David Dunford leads a walk through four Cheshire parishes with a fine country pub at journey's end
This walk in the south-west of the county visits four parishes that all end with the Old English suffix ton. This placename element originally indicated a ‘farmstead or village’, so its ubiquity in this rural part of Cheshire is unsurprising. Barton and Clutton villages are the largest of the four; Coddington would be classed as a hamlet were it not for its church and Stretton is not much more than a scatter of farmhouses served by an old watermill.
The exception to the rule is the parish of Carden, mostly occupied by a hotel and golf course within the grounds of Carden Park. On this section, among the elevated foothills of the Mid-Cheshire Ridge, the route offers glimpses over the wide Dee Valley towards the Welsh hills.
The route twice crosses the Carden Brook, and the lower sections may involve soft ground and muddy corners. From Clutton to Stretton, however, the route runs on firm paths and surfaced roads. There are numerous stiles, and encounters with livestock are likely, so this route probably isn’t ideal for dog-walkers.
The waters of the brook fuel Stretton Watermill, parts of which date back to the 16th century. There are two waterwheels, one internal and one external, and both the mill and its adjoining stable (now used as a visitor centre) are listed buildings. The mill is operated as a visitor attraction by Cheshire West and Cheshire, but you’ll have to wait until April for the resumption of indoor tours (Covid permitting).
READ MORE: The Carden Park Sculpture Garden
1. From the Cock O’Barton, cross the A534 into Barton village and walk down the main street. At the first road junction, turn right and follow the village street past the phone box to a right-hand bend. Turn left here, down a driveway and over a stile to the left of a gate. Pass a chicken shed into a field and cross to another stile. Follow the right-hand field edge to a double-stile in the corner and pass a cylindrical water tank to yet another stile, between two trees at the far side of the field. Follow the fence on your right to a step-stile into a paddock and follow the right-hand field edge towards Whitegate Farmhouse. A final stile in the corner gives access to a short, hedged path out to the road.
2. Turn right past a pond, then turn left up steps and over another stile. Keep to the right-hand side of the field (passing to the right of a tree-covered mound known as Mud Hill, variously interpreted as a prehistoric bowl barrow or a medieval motte). In the far right-hand corner, a stile gives access to the road near Coddington’s church and the old school next door, which are worth the short detour.
3. To continue, cross the sandstone bridge over the Carden Brook and proceed past a cottage on a slight rise to the right. At a bend in the road before Crook Farm, turn right at a footpath sign. Cross the field ahead through a gap in a fence and continue half-left to a track that leads through a gate. Follow the hedge on the left then turn left along the field edge, shortly passing a reedy pond. At the end of this field, bear right to a footbridge and stile, and in the next field keep right to another stile in the right-hand fence.
Now bear left across the field, climbing gently towards Clutton village. A wooden kissing gate leads into the next field; follow the path to the top right-hand corner, where a further gate gives access to a drive. Walk out past the handsome half-timbered and jettied Holford Charity farmhouse, built around 1600 and donated to the local schoolmaster in 1712. On reaching the public road in Clutton opposite Lower Hall, turn right to the main road.
4. Cross carefully into a walled driveway opposite and follow it to a gate. Bear left between the old smithy (left) and adjacent house (right) to another gate, and follow the path beyond, uphill past an old rockface. The path winds right between hedges to a junction, where you keep right through pine trees. At the next fork keep right, still climbing.
Enter the golf course and follow the fenced path ahead. On meeting a surfaced track, turn left then right, passing a sign for the 18th tee. Stay on the metalled road as it curves right past a waymark post and around the end of the pine-clad hill. Keep right at a fork then bear left to the clubhouse.
5. Pass to the right of the building and follow the driveway past the main car park on the left, and above a vineyard on the right. When the service road turns right, go straight ahead through a gateway with a rising bollard. This track leads out to the road at Carden Lodge.
6. Turn right and follow the road for a little under half a mile to Stretton Watermill. A further 250 metres along the road, turn right over a stile at a footpath sign into a track.
7. At the end of the surfaced track, continue along the grassy track ahead, which narrows to a path before reaching a surfaced road. Cross the fairway ahead, bearing slightly left to a triple bunker. Pass between clumps of trees to another fairway, which you cross to another track; take the path ahead, indicated by a waymark post. This leads into trees, then exits via a stile on the right. Cross to the projecting hedge opposite, which you follow to a concealed stile in the field corner beyond.
Turn right along the next field edge, then cross a stile on the right at the end of the field. Continue in the same direction as before, but with the hedge now on your left. At the end of the field, go through a gateway into a farm track. This leads straightforwardly back to the A534, where you turn left to return to the Cock O’Barton.
Compass Points
Area of walk: Barton, near Farndon
Start point: Cock O’Barton, SY14 7HU
Distance: 5 miles
Time to allow: 2½ hours
Map: OS Explorer 257: Crewe & Nantwich
Refreshments: The Cock O'Barton, Barton SY14 7HU
cobcheshire.com 01829 782277
The Cock O’Barton
The Cock O’Barton describes itself as 'sometimes a quiet country pub, sometimes a busy music venue, always great food and drink.' It’s housed in a Grade-II-listed, timber-framed building dating from the 17th century and the adjoining outbuilding, probably a former cottage, is also listed.
The pub is open all day from noon with the exception of Mondays, when they open up at 4pm. Visitors praise the food and the friendly service. Items on the winter menu start with a tempting white onion and cider soup with Cheddar croutons and crusty bread and a range of other interesting starters and nibbles, and mid-priced mains vary from the traditional (local ale battered fish with hand-cut chips, mushy peas and tartar sauce) to the more adventurous (pork knuckle and celeriac pie, katsu halloumi burger).
Of the 16 dishes on the latest menu I checked, three were suitable for vegetarian diners. Sandwiches are served from noon to 3pm for those not wishing to start their walk with a full meal, and there’s also a dedicated kids’ menu.
The Cock is also a boutique hotel, with 14 individually decorated rooms in a block built in recycled Cheshire brick across the courtyard, and a venue for wedding receptions and other functions. A special £120 deal currently being advertised for Sunday nights includes a night’s stay for two with £50 to spend on food and drink.
As ever, non-patrons should either find somewhere to park elsewhere in the village, or seek permission before taking up a customer space at the inn.
