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 Haslington Route Description  6.5km (4 miles)  2 - 3 hours
Explore Haslington along footpaths and country lanes on this circular walk. Discover its wonderful countryside with old buildings and battle sites.
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During the Civil War, there was a great deal of unrest in this area. 1643 was the year of the 'Barthomley Massacre', when Royalists pillaged Crewe and Haslington. Slaughter Hill was the site of a skirmish between Royalist and Parliamentarian troops. According to local legend, the battle made the brook run red with blood. A sword was actually found embedded in a bank of Valley Brook.
Slaughter Hill may be a corruption of 'Sloe Tree Hill', as blackthorn can still be found in the hedgerows.
The Duchy of Lancaster owns the land in the area of Amicia Tenement. The estate cottage is much more elaborate than normal, as it was used regularly by Lord Crewe for afternoon tea. He was known to be quite eccentric, staying up all night, to the dismay of his butler! |
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Crewe Golf Club first opened a nine-hole golf course in 1911. The land was rented from a local farmer at a cost of £4 per annum. The greens had to be fenced off and bunkers could only be constructed so long as they did not interfere with cattle grazing.
As you pass the golf course pond in summer, look out for dragonflies darting in and out of the marginal plants.
Many ponds in Cheshire are old marl pits. Marl is a type of clay that was used by farmers to improve soil fertility during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Local place-names such as Heathfield Farm and Hall o' the Heath Farm suggest that this area was once heathland.
Mosslands are another feature of this area. Eighty people had the right to cut peat for fuel on Oakhanger Moss, in the seventeenth century.
The splendid timber-framed Haslington Hall was built by Admiral Sir Francis Vernon in 1545, and contains parts of the original medieval manor house. Later, the hall became the home of Mrs Watts, the founder and first President of the Women's Institute.
The Hawk Inn was once used for stabling horses and it is rumoured that Dick Turpin once stayed there. The Inn also had a mortuary, and has a ghost known as the 'Lady in Grey'.
The first motorised buses passing through Haslington were called the Busy Bee and Flying Fox. Prior to this, horse buses were used and until quite recently, there was a working blacksmith at the junction of Waterloo Road with the main road. The last horse was shod at the old smithy in 1974.
 Accessibility:
The route has approximately 25 stiles and fairly level terrain.
 How to get there:
Haslington has good public transport links.
For all passenger travel and timetable information contact Cheshire Traveline on 0871 200 22 33.
Lines are open 8:00am - 8:00pm, every day except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.
 Contact:
Countryside Management Service,
Countryside Office
Reaseheath
Nantwich
Cheshire CW5 6DG
Phone: 01270 611610
Email: reaseheath@cheshire.gov.uk
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