Fancy buying a pub for £64? Well, that's what was paid for the Bickerton Poacher in 1761. This was the Wild West of Cheshire in those days. Brigands lived in Bloody Bones Cave, up on the rocky outcrop of Raw Head, and a gallows stood on Salters Way. But now the Sandstone Trail follows the crest of the ridge above the rich red sandstone cliffs, and you wander through silver birch, sweet chestnut and pine trees on one of the best walks in Cheshire.
LOCATION: South Cheshire
START: Bickerton Poacher car park, 8 miles west of Nantwich on A534 Grid ref: SJ523545 Postcode: SY148BD
DISTANCE: 4 miles
GRADE: Moderate
TIME: 2 hours
MAP: Explorer 257 Landranger 117
REFRESHMENTS: Pack a flask
EN ROUTE: Bickerton Poacher, Bulkeley Hill, Peckforton Hills, Grig Hill Farm, Sandstone Trail, Droppingstone Well, Queen's Parlour Cave, Raw Head, Bickerton Hill, Chiflik Farm, Gallantree Bank
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News