Easy hikes and walks around Walton

The Manchester Ship Canal is a 36-mile-long (58 km) inland waterway in the North West of England linking Manchester to the Irish Sea. Starting at the Mersey Estuary at Eastham, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, it generally follows the original routes of the rivers Mersey and Irwell through the historic counties of Cheshire and Lancashire before joining the latter at Salford Quays. Several sets of locks lift vessels about 60 ft (18 m) to the canal's terminus in Manchester. Landmarks along its route include the Barton Swing Aqueduct, the world's only swing aqueduct, and Trafford Park, the world's first planned industrial estate and one of the largest in Europe.

Walton Hall is a country house in Walton, Warrington, Cheshire. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The hall and its surrounding garden and grounds are owned and administered by Warrington Borough Council and open to the public. Sir Gilbert Greenall (1806–1894) built Walton Hall in 1836. He was the son of Edward Greenall (1758–1835) who had purchased the Walton Estate in 1812. At this time there was an old hall on the property north east of the present building which has since been demolished. When his father died in 1835, Gilbert inherited the Walton Estate. In the following year he married Mary Claughton. In this year also he commenced building Walton Hall, a project which took two years. He was a partner in his long established family brewing firm of Greenall Whitley & Company with his brothers and made a large fortune. He invested his money in property and became part of the landed gentry. He became a Member of Parliament from 1847 until 1892 representing Warrington. He was also High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1873 and was a Justice of the Peace. He was a personal friend of Lewis Carroll whose father was the vicar in the nearby Church at Daresbury. He visited Carroll when he was at Oxford University and Carroll visited him at Walton Hall. A photo was taken by Carroll of the Hall in 1859 when he was there. Source: Wikipedia

Nice place for teas, coffees, hot sandwiches and snacks. Outside seating and a portaloo, fantastic views of the surrounding countryside.

The history of Wilderspool Bridge in Warrington town centre https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/news/23453229.history-wilderspool-bridge-warrington-town-centre/

It is a small channel just off the Manchester Ship Canal At Stockton Heath. It is a lock with 3 gates and various manual pulling systems dotted around the site to mechanically open/close the gates. I looked in Emapping Cheshire and an aerial photo of the site in the 70’s shows that the other side of the locks was a waterway that fed into the River Mersey. That section was the Runcorn and Latchford Canal, it is closed off now and vanishes in the mass of undergrowth at the lock section.

Nice gardens

You'll need a bell in the summer

Walton Hall is a country house in Walton, Warrington, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The hall and its surrounding garden and grounds are owned and administered by Warrington Borough Council. Walton Hall and Gardens operates a pay and display car park. Mon – Fri: £3 Sat – Sun and bank holidays: £4