Swettenham Brook

(S/E) From the car park in front of the Swettenham Arms, walk to the left of the church. Turn left at the war memorial and follow the road between houses. Keep right at a junction, passing some brick barns on the left. After about 200m, just after a farm entrance on the right, turn left at a fork onto Sandy Lane (as of 2021, this road is closed to vehicles because of a landslip, but can still be used on foot without difficulty).

(1) Follow the lane down to the ford over Swettenham Brook and cross via the footbridge. Pass Brookhouse Farm and follow the lane uphill to its junction with Swettenham Road. Turn left, shortly passing a turning on the right and then the entrance to Cloud Hill Farm on the left.

(2) Pass the sign for Kermincham then, just before the turning to Swettenham Heath, turn left over a stile onto a footpath. Follow the fence, swapping sides at a stile, to a third stile into a driveway. Walk past the house and cross another stile. Follow the hedge beyond to another stile, then continue to a final stile, giving access to Cross Lane, a metalled driveway. Turn left along the lane (a Cheshire Wildlife Trust reserve on the left has a loop trail which you can follow to extend your walk, rejoining the lane beyond Chestnut Farm; for a simpler, shorter walk, stay on Cross Lane past the farm). Follow the lane to Crane Cottage and Ash Tree Farm, ignoring footpaths off to the right and left.

(3) By the farm, turn sharp left down a sunken track that descends back to Swettenham Brook. Cross the bridge at the bottom and climb the hill beyond to a junction with a farm road. Turn right then, very shortly, left by a footpath sign. This leads to the lavender field next to the Swettenham Arms – walk up the left-hand side of the field back to the pub.(S/E)

Mud in places, and several stiles. Livestock possible.