The Baker Way is a footpath running from Chester railway station to

Delamere railway station Delamere railway station opened on 22 June 1870. It serves both the village of Delamere and Delamere Forest in Cheshire, England. The station is 9½ miles (15 km) east of Chester on the Mid-Cheshire Line. There is an hourly service e ...

within the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

. The total length of the trail is . Its name commemorates the life and work of Jack Baker, a former footpaths officer for

Cheshire County Council Cheshire County Council was the county council of Cheshire. Founded on 1 April 1889, it was officially dissolved on 31 March 2009, when it and its districts were superseded by two unitary authorities; Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. ...

The route

The Baker Way leaves

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

along the

Shropshire Union Canal The Shropshire Union Canal, nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales. The canal lies in ...

until bridge 120 at Christleton, where it then heads for Brown Heath before passing straight through

Tarvin Tarvin is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It had a population of 2,693 people at the 2001 UK census, rising to 2,728 at the 2011 Census, and the ward covers about . ...

, along Hockenhull Lane and Tarvin High Street. It then crosses the

A54 road The A54 road is a road in England linking Chester in Cheshire with Buxton in Derbyshire. Its route through both urban and steep rural areas presents a challenge to Cheshire County Council in maintaining the safety of the road. Many years ago it w ...

and loops around the back of Ashton, just missing

Mouldsworth Mouldsworth is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Chester in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is about 8 miles north east of Chester city centre on the B5393 roa ...

. The path then crosses Church Road, Ashton, by the nearby St John the Evangelist's Church and then proceeds up Grange Road, which leads directly to the edge of

Delamere Forest Delamere Forest is a large wood in the village of Delamere in Cheshire, England. The woodland, which is managed by Forestry England, covers an area of making it the largest area of woodland in the county. It contains a mixture of deciduous and ...

. The trail then passes by Fox Howl, the Forest's education centre, and crosses the Mid-Cheshire Line three times, the third time joining up with the

Sandstone Trail The Sandstone Trail is a long-distance walkers' path, following sandstone ridges running north–south from Frodsham in central Cheshire to Whitchurch just over the Shropshire border. The path was created in 1974 and extended in the 1990s. ...

for several hundred metres. The route then meanders through the forest to its end point at

. The route is shown on Ordnance Survey Explorer Maps 266 and 267. Because the footpath starts and ends at railway stations, many walkers choose to park at one station, walk along the footpath to the opposite station and simply use the train to travel back again. There are no waymarks from the start at Chester railway station, along City Road and then along the

Christleton Christleton is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the outskirts of Chester, in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The Shropshire Union Canal (originally Cheste ...

. From bridge 120, where the Baker Way leaves the canal, the route is fairly well waymarked and easy to follow; however, it is always good practice to take a map when following any route. Baker Way 1

Sights

Various sights are viewable along the Baker Way, such as

Beeston Castle Beeston Castle is a former Royal castle in Beeston, Cheshire, England (), perched on a rocky sandstone crag above the Cheshire Plain. It was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester (1170–1232), on his return from th ...

and

Peckforton Castle Peckforton Castle is a Victorian country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Herit ...

, which can be seen from the fields surrounding Christleton and Brown Heath, and Ashton's church spire, which is a good landmark for navigation. Between Tarvin and Christleton the route crosses over the

River Gowy The River Gowy is a river in Cheshire, England, a tributary of the River Mersey. It rises in western Cheshire in the hills near Peckforton Castle, very close to the source of the River Weaver. While the Weaver flows south initially, the Gowy ...

Hockenhull Platts The Hockenhull Platts are three bridges southwest of the village of Tarvin, Cheshire, England. They are also known as the "Packhorse Bridges" or (erroneously) the "Roman Bridges", and are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as d ...

, where there are three old packhorse bridges and a nature reserve.

References

External links

Discovercheshire website - local walking routesChester City Council Baker Way leaflet (outside sheet)Chester City Council Baker Way leaflet (inside sheet)Cheshire County Council: Baker Way (PDF)

External links

* The approximate midpoint of the Baker Way is at {{coord , 53, 12, 36, N, 2, 45, 19, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=inline,title Footpaths in Cheshire

The route

Sights

See also

References

External links

External links