Wrenbury, Cheshire

Bus service 72 between Nantwich and Whitchurch goes via Wrenbury (01978 820820, www.ghacoaches.co.uk); railway station at
Nantwich on the Crewe to Shrewsbury line (0871 200 2233, www.traveline.info).

[1] Take the footpath through the churchyard past the medieval sandstone church (SJ594477). Continue through the fields to the canal, where you turn left along the towpath. 

The timber lift bridge here is one of three along this section of the canal dating from 1790, and among Thomas Telford’s earliest works. They are of the drawbridge type; two, including this, are footbridges, the other at Wrenbury Mill, which you soon reach, carries road traffic.

Carry on along the south side of the canal, passing the third lift bridge, and continue to the next road crossing at Marbury Lock, where you swap sides and follow the north bank of the canal for another kilometre to Steer Bridge. 

[2] Cross the bridge and very soon, as the road bends left, keep ahead along a footpath across a field to a copse. On leaving the trees, bear half-left across the field to the road and turn right. Follow the lane  (Wirswall Road), gently uphill for a kilometre. The Quoisley Meres can be glimpsed down to the right. When you reach the village sign for Wirswall, turn left along a track and almost immediately right over a stile to follow the footpath up through the grassy fields. Aim left of the mast, just right of the trees around Wicksted Hall. From the top, there are fine views back over Marbury and its Big Mere, and to the east you can spot the prominent obelisk which you’ll pass later.

The hills in the distance to the north-west are the Peckforton and Bickerton Hills. 

[3] Turn left along the road until you reach a drive on the left and a public footpath – the route of the waymarked South Cheshire Way (SCW). Follow this to Wicksted Old Hall, bearing left to pass the house on the right, and then turn right and continue along the track to a field and a four-way path crossing. Turn right and follow the waymarks carefully. Pass to the right of a copse and aim for the caravan park you can see in the distance. The waymarks guide you round its perimeter to the road. 

[4] Turn left, advancing for 400m, then right along a track/bridleway and left along a footpath that runs parallel to the road, affording lovely views over the unnamed mere below. Cross the railway line with care and rejoin the road turning right. Keep left at the next fork and, after a left bend in the road, keep a look out for a footpath through the trees on the right. This leads up past the obelisk and back down to the road. 

[5] Turn right and follow the road back to Wrenbury.

The attractive village of Wrenbury is situated in South Cheshire, about five miles from Nantwich. It appears as Wrenbury-cum-Frith on the OS map, though that refers to the name of the parish, which comprises not only Wrenbury but the smaller nearby settlements such as Pinsley Green. Wrenbury was included in the lands donated to the Cistercian Combermere Abbey, which lies a couple of miles south of the village, following its foundation in the 12th century. After the dissolution and the demolition of the church and most of the monastic buildings, it became a country house and is still in private ownership today – the 19th-century stables now restored and converted into holiday cottages. The surrounding estate includes the large lake of Comber Mere, while to the north-west is an impressive sandstone obelisk, commemorating the first Viscount Combermere. The walk starts along a lovely stretch of the Llangollen Canal and takes you up to this landmark, which also makes for a fine viewpoint.

Route devised by Fiona Barltrop for Walk Magazine.