Superlative Walks

Urban and rural trails, each with something very special
 

Manchester - Cotton Fields

Hebden Bridge - Stoodley Pike

Hebden Bridge - Crown Point

Chester - Grosvenor Park

Chester - River Dee

Manchester - Ancoats

Ashton Memorial - Lancaster

Bridgewater Canal, Manchester

Castlefield, Manchester

Lancaster Canal and Lancaster Castle

St George's Hall, Liverpool

Burnley Roofs

Burnley Chimneys

Preston Avenham Park

Welcome to Superlative Walks

The Superlative Walks website is a collection of walks, in urban and rural Britain. Each walk contains detailed route instructions and maps as well as information and photographs of features of interest on or near to the route. The routes can be walked at all times of the year. The urban walks are particularly suitable for those twelve months of each year when the weather is unreliable, when conditions underfoot in rural areas may be unpleasant and when interesting opportunities for shelter are welcome.

The walks are Superlative because each visits at least one feature which is itself superlative in some way – oldest, largest, only, first etc.

Some information is given about cafes, pubs and restaurants on or near to the route. The site only features those which have been personally visited and enjoyed by the authors of the routes. All of the catering establishments mentioned welcome walkers, with or without  their dogs and feature vegetarian food choices, or at least they did so when we were there. On or near many of the walks, especially those in urban locations, there are many other options available.

The website seeks to give walkers choices as to how they follow the routes. They may use a mobile device to read instructions and other information from a screen. They are also able to print information to carry in paper form on a walk. It is possible to print the route directions only or to include all the information about features of interest along the way.

Our Walks – click on the images below to get more information

Clitheroe

The Clitheroe walk starts and finishes at the Railway Station, which adjoins the Town Centre. The walk goes through the Town and then on roads and lanes to the attractive village of Pendleton. The route then returns to the Town Centre, along paths and across fields. The walk then goes to Clitheroe Castle where there are some fine views of the Town and surrounding countryside  The route then returns to the Railway Station.

Salford

The Salford walk starts and finishes at Manchester Victoria Station.  The walk goes through the inner urban area of Salford.  It visits the campus of the University of Salford and then goes along the original Coronation Street to the Salford Lads Club. The route then visits Ordsall Hall, which dates back to the 15th Century and then follows the route of the Manchester Ship Canal and River Irwell to the city centre.

LIttleborough

This walk goes around Hollingworth Lake and then across open countryside and along lanes to the Rochdale Canal at Clegg Hall. It then follows the canal towpath to the Centre of Littleborough.  After following several of the streets in the centre of Littleborough and visiting Hare Hill Park, it returns briefly to the canal side before following lanes and paths through the Hollingworth Lake Country park back to the Visitor Centre

Altrincham

 This 6 mile walk starts at Altrincham’s impressive Market House, takes in some of the coutryside around the town, including the National Trust estate of Dunham Massey. It is mostly flat, usually but with a reliably muddy section along the Bridgewater towpath.

Buxton

A five-mile walk covering urban and rural terrain goes from the railway station, visiting the northern and southern edges of the Buxton bowl, before dropping down into Buxton’s historic centre, where it visits many landmark buildings, before ending at the historic Crescent

Marple Bridge

A five-mile walk from Marple Bridge along the River Goyt, the Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals, featuring England’s highest stone aqueduct, a long flight of locks and a Roman Bridge that the romans did not build.

Stockport

This walk starts at Stockport Railway Station, visits a number of interesting buildings in the Town Centre before looping round Reddish Vale and taking in the Dodge Hill Conservation Area and the source of the River Mersey  before re-crossing the Town Centre and returning to the Station.

Preston

This walk starts at the site of the former Preston Dock. The route passes the University, the City Centre, Winckley Square Gardens and Avenham and Miller Parks before following the River Ribble back to Riversway.

Burnley

This walk visits the 14th century Towneley Hall in Towneley Park.  The route then joins the towpath of the Leeds -Liverpool Canal before descending into the Town Centre, where there are some fine buildings.

Worsley

This five mile  walk around  Worsley, takes in two conservation areas with many fine old buildings, through woodland and along a famous canal.

Lichfield

This circular walk starts at Lichfield City Station and follows a route around the city centre and across a meadowland.  The route includes some short sections of The Heart of England Way and takes in a number of the key sites of interest in Lichfield, including museums and the city’s famous cathedral.

Stalybridge

This walk starts and finishes at the Railway Station, which adjoins the Town Centre. The walk goes out of the Town, through Stamford Park and then on roads into the Centre of Ashton-Under-Lyne. The route then follows streets though and out of the centre of Ashton, down to the Huddersfield Narrows Canal, returning to Stalybridge along the canal towpath. The walk then explores the centre of Stalybridge and returns to the Railway Station.

 

Halifax

This walk leaves the centre of Halifax, ascends to a viewpoint, crosses the edge of open country to a fine park and old hall before returning to the bustle of Halifax via two interesting bridges. The walk follows roads, footways and well-surfaced paths with just a few short muddy woodland stretches. 

 

Saltaire

The Saltaire walk starts and finishes at Saltaire Railway Station, in the “model village” of Saltaire.  The walk goes along the towpath of the Leeds -Liverpool Canal before passing through woodlands then small settlements before climbing on to Basildon Moor before descending into Shipley Glen and returning to the starting location. Some stretches may be muddy after wet weather.

 

Chorlton

This 5 mile walk goes through the streets of Chorlton to Longford Park. The route then heads across playing fields to the banks of the River Mersey. After following the Mersey to Chorlton Water Park, the route leads to Manchester Southern Cemetery and thence to Chorlton Green along a main road and side streets.  The route is, in part, urban on surfaced paths and elsewhere on paths through parks and along the riverside, which can in places be slightly muddy

 

Glossop

This  4 mile walk from the adjacent village of Hadfield, approaches Glossop from the north and passes through Old and New Glossop.

New Mills

A scenic five-mile walk around New Mills,  Derbyshire taking in the Torrs, a community hydro electric scheme, a speaking tube and a millennium walkway.

Ironbridge

This walk starts and ends in Coalport, a village on the River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire.  Coalport is located 2.4km downstream of the famous Iron Bridge and the walk provides a pleasant variety of terrain, including the bridge itself and paths on both sides of the river and passing by 6 of the 10 Ironbridge Museums.  The route is predominantly on well-made paths and roads.

Dobcross

The walk from St Chad’s Church, Uppermill takes in the Huddersfield Narrow Canal,  a disused railway line and  to the entrance to the Standedge tunnel. 

Chester

This walk round Chester visits many historic buildings, several parks, the picturesque riverside and most of the intact City Walls.

Liverpool

This five mile  walk takes in all the major buildings and sites in Liverpool’s City Centre, starting and finishing near the River Mersey.

Manchester: Campus to Quays

This walk crosses Manchester City Centre, using the canals from the Etihad Campus and concluding at Salford Quays.

Wayoh and Turton

The walk starts and finishes at Entwistle by the very pleasant Strawbury Duck pub. The walk follows paths, tracks and for short distances roads.  It visits reservoirs, the splendid old Turton Tower and the lovely old village of Chapeltown. A reference to Mahatma Ghandi is also made.

Liverpool Woolton

The Woolton walk starts and finishes in Woolton, a pleasant suburb of Liverpool and meeting place of the Beatles. It visits various locations in and around Woolton which are associated with the members of the Beatles and their songs.  The route is almost entirely on surfaced roads or paths except for one section on a woodland path.

Manchester Statues

This walk  visits over 30 statues or public works of art around the City Centre, mostly with shared themes of Cotton, Free Trade, Liberalism and Nonconformism. The walks is entirely on urban roads and footways and is mostly flat.

Huddersfield

This walk around the centre of the market town of Huddersfield visits the sites some splendid Victorian architecture, and a canalside walk.

Nantwich

This circular walk starts at Nantwich Station and follows a route around the town centre and some nearby countryside. The route takes in a number of the key sites of interest in the town centre and incorporates the waymarked Nantwich Riverside Loop riverside and canalside walk.

Wentworth Woodhouse

This walk  follows public footpaths through fields and woodland, from Elsecar to Wentworth Woodhouse and Wentworth village before returning across fields to the start.

Manchester HOME

Starting and finishing at the HOME arts centre, this walk passes numerous cultural, educational and industrial buildings, reaches its half way point at the Whitworth Art Gallery and returns to HOME.

Pontcysyllte

Starting from the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, a World Heritage Site, this walk takes in beautiful scenery along the valley of the River Dee and beside the Llangollen Canal.

Hebden Bridge

A walk exploring the canal and riverside town of Hebden Bridge and the hilltop ancient village of Heptonstall with deep valleys and steep hills in between.

Lancaster

A walk around the ancient City of Lancaster, taking in numerous historic sites, with spectacular views.

We welcome comments on our walks.

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