Starting from Burtonwood passing 15c moated Bradlegh Hall on way to Sankey Brook and historic Sankey Canal. The canal, the first in the UK, built to carry coal from Haydock to Liverpool in 1757. Good view of Sankey Viaduct the world's first substantial viaduct built by George Stephenson in 1830 for the world's first intercity rail line. Having completed the canal section the route returns to start.
(S/E) Take footpath east (left) at north end of Winsford Drive as it arcs along the line of houses. At Lumber Lane turn left and carefully cross to the footpath on its Northern side.
(1) Take footpath north (right) across the field keeping close to west boundary of the site of Bradlegh Hall. At the footpath post, there is a good view of Sankey Viaduct to left. Turn west (right) here along well trodden path over the field and then downslope towards the brook.
(2) Take footbridge over Sankey Brook to canal footpath. Turn southeast (right) along the canal side. Pass under Alder Lane and continue south on the tarmac path.
(3) Turn west (right) along Old Alder Lane crossing Sankey Brook. No footpath so take care.
(4) Leave road (left) to take path West beside field boundary. At the edge of Phipps Brook path heads briefly northwest. Follow path West around field boundary. When footpaths meet branch west (left) on farm track along fence onto Farmers Lane. No footpath on Farmers Lane so watch for traffic.
(5) Turn west (left) along Chapel Lane. Just before reaching the COOP supermarket turn north (right) on a footpath running through houses. At the field, the boundary turn west (left) following the path beside the houses back to start.(S/E)
Waypoints
S/E : km 0 - alt. 31 m - Start
1 : km 0.88 - alt. 29 m - Bradlegh Hall
2 : km 2.1 - alt. 20 m - Sankey Brook
3 : km 4.69 - alt. 14 m - Old Alder Lane
4 : km 5.12 - alt. 12 m - Ikea View
5 : km 6.88 - alt. 26 m - Chapel Lane
S/E : km 7.96 - alt. 31 m - Winsford Rd
Useful Information
Parking at start.WA5 4HA
Refreshments available at Burtonwood
Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.
I have a few other walks in the area which you might enjoy at
phill9781
Overall rating :
4.7 / 5
Date of walk : 01/05/22 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Good walk, no problems at all with the route plan.
Great to see a swan nesting on the canal.
scouse_mouse_2000uk
Overall rating :
5 / 5
Date of walk : 16/04/21 Clarity of route description : ★★★★★ Very good Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good Walk interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Myself, husband and two friends did this walk.
Your instructions were clear and we managed to follow all the directions. It was an easy walk to do.
It was great being under the viaduct and a lovely walk along the canal. Pandemic stopped our little boat crossing, but wasn't a big deal. We sat and had our lunch instead. Such a lovely, peaceful little spot.
Advice to others, you definitely need a nice day for this walk, don't do it if it's wet underfoot.
gfl57
Thanks for identifying the spelling issue I'll update it.
Regarding nature of route, I suggest you refer either to OS maps or zoomed in satellite view rather than just 'street view'' in future to confirm existence of footpaths. The route follows well defined OS footpaths, some of which do cross fields or follow field boundaries but all are clearly visible on the ground and easy to follow. The associated map shows the route in detail. I walked the route for the first time one week before you investigated it without issue or the need to cross ploughed fields.
Hope you are able to try walk at a future date.
Janchuck
Overall rating :
2 / 5
Date of walk : 04/04/21 Clarity of route description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing Clarity of route map : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing Walk interest : N/A
I decided to check the walk on Googlemaps the day before. Couldn't find the starting point. Turns out that the name of the road was misspelt "Winford" instead of Winsford.
The route looked difficult to follow from hte instructions. Where a footpath was meant to leave a road, street view showed no footpath at all; just a ploughed field. I decided at that point that the route was not viable and we took a walk elsewhere the next day.
