Length miles 12.98 miles
Maximum height 504.17 feet
Minimum Height 118.42 feet
Height ascended 687.32 feet
Height descended 806.40 feet
This leg starts in Wrenbury at the junction of New Road with Cholmondeley Road (pronounced Chumley) where Cheshire Cycle Route 74 ends. The route from here is shared for much of the way with Cheshire Cycle Route 70. It is junction 91 on the junction guides. The Post Office and Shop has a large selection of snacks, pastries and other foodstuffs.
Turn left (facing the Church) along Cholmondeley Road. The road is level, then downhill, past the Cotton Arms on the right, and the Dusty Miller on the left.
The Cotton Arms is very good for meals and snacks and has a Camping and Caravan Club listed site.
Then cross the canal swing bridge, Cheshire cycle Route 70 leaves here by turning left. Follow the NCR45 signs, I have put some extra signs here, straight on into Porters Hill past the entrance to Alvechurch Marina at Wrenbury Mill.
There is a shop at the marina but it does not cater for the needs of the traveling cyclist. On the right before crossing the tilt bridge there are some benches for a pleasant rest by the canal. This is the Llangollen canal formerly the Shropshire Union that we last saw at Brick Walls on the Prees Railway Station to Whitchurch Railway Station leg.
There is one Sustrans sign in Porters Hill only visible when facing Wrenbury! The road is downhill, there is a junction on the right not signed; it is a no through road. The road is then uphill to the next junction on the right, this junction has one official Sustrans sign visible when travelling south I have had to supplement this sign so that it is clear from both directions.
The road then undulates to the next crossroads. This road is very narrow in places, 14 feet, so you can see that there is not a lot of room for the milk tankers that charge up and down it, you will see the tyre tracks at the edge of the road to prove the point. Watch out for these; especially Heller's and Weaver's whose drivers are particularly reckless around cyclists.
The next junction is a crossroads it is the junction that I have had most trouble with on my route. It is the junction with Cholmondeley Road and Holtridge Lane; number 95 on the junction guide. The former has no street sign but the latter has. There have been several sets of signs placed by myself, and official signs placed by Sustrans and Cheshire County Council, all of which have been removed presumably stolen. Before the official signs were removed, sign turners frequently attacked them. At present there are temporary signs placed by myself; on the Give Way sign pointing left from this direction and on the street sign. From the south there is a Sustrans sign on the back of the 'Stop' sign on the opposite junction. When travelling from Wrenbury you need to turn left here into Holtridge Lane. The integrity of Sustrans signs at this junction cannot be guaranteed.
Continue along Holtridge Lane the surface of this lane is very poor there are a great many potholes, in wet weather these can be hidden by pooling water especially at the verges. The road is level from the crossroads and then downhill. There is a junction to the left, Back Lane (street sign). I have also placed Sustrans signs on a Public Footpath finger post on the right, follow these straight on downhill to the crossroads at Norbury Common. Also at this junction you will see a sign to the left to Barn Books.
The crossroads here has also caused many problems with signs being removed and has suffered from vandal sign turners. At the present time there is a temporary Sustrans sign placed by myself when approaching along Holtridge Lane, and an official Sustrans sign visible when approaching along Common Lane, both of these have street signs on the ground. Be aware that the official sign on Common Lane has been attacked by sign turners in the past, but has been left alone for some time now. Follow the signs either Sustrans or the street signs from Holtridge Lane turn right into Common Lane, slightly downhill.
Continue along Common Lane as it levels to its Junction with Moss Lane, junction on the left (street sign), there are NCR45 stickers on the Common Lane street sign, follow these straight on. Common Lane ends at the junction with Snab Lane (street signs); there are official Sustrans signs, follow these and turn right onto Snab Lane. NCR45 is joined by Cheshire Cycleway 70 at this point. Continue slightly uphill to the crossroads over the A49. There are official Sustrans signs combined 45 and 70. This is a very busy, very fast, piece of road but there are no warning signs for cyclists on the approaches; there are no advance warning signs for motorists on the A49. Be very careful when crossing this road.
Once safely across the A49 continue slightly downhill to the junction to Coronation Hall, I have placed NCR45 signs here to complement the 70 route signs, follow these to the left. The road undulates to the turn right to Bickley Town. There are official Sustrans signs here but sign turners have attacked them in the past, so be careful not to miss this turn, route 70 leaves here and continues straight on. Look carefully for the signs in the summer months as they can be overgrown and very hard to see.
A short distance slightly downhill reaches St. Wenefred's Church, this is a beautiful building with a very unusual octagonal tower and very well kept gardens. The Lychgate is very interesting and has a memorial, carved in wood, to those who gave their lives, in the two World Wars. There are benches in the grounds and it is a good place to sit in quiet contemplation or for lunch; sadly the Church is usually locked so if you want to see inside you will have to make special arrangements. There is a resident, a very curious black cat, you will see his food and drink bowls in the Lychgate and his small house next to it. Don't forget that he is a Cheshire Cat!
On leaving the Church follow the Sustrans signs bearing left to Heatherson Green. The road undulates but is virtually flat to the next junction, turn right following the official Sustrans sign on to Heatherson Green crossroads.
Approaching from Bickley Town it is slightly uphill to the crossroads. I have placed NCR45 signs here pointing straight on. Be careful when looking at this place on the Ordnance Survey Map as there are two junctions shown to the left after the crossroads. On the ground the first junction is marked 'Private Road' and the second is clearly a farm track, therefore I have not included either on the junction symbols. The road here can be very muddy and is in a poor state of repair. The road is level then downhill before a short uphill to the T junction with Cholmondeley Road (no street sign). Incidentally Cholmondeley is pronounced Chumley!
At this T junction you will see one of the curious 'Byway' plaques the last one was at the crossroads by the Uriconium English Heritage site and informed the reader of the Much Wenlock loop; this one is about the Malpas loop. If you can work out where this 'loop' goes from the information on this board, without getting lost please let me know. There are official Sustrans signs turn left to Cholmondeley.
(pronounced Chumley)
From Heatherson Green continue along Cholmondeley Road to the next junction opposite the rear entrance to Cholmondeley Castle; there are good views of the beautiful estate parkland as you cycle along. This was another problem junction signage wise but now has both official Sustrans and some that I have put up; they are not at the junction but are quite visible. I did put some on the posts of the information board belonging to the estate. What I did not know was that they took this board away in the winter. The information board was replaced in March 2008 and my signs were still on it! Sadly since then it has been painted so that the signs are now gone for good.
Anyway continue straight on. On the left after this junction you will find the Farm Shop and Post Office. This place is a little gem; you can find lots of different edibles for lunch and they also sell home made products, and as such it is pot-luck depending on what has been made. The Beef and Stilton pie is exquisite as are the pasties. The staff are very friendly and will heat purchases if you ask nicely. There is a small bench to sit on at the front.
Continue straight on to the next junction on the right, there are no official signs here but I have put some temporary signs look carefully as they get overgrown, bear left downhill to Bickerton school.
At the junction by the school turn right into Long Lane (street sign), level and then uphill to the crossroads by Holy Trinity Church; there are Sustrans NCR45 signs on the approaches to this crossroads, and Cheshire Cycleway 70 joins from the left, the signs after this are joint 45/70. As you approach this crossroads from the school the lane on the left is Goldford Lane and on the right Brunty Bank (there are street signs) so continue straight on Long Lane downhill.
The next junction on the left is Reading Room Lane (street signs) and on the right you will see the village hall. There are combined NCR45 and 70 signs; continue straight on downhill to the crossroads over the A534.
Once again Cheshire County Council do not think it worthwhile to warn cyclists of this busy road crossing and have not placed warning signs on that road to inform motorists that cyclists are crossing; so when you cross bear in mind that the motorists who will be travelling very quickly will not expect to see you. There are good Sustrans signs combined NCR45 and 70. Oddly enough the A534 also has street names; the name of the road to the left is Salters Lane and to the right Wrexham Road there are no street signs to show this on the ground, how mean can you get!
Once you have safely crossed this road go uphill there is a junction on the right as you get to the top of this short climb, there are good Sustrans combined NCR45/Cheshire Cycleway 70 signs; follow the signs straight on downhill. There is a short climb to a T junction turn right here for the long climb to Harthill (504 feet), good Sustrans combined NCR45/Cheshire Cycleway 70 signs.
Approaching uphill from Bickerton you will not find any Sustrans signs either on the approaches to, or in the village. Before arriving at the top in Harthill there are two junctions on the right the first is New Lane and the second is Garden Lane there are street signs and both are dead ends but there are no 'No Through' road signs. The road opens out to the left in front of the Church and there is a small green. Harthill has a superb location. The Church is no longer in use and has been sold to be converted into a dwelling. The views from the back of the former Church are outstanding but access may not be allowed once the conversion has been carried out. Sadly the little school has also been earmarked for closure.
There are still some excellent views from the road so have a pause if you are like me you will need a rest after the long climb up here anyway. From Harthill steeply downhill to the next junction a right turn to Burwardsley. This junction is signed with combined 45/70 signs in this direction but not when coming from Burwardsley.
I have spoken to many local cyclists along here and most do not use this route through Burwardsley preferring to go straight on here direct to Tattenhall. I think that this is a shame because the next section to Burwardsley has some fantastic views and the village itself is well worth a visit.
After the right turn at the bottom of the hill from Harthill the road continues downhill before climbing; then again downhill followed by a short climb to a left hand bend; from here it is uphill to the village. The first junction on entering the village is to the right it has no Sustrans signs, it is Church Road but there is no street sign either; of course everyone knows what it is called don't they? Mind you there is a bit of a clue as St John's Church is along here on the left. This Church is well worth a visit and has an intersting history especially the Organ. Sadly it is usually locked so that special arrangements have to be made if you want to see inside. NCR45/70 continues downhill into the village to the Burwardsley Village Store and Post Office.
The owner of the Store Mandy Geall is very pro-cyclist and has made a small garden with seating and a delightful pond, where you can rest awhile. You can purchase all manner of eatables and publications from here, and Mandy is more than happy to heat pies and supply hot drinks; it a great place to have lunch. The junction just after the Stores has a Sustrans 45/70 combined signs from either approach, it is called Higher Burwardsley Road and has a street sign. Bear left downhill out of the village towards Tattenhall following the signs.
This is a delightful stretch of road so typical of rural Cheshire, lined with hedgerows that are full of wild plants and bird life with tantalising views over the countryside, glimpsed over hedgerow or through the gaps of field entrances. It is only spoiled during the occasional times when it is busy with motorised traffic. The road then levels to a staggered crossroads on the right is Platts Lane there is a street sign; on the left Woodfin Lane no street sign, there are good official Sustrans combined NCR45/Cheshire Cycleway 70 signs. Follow these straight on to the next junction. This is on the left and is Dark Lane there is a street sign, there are no Sustrans signs at this junction but there are Cheshire Cycleway 70 signs continue straight on.
The next junction is on the right and is Birds Lane there is a street sign and good official Sustrans signs. Cheshire Cycleway 70 leaves 45 to the right, so continue straight on to Tattenhall.
From Burwardsley 45 enters the town going slightly uphill the first junction on the left is Fields Lane marked with a 'No Through Road' sign there are no Sustrans signs. Continue uphill and the next junction is clearly signed as a right turn with official NCR45 signs, these are clear from both directions. The direction fingerpost tells us that Chester is 8 miles so take heart. The Sportsmans Arms is on the left before the junction. This is junction number 124 on the junction guide.
To continue on 45 turn right here, to visit the town go straight on down the hill. There are a number of shops and places to eat. See the Tattenhall Web Site.
To find out more contact Mike Clarke at email mikeclarke@ncr45mercianway.co.uk
