Pub Walks with Chris Morris
Chelford Circular

PLEASE REMEMBER: Details accurate at time of writing

It’s been well documented that walking is good for our well-being, with doctors widely recommending it. Now, make your prescribed walking destination a country pub, serving refreshing cask ales, with a dose of nature on the side, and you have the perfect tonic! The three pubs in this walk all have relaxing beer gardens – perfect for the warm summer months.

Train Information

Chelford is served by an excellent hourly service from Manchester Piccadilly every day. Services stop at Stockport, Cheadle Hulme and Handforth (also Levenshulme and Heaton Chapel, except on Sundays). The ticket to buy is a return to Chelford. For full timetable information, visit nationalrail.co.uk.

The Walk

This is a leisurely five-mile countryside walk to Over Peover, mainly along quiet country lanes. The route is flat, and the paths are generally good, but some areas will get muddy after heavy rainfall, so walking boots are recommended. The OS Explorer map is 268 – Wilmslow, Macclesfield & Congleton (OS app also available). All pubs are dog-friendly.

After exiting Chelford Station to the main road (Knutsford Road), turn right and walk along the pavement for 300 yards, passing over the railway bridge, until you reach a zebra crossing. After crossing over, continue along the pavement in the same direction as before for 150 yards, and then take the signed footpath to the left. Continue along the straight path that narrows at one point, until you reach a kissing gate.

Continuing in the same direction as before, we now enter a field with our first views of open countryside. Hugging the left side of the field, we then exit onto a road. Turn right here and follow the road for half a mile. Along this stretch, we have our first sight of the famous telescope, Jodrell Bank. At the road junction, take the road to the left and continue for a further half mile. After passing a farm, we reach another road junction, where we turn left. After 500 yards, we take the road to the right, signposted to the Dog Inn. Continue along this road for a further 500 yards until we find our first pub of the day.

Dog - Peover Heath Located in a delightful setting, the Dog is an upmarket, destination pub with a lot to offer. The interior is inviting and stylishly furnished, with exposed timbers, subtle lighting and real fires for winter. The big asset at this time of year though, is the impressive outdoor area at the rear, that has recently been refurbished. In addition to a locally historic truck as an attraction, a cleverly designed space now presents itself. As well as a mixture of comfortable seating options, and a large shaded area, the highlight is a fully stocked outside bar which includes a cask beer. The main bar inside has up to three cask beers available, which were from Weetwood and Timothy Taylor on my last visit. The high-quality food is popular here but does come with a premium price. However, relief can be found nearby with our next pub, which is as different as you could imagine.

Park Gate Inn - Over Peover Turn right on exiting the pub to continue along the road as before for half a mile, ignoring the left turn to Cinder Lane. Continuing straight ahead at the crossroads, our second pub of the day appears shortly afterwards, on the right.

For those wanting a more down-to-earth pub experience, you now have it with reasonably priced food and drink at the Park Gate Inn. Instead of the plush furnishings and fine dining, here we have a wonderfully traditional interior of bench seating, wood panelling, scrubbed tables, low beams and flagged floors. Owned by Sam Smiths, Old Brewery Bitter is available on cask, plus their usual choice of keg beers. Card payments are now taken, but mobile phones are not allowed. A large and peaceful beer garden is found at the rear.

Egerton Arms - Chelford Our route back to Chelford is simply a matter of retracing our steps back to Knutsford Road. A further option for refreshment and food is found by turning left here and walking for a further 400 yards.

The Egerton Arms is a large traditional pub with a cosy and characterful interior, featuring low ceilings and wooden beams. A large beer garden can be found at the rear. Up to four cask beers are available, which included Mobberley and Salopian when I last dropped by.

For full pub details, including opening times, visit WhatPub.com.

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