After a month north of the border we have travelled south into England today and pitched up at Swanley House CL just outside of Nantwich. We have covered two hundred miles today which is about as far as I like to drive when towing a van, luckily it was a relatively straightforward journey and it doesn’t take us too long to get sorted on our new site.
We have not previously visited this area. When I used to work in Liverpool I would often use the road to Nantwich as an alternative to the congested M6, so I know there are a lot of canals around here, one of them is very close to Swanley House. After spending so long in the car we are all keen to stretch our legs and take a short walk.
We leave Swanley House turning left along the road, at the junction we do not cross Swanley Bridge, but take the footpath on the left that goes down steps to join the towpath of the Llangollen Canal.
I like walking along canal towpaths, the engineering around the construction of these transport routes is always interesting and the combination of wildlife, locks, bridges and the occasional passing barge means there is always something to see.
We are soon at Baddiley Lock.
After about a mile on the towpath we reach Halls Lane Bridge, here we take a footpath on the left to walk through pasture to a gate and then follow a broad lane, the way-markers eventually lead us to a track which we follow to reach Swanley Lane. We have options here, the most direct route is to turn left, the alternative is to turn right and wander into Ravensmoor.
We choose the Ravensmoor option, if truth be told we were influenced by the pub sign on our map, we both fancy a sharp’ner. It is about quarter of a mile along the quiet country lane to reach the centre of the village and we are soon sat sipping an excellent pint of local ale in the garden of the Farmers Arms.
It is tempting to stay for another, but the boys want their dinner so we resume our walk by heading back along Swanley Lane. We follow the quiet road for a mile and a bit to get back to Swanley House CL, our little wander has covered three and a half miles and provided welcome fresh air and a good pint after a long day. We are looking forward to exploring this area more over the next few days.
To follow this route on OS Maps Click Here
To follow this walk you will need Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 257 – Crewe & Nantwich
18th July 2017
© Two Dogs and an Awning (2017)