Far out on the Cheshire Plain, rising above its encircling cloak of trees, the distinctive outline of Beeston Castle has stood as a landmark for over seven hundred years. Yet though castles are a rarity in Cheshire, here is an abundance, for only a longbow shot away on the opposite hill is another. But Peckforton Castle is a newcomer, planned for style rather than defence. Just 150 years old these sandstone ramparts were built by Admiral Sir John Tollemache, while the commanding view of the Mersey was chosen so that his wife could watch for his ship coming home.
LOCATION: 12 miles south-west of Northwich
START: Beeston Castle signed from A49, pay & display car park
Grid ref: SJ540591 Postcode: CW6 9TX
DISTANCE: 6 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 3 hours
MAP: Explorer - Crewe & Nantwich and Northwich & Delamere Forest
NOTE: Beeston Castle open daily (weekends in winter)
REFRESHMENTS: Shady Oak and Castlegate cafe when open
EN ROUTE: Peckforton, Bishop Bennet Way, Eddisbury Way, River Gowy
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News