is “The Marrakech Express”.