The village of Betley was once renowned for raising children abandoned by Irish travellers. Whether it's true who can say, but Charles Darwin, Mrs Gaskell and Florence Nightingale certainly stayed here, though presumably not all at the same time. The name Betley comes from the Anglo-Saxon and means Beta's woodland clearing. The Main Street is very attractive with its early 17th century Five Steps Cottage and Village Shop set in the grand Georgian Bow Hill House. After strolling over rolling, grassy fields Cracow Moss comes as a surprise with a wealth of wild flowers. But the best is springtime when the bluebells in The Slum are at their finest.
LOCATION: 6 miles south east of Crewe
START: Betley, park on A531 in village
Grid ref: SJ753486 Postcode: CW3 9GB
DISTANCE: 4 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 2 hours
MAP: Explorer - Crewe & Nantwich Landranger 118
REFRESHMENTS: Swan Inn, Hand & Trumpet & Betley Tearoom
EN ROUTE: Cracow Moss
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News