ROUTE 4 -- From Chapel Farm in Hatherton to Nantwich - Town Centre
Main route: From Audlem Road, Hatherton to Shrewbridge Road, Nantwich and on to the town centre
Distance: 6.21km = 3.86mi
Conditions: Crossing the Weaver once on footbridge and several fields so likely to be muddy. No steep hills. Estimated time about 1hr 37 minutes walking, 34 minutes running. One main road to walk along and cross before Nantwich centre.
Footpaths: Hatherton FP1 at start, Austerson FP1, FP3A and FP3.
Alternatives: Can be altered to Nantwich via Brine Leas School - see Route 3.
Parking: There is no convenient parking on Audlem Road, Hatherton but it is possible to use the layby on the A529 at SJ 67918 48110 (river.limits.detective) and walk along the A529 - with care.
IMPORTANT NOTE: At the time of writing (November 2024), the bridge over the Weaver on FP1 at SJ 67019 48368 is damaged and the footpath is closed. The Parish Council is working on trying to get it reopened sooner rather than later.
The first part of this route was probably another historic route between Austerson and Hatherton and then from Austerson to the mill at Batherton.
The path starts a short distance north of Chapel Farm, the former Methodist chapel for this part of Hatherton. There is a stile into the field and another out of the field after about 125m leading into more open fields. Cross the track to Acton's Rough and look for an isolated kissing gate partly hidden by trees. Through this, the route follows a fairly straight line towards the river keeping the fenceline on the right. Go through a gate (no stile and the gate might be tied up) and on to the edge of the drop down to the Weaver. The path used to bear round to the right through some trees and this is still shown on some maps. Instead head straight down the hill WITH CARE as the path can be very slippery.
At the bridge, you leave Hatherton and join Austerson FP1 heading up the opposite hill towards Dairyhouse Farm. Before the farm, turn right (onto Austerson FP3A) and walk along the bank with the hedge on your left crossing two stiles. At the second stile, the path continues across the field on the same line to another field boundary. Cross this and follow the path downhill towards the river while you skirt round Ashtree Farm. The path bends left (towards the west) and climbs back up to what was probably its original route. Keep heading north west over more field boundaries until you meet the bridleway from Austerson to Batherton (Austerson BR5 and Batherton BR3). Cross the bridleway and follow the footpath ahead unless you want to walk on to Brine Leas School and Audlem Road (see Route 3).
The footpath stays west of the Weaver and crosses two fences before entering and crossing The Willows Touring Park. Follow the track from the touring park to join Coole Lane leading to Baddington Lane/Shrewbridge Road. At the main road (the A530), turn right and stay on the footpath until over the Shrew Bridge then take a footpath on the other side of the road following the course of the Weaver. There is a choice of paths but this route is based on staying close to the river. After a couple of footbridges, the path joins the route from Shrewbridge Road (look right for the War Memorial close to the path) and then passes under the Crewe-Shrewsbury railway line on a bridge suspended over the river. After the railway bridge, cross the river at the first opportunity and then take the turning on the right through the park. There are two routes to the town centre which both cross the Weaver again and then reach Water Lode at the site of the old mill where there is a pedestrian crossing. Cross this, walk straight up into town (Mill Street) and turn left at High Street to reach the town centre.
NOTES: Several of the paths have moved so if you are working with an older OS map, you may find that you will be led away from the printed route. Even the on-line OS maps and Cheshire East footpaths map do not agree with the routes on the ground. The distance and time is based on the OS web mapping service; with detours round crops, route-finding and pauses to compile notes, the distance came to 4.0 miles walked in 1 hour 44 minutes.
Route map
The map above shows the main path (red line) and the optional route (green line). Parish boundaries are just visible as faint dotted lines. This is an OpenSource map so cannot be relied on like an Ordnance Survey map so you are advised to carry a 1:25000 (number 257) or 1:50000 map (number 118) if you have them.
Key locations
| Audlem Road start | SJ 67659 48597 | notice.premiums.inhabited |
| Turn right at Dairy House Farm | SJ 66896 48322 | practical.noodle.shampoo |
| Bear left towards Coole Lane | SJ 65984 49592 | tonality.booth.customers |
| Shrewbridge | SJ 64956 50956 | city.handyman.poem |
| Nantwich Riverside | SJ 64853 51825 | photocopy.fatter.announce |
| Nantwich town centre | SJ 65101 52341 | cope.haggling.replace |
Other footpaths in our parish
To see the map showing all footpaths in Hatherton and Walgherton, refer to the footpath and bridle path page on this site. Alternatively, you can use the Cheshire East mapping facility; to view paths, click the + sign on the mapping service and select layer "Transport and Roads" and then "Footpaths" (and other choices).