National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 56 is a Sustrans National Route that runs from

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 ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. The route utilises country lanes, a former railway trackbed, a coastal path and a seaside promenade.

Route

Chester to Hooton

The route begins north of

Chester Zoo Chester Zoo is a zoo at Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire, England. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at . The zoo has a total land holding of approximately . Chester Zoo is operate ...

at a junction with

National Cycle Route 5 Route Reading to Birmingham Didcot , Abingdon-on-Thames , Radley , Oxford , Banbury , Stratford upon Avon , Bromsgrove , Birmingham Route 5, as signposted between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham, runs via Bromsgrove and at the latte ...

.Sustrans Map
Accessed 2014-02-01 The route travels through Backford,

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Capenhurst Capenhurst is a village and civil parish in Chester in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire England. According to the 2001 Census, Capenhurst had a population of 237, increasing to 380 at the 2 ...

and Ledsham to the outskirts of Hooton.

Hooton to Parkgate

The route follows the former railway trackbed of the Wirral Way, in Wirral Country Park, through Willaston, where it passes the former

Hadlow Road railway station Hadlow Road railway station is a Grade II listed heritage railway station and museum in Willaston, on the Wirral Way footpath. It has been restored to have the look and feel of the day the station was permanently closed to passengers in 1956. ...

, and Neston to Parkgate.

Parkgate to Leasowe

The route travels inland from Parkgate to Thornton Hough where it then travels along the centre of Wirral, northwards through Brimstage, Storeton, Landican, Woodchurch,

Upton Upton may refer to: Places United Kingdom England * Upton, Slough, Berkshire (in Buckinghamshire until 1974) * Upton, Buckinghamshire, a hamlet near Aylesbury * Upton, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough * Upton, Huntingdonshire, a location in Cambridge ...

, Beechwood,

Bidston Bidston is a village, a parish and a suburb of Birkenhead, on the Wirral Peninsula, in the modern county of Merseyside. The area is a mixture of the well-preserved Bidston Village, Bidston Hill, a modern housing estate, and the Bidston Moss nat ...

and the outskirts of Leasowe where it meets the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

at the Gunsite.

Leasowe to Seacombe

The route follows the pathway along the

North Wirral Coastal Park The North Wirral Coastal Park, on the Wirral Peninsula, England is a coastal park including public open space, common land, natural foreshore and sand-dunes. The park lies between Dove Point in Meols, and the Kings Parade in New Brighton, and ...

eastwards, from Leasowe, before entering New Brighton. The route then turns south along Egremont promenade before reaching Seacombe.

Liverpool

After travelling across the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

, the route splits into two, around the centre of Liverpool, before joining with

National Cycle Route 62 National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 62 is a Sustrans National Route that runs from Fleetwood to Selby. As of 2018 the route has a missing section between Preston and Southport but is otherwise open and signed. History Much of route 62 was cr ...

at Childwall.

References

External links

Sustrans NCN Route 56
Transport in Cheshire Transport in Merseyside {{UK-road-stub