The majority of this week’s walkers assembled early at the open-air cafe at Beeston Castle for coffee, etc, before setting off on the group’s six and a half mile walk around the Peckforton Castle Estate.
We emerged from the woodland adjacent to Beeston Castle and then passed across three open fields before joining a densely wooded estate track. Eventually we left the track and ascended the saddle of a hill to gain some great views of the mountains of North Wales.
Having circled this hill for about half a mile, we came to another estate road which took us down to, and under, the ‘Haunted Bridge’. We immediately veered right and, ducking under an ancient oak tree, came to the top of a large sloping field from where we could view the whole of the Cheshire Plain and at least four other counties. At the top of this field we stopped for our refreshments.
Setting off again, the walkers made our descent to Pectforton village, where we stopped at the oak tree where Wesley preached, took a group photograph at the eagle carved to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III and stood amazed by the immense sandstone carving of an elephant with a castle on its back. We made our return to our cars by traversing the Peckforton Wetland Reserve and the quiet country roads.
