The Two Saints Way is a recreated pilgrimage route of 92 miles between the cathedral cities of

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 ...

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 ...

and Lichfield in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. The two saints referenced are St Werburgh and

St Chad Chad of Mercia (died 2 March 672) was a prominent 7th-century Anglo-Saxon Catholic monk who became abbot of several monasteries, Bishop of the Northumbrians and subsequently Bishop of the Mercians and Lindsey People. He was later canonised ...

. The route partly follows the Heart of England Way and is around 95% waymarked.

History

The inaugural pilgrimage took place in March 2012.

Route

Chester to Nantwich

Starting at Chester Cathedral and passing by the Roman amphitheatre and the pilgrim church of St John's, the route predominantly follows 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 ...

with diversions to Christleton, Beeston Castle, Bunbury village and St Mary's Church in

Acton Acton may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Acton Australia * Acton, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Acton, Tasmania, a suburb of Burnie * Acton Park, Tasmania, a suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, formerly known as Acton Canada ...

, and is relatively flat. This section ends at St Mary's Church in the market town of Nantwich.

Nantwich to Stoke-on-Trent

Farmland predominates in this section and the route becomes hillier. The route passes the Englesea Brook Chapel and Museum of Primitive MethodismMethodist Heritage Committee Annual Report 2016
accessed 23 December 2016 and the village of Barthomley before reaching

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

. The halfway point of the trail is Stoke Minster, which has a Saxon preaching cross.

Stoke-on-Trent to Stafford

The route follows the Trent Valley along sections of the

Trent and Mersey Canal The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middle ...

and remnants of the

Staffordshire New Forest Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands ...

at Trentham and Tittensor Chase. It passes through the market town of Stone and the village of Burston to Salt, where it turns south west over

Hopton Heath Hopton Heath, or Hoptonheath, is a hamlet in south Shropshire, England. The border with Herefordshire is close by. It lies on the border of the civil parishes of Clungunford and Hopton Castle. There is a railway station here - Hopton Heat ...

and Beacon Hill to reach

St Chad's ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

, the oldest church in the county town of

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in t ...

Stafford to Lichfield

The route follows the River Sow out of Stafford and then joins the Heart of England Way at Milford to cross Cannock Chase, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The route passes the Katyn Memorial, the Cannock Chase Visitor Centre and Castle Ring hill fort. The route then runs through farmland, passing the Cross in Hand Lane, to reach Lichfield and the pilgrim sites at the cathedral and St Chad's Well.

References

External links

{{Portal, Cheshire
Two Saints Way
Pilgrimage routes Long-distance footpaths in England Footpaths in Cheshire Footpaths in Staffordshire