Utkinton Hall

(S/E) From the front door, turn right for a few yards and cross the main road with extreme care to a gate into the field opposite. Cross the field, following a line of trees, to Utkinton Lane.

(1) Turn left for a little over ¼ mile, passing Mosley Brook Cottage on your right. At a road junction, turn left and follow the lane marked “Unsuitable for HGVs”. At the bottom of the valley, take the footpath on the right over a footbridge and through two hand-gates into a field. Bear left with the millpond on your left. Beyond the end of the pond, cross a stile beneath a tree on your left and turn right. Follow the fence and hedge up the valley and exit to the road in the top corner.

(2) Turn left and follow the lane to a road junction at Utkinton Hall. Turn right (though a short diversion beyond the Hall to view the more accessible Bailiff’s House is worth the effort). From the Hall, follow Smithy Lane to a bend and follow a signposted track on the right. When the hedge on your right bends right, bear left and walk below a grassy bank to a stile. Follow the top edge of the field over a further stile then, at a gateway, skirt to the right-hand side of a clump of trees then return to the left-hand field. Follow the hedge uphill then turn right over a stile just before the road; turn left to a further stile. Turn right along the road. Walk past Rowley Cottage (left) and Farm (right).

(3) About 200 yards beyond Rowley Farm, take a footpath over a stile on the right. Cross to a second stile, then bear left to a third in the projecting corner of a hedge. Follow the right-hand field edge to a footbridge and double stile. In the next field, follow the contour approximately, to a stile at the end of the field. Cut across the corner of the next field to a stile on the right, leading down wooden steps to a path alongside a garden. Turn left between the properties. 

(4) Exit to a driveway, and turn left. Turn right at Bush Cottage and walk down to a road junction. Keep right and follow the road downhill for a third of a mile to return to Utkinton Lane. Turn right past Utkinton Lodge Farm and take the footpath over the stile on your left. Return to the A49 and cross with care to the Alvanley Arms.(S/E)

Numerous stiles; some paths may be muddy, or overgrown in places. Awkward road crossings at start and finish.

Little Mill Pond, one of several attractive ponds in the area that once supplied a head of water to local watermills.

The Bailiff’s House is a Grade II listed building, which possibly acted as the forest courthouse or as the home of an officer of Delamere Forest.

Little Budworth Common is an SSSI, described as "one of the best surviving examples of lowland heath in Cheshire".

Over 400 years old, the Alvanley Arms is a traditional country pub in the small village of Cotebrook near Tarporley, Cheshire. Warm, welcoming and with a personal touch, the Alvanley Arms is the ideal place to stay for both business and pleasure. Open all year around, this quintessential English inn offers an attractive beer garden overlooking the duck pond and trout lake in summer and, in winter, a cosy bar with a glowing log fire. Set amidst the beautiful Cheshire countryside with scenic views and walks to enjoy, and boasting six luxurious en-suite bedrooms, the Alvanley Arms is the perfect base for visitors looking to explore Cheshire's many tourist attractions such as Oulton Park, Blakemere Craft Centre, Chester or Tatton Park.