Maria’s Love Chester article

Posted March 31, 2026

Our Publicity Officer, Maria, submits a monthly article to Love Chester magazine, relating to a club walk.
Read the latest story here.

Gone to Pott
Chester Rambling and Hill Walking Club had a B-grade hike planned at Pott Shrigley recently. The walk at this quaintly-named village near Bollington required the leaders to recce the route a few times before it was ready to go. However, a final walkout annoyingly revealed that one vital footpath was now no longer usable for several reasons. Although the original plan had gone to ‘Pott’, our resourceful leaders came up with a substitute walk, offering views overlooking the Dee Estuary and the Wirral rather than the Peak District.

Our start point that sunny, breezy morning was Greenfield Valley, along the A548 North Wales coast road. From there we headed inland, passing the ruins of 12th century Basingwerk Abbey.

Industries including lead and copper smelting, corn and snuff milling, brass production, textiles and paper milling all took place at Greenfield, and relics of these old mills are still very much in existence. These days, the remaining mill pools provide habitat for waterfowl rather than energy for those now defunct production plants.

With a 9-mile walk to complete, we couldn’t dally long over the many information boards dotting our route. Leaving all vestiges of past manufacture behind us, we continued through woodlands to emerge into the nearby town of Holywell. We were following a section of Wat’s Dyke Way, a trail that roughly follows the 9th century earthwork that was once the border between England and Wales, predating its neighbouring and better known boundary, Offa’s Dyke.

Leaving the town, we continued along Wat’s Dyke Way, entering another lovely stretch of woodland, where the sun dappled its way through the leafless trees. Our footpath deviated up a steep and muddy slope that required our full concentration in order to stay upright! We emerged onto an elevated field, from which the Dee Estuary could be seen, slowly being engulfed by the incoming tide. This view followed us for another 1½ miles, before we left Wat’s Dyke to begin our slow descent towards Bagillt.

A lane took us down into the village, where we crossed the coast road to reach the Wales Coast Path at Bagillt Gutter. Today this is a muddy tidal inlet, but prior to the 1930s the area was a busy dock, with the comings and goings of flat-bottomed boats carrying coal from local mines. By now the tide was high, and we paused awhile overlooking the saltmarsh, picking out Heswall and Parkgate across the water.

During the 19th century Bagillt was a coalmining hub. The largest mine closed in 1934, and apart from a few mouldering buildings and spoil heaps, little remains of this erstwhile thriving industry. Nature is a tenacious beast, and this once sterile area is now covered with vegetation providing habitat for many animal species. Part of the site has been made into a nature reserve where Natterjack toads, extinct by the 1950s, were reintroduced in 2014.

An altogether different animal caught our attention further along the coastal path. Standing proudly on a plinth was a splendid Welsh Dragon! He’s actually a beacon, installed to celebrate the opening of the Wales Coast Path in 2012. Further on, we encountered a mining monument in the form of a pickaxe sat on a giant wheel. Looking closely we realised it serves as a sundial, correctly informing us that it was 3.40pm.

Nearby Greenfield Dock was another hive of industrial activity, but now sits silent. Here we abandoned the coastal path to head inland to our parked cars. We’d enjoyed a super walk packed with historical interest, beautiful views, sunshine and yes, a little bit of mud here and there!

Spring heralds the arrival not only of better weather, but our Summer Programme. Inside its daffodil yellow cover are listings of the many walks on offer, as well as details of this year’s camping forays and coach trips.