Eaton and Luddington Hill

Saturday 15 February 5.5 miles

Tracey, Jane and Hilary 

We started at the Fox and Barrel and as we got there the rain started to come down so we put on our waterproof trousers. From the car park we turned right and then right again following a track. By a house we turned right onto a footpath, following the path downhill we had to climb up onto the bank and then hold on to a tree to climb back down again. A tree had fallen across the path. There was a wet bit of path but fortunately still quite solid to walk on. We crossed a stream to return to the A49.

At the crossroads we turned left into Oulton Mill Lane, where there were snowdrops by the roadside, and followed the road for half a mile to a grassy triangle, where we kept right to pass a picnic area. At the next crossroads we turned right on to Beech Lane and followed it for about a quarter of a mile, then crossed a stile on the left.

It was not clear which way to go, we went left and then right. It was hard work to walk across the wet ground, and the stile was difficult to cross as the tree had grown across it. We followed the edge of the field towards a farm as the field had been cordoned off for the sheep. We took off our rucksacks so we could pass between the building and the gate post. We passed a field that had a mixture of animals in it (ducks, donkeys, alpacas and ostriches) and went by the farm into the lane. At the T-junction we turned right and then immediately went right over a stile.

The path then went across the field where there were some horses in the field but they paid no attention. We crossed a stile in the far left-hand corner and dropped down a bank. The path continued across another field, this field was full of a crop and we weren’t sure what it was. It had well eaten leaves and large bulbous roots, we thought they might be beets. A stile lead out to Hickhurst Lane. Turning right we followed the road into Eaton.

After the school entrance, we saw a bench and decided to eat our lunch even though it wasn’t 12 o’clock yet. The rain started to come down again so we continued on our way. We turned left into Winterford Lane, turned right and followed Edgewell Lane, firstly through the housing estate and then came to some half-timbered buildings.

Turning right at the end of the road, we passed the church, reaching the village cross and turning right then immediately left into Lightfoot Lane. Part way up the lane there was a fenced off area where the land had been dug away and there were two blue pipes in the hole not yet joined together. The lane becomes a hollow way going between the trees and hedges and passes through a small disused stone quarry. This long slow hill took some effort, as we reached the top we could hear golfers hitting golf balls.

We came to the golf course and crossed the pathway, then we continued across the golf course turning left along the byway and followed the hedge along the side of the course down to the A49. Turning right we went along the narrow pavement and there was quite a lot of traffic, then we crossed to a footpath sign by a stile on the left-hand side. We went down the wooden steps to a second stile and walked down the side of the field where part of the field was bounded by electric fences with horses inside.

As we crossed the stile and the bridge across the stream was quite clear. A short stretch alongside the stream led to a stile into a field on the other side. There were tractor prints and holes made by horses hooves in the grass. Crossing the stile we then followed the path alongside a narrow millpond. A new fence had been put up, making sure we followed a path near to the pond. Towards the end of the water we turned right to emerge on a narrow lane. There was a man fishing, he had a large umbrella to keep the rain off. We turned left and came across another fallen tree, it had fallen away from the road but had taken some of the road with it. 

We walked up the road to a T-junction. Turning right we walked along Utkinton Lane for about a quarter of a mile, here there were a few cars going along the road.We carried on along the lane past Hollins Hill on the left and Briar Lane on the right and at Stable Lane we crossed straight over and walked past the church down to the A49. We crossed the main road and turned left along the pavement to return to the Fox & Barrel.

We went to the Tarporley Garden Centre to have tea and cake (a brownie and a lemon drizzle) and a hot chocolate.