With its springtime sea of bluebells, Lawton Woods, on the fringe of the Potteries, is a delight. Set between the southern arms of the Cheshire Ring canals, which intertwine before disappearing into the dank depths of the Harecastle Tunnel, the secluded valley lies behind a Norman church in the grounds of the ruined Lawton Hall. The family came by their estate when King John, after being rescued from a wolf by a local peasant, granted him as much land as he could walk round, and the Bleeding Wolf was built on the spot where the wolf was slain.
LOCATION: Five miles south of Congleton
START: Bleeding Wolf on the A34 at Scholar Green. Park (with permission) behind pub. Grid ref: SJ832560 Postcode: ST7 3BD
DISTANCE: Five (or three) miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: Two and a half hours
MAP: Pathfinder 792 Landranger 118
REFRESHMENTS: Red Bull, Canalside Tavern
EN ROUTE: Church Lawton, Macclesfield Canal, Trent & Mersey Canal
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News