Access
Why is the Ridge Special? | Habitats | Hillforts
The Sandstone Ridge offers the very best of Cheshire to explore: spectacular long distance views to North Wales, Merseyside and the Pennines, wooded escarpments, sandstone cliffs, Delamere Forest, meres and mosses, the largest areas of surviving lowland heath in Cheshire, sandstone buildings, boundary walls and sunken lanes, 6 iron age hillforts with surviving earthworks, historic halls at Utkinton and Peckforton Castle, and industrial archaeological remains of sandstone quarries and copper mines in particular.
The area is essentially rural in character, but has good road and rail access and significant urban populations nearby that use it for recreation.
From the M56 motorway that skirts the northern fringes of the Ridge, the B5152 and B5393 trunk roads run south through Frodsham and Helsby towards Delamere Forest, then connecting to the A49, A51 and A54 main roads, which provide good road access to most parts of the Ridge area. There are regular bus services between the major towns and villages in the Scheme area.
Within the area there are a number of National and Regional cycle routes. National cycle route 45, Salisbury to Chester, passes through the Scheme area to the north east of Bickerton Hill and then to the west of Beeston Castle, taking in views of the hillforts and countryside in the area, before continuing to Chester. Route 70, a regional route ‘The Cheshire Cycleway’ also passes through the Scheme area, joining Route 45, passing Beeston Castle and the Peckforton Hills. There are a number of ‘brown routes’ which provide shorter links off the main cycle ways. There are no advertised cycle routes within the vicinity of Eddisbury and Kelsborrow. National cycle route 5 runs through Helsby along Robin Hood Lane, at the base of Helsby Hill. This National way runs from Reading to Holyhead along the Weaver valley in Cheshire. The promoted cycle routes generally follow quiet roads and are signed so they are easy to follow.
Rail access to the northern part of the Scheme area is also good. Frodsham and Helsby are situated on the North Wales to Manchester, Warrington lines and operated by Arriva and Northern Rail. Mouldsworth and Delamere are situated on the Chester to Manchester line, operated by Northern Rail. Railway stations situated at Frodsham and Helsby, Mouldsworth and Delamere provide easy instant access straight out onto the Ridge and in some cases very close to the hilforts themselves. Delamere Station, for example, is situated on the edge of the management zone of Eddisbury Hillfort.
A network of public footpaths, notably including the Sandstone Trail, which provides accessibility to the heart of the Sandstone Ridge. Within the Sandstone Ridge area there are 473 kms of public rights of way, and an estimated 1.4 million walking trips are made in the area each year. Each hillfort management zone area maintains a good network of public rights of way. In total 60.9km of footpaths and 4.3 km of bridleways provide access in various conditions to and from the hillfort areas.
There are also a number of recreation routes within the Ridge area, primarily the Sandstone Trail which encompasses all but 2 of the hillforts. Other routes take in attractions such as Delamere Forest or link to the east of the county and meet the Gritstone Trail :
Recreation Routes:
- Sandstone Trail – 34 mile trail from Frodsham to Whitchurch
- Bishop Bennett Way – A 34 mile route for riders following bridleways, byways and minor roads thorough the countryside of southwest Cheshire.
- Eddisbury Way 16 mile route from Frodsham, following rights of way and quiet roads and joining the Sandstone Trail at Burwardsley.
- Longster Trail - 10 mile route from Helsby Hill via Barrow to Chester
- Delamere Way - 21 mile route following rights of way and quiet roads, from Frodsham to Warrington via Delamere Forest Park
- North Cheshire Way - 70 mile walkers' route across the north of the county, from Willaston in the west to Lyme Park in the east. It provides a link between the Wirral Way, Sandstone Trail and Gritstone Trail.
- Baker Way - 13 mile route linking Chester with Delamere Forest Park
Access Management Issues
Why is the Ridge Special? | Habitats | Hillforts