1. For this survey I walked from Chester to Buckley. This photo is at Chester cross, the start of the route, showing the pavement quality on the street sections at the start of the route. 0 km from start — 05 May 2024
2. These are the stairs between Chester racecourse and the bridge along the railway lines towards Chester golf course. It also shows the path quality around the racecourse. 1.8 km from start — 05 May 2024
3. These are the stairs between the bridge along the railway and the bridge over the railway into the golf course. To the left of this photo is a short wooden pathway which I forgot to photograph. 1.9 km from start — 05 May 2024
4. This photo is of the gravel vehicular path between the Chester golf course car park and the grassy path around the back of the course. 2.3 km from start — 05 May 2024
5. This is the general state of the grassy path behind the Chester golf course and along the river Dee. It also shows a gate on the path (not unlockable) and the walkway beside it (76cm wide). 2.8 km from start — 05 May 2024
6. This is the condition of the grass path just before rejoining the road route in Saltney. The path off to the left is more obvious (it leads to a housing estate), but we follow the straight ahead path towards the industrial estate. 4 km from start — 05 May 2024
7. This is the 'A' frame cycle gate just before returning to the road through Saltney. It is 51cm at its narrowest point. You can also see the slightly gravelly nature of the path in this section. 4.3 km from start — 05 May 2024
8. There are two routes leading off the Saltney industrial estate road onto the walking/cycle path along the Dee. This photo shows the 'pedestrian' entrance with an 'A' frame cycle gate. It is to the left-hand side of the roundabout. 5.3 km from start — 05 May 2024
9. This is the other route off the road from Saltney industrial estate, intended for cycles. It features a 'slalom' style gate. This path is located on the right-hand side of the roundabout seen in the last photo. Note that this view is looking towards Saltney Ferry, not Chester, despite what the cycle path sign says. 5.3 km from start — 05 May 2024
10. This is an 'A' frame cycle gate located on the cycle path between Saltney and Saltney Ferry. I assume a gate can be placed across the opening to the right of it, but I could not see one. 5.6 km from start — 05 May 2024
11. This is a bench located just to the right of the view in the last photo. It is the first of only 3 benchs along the route. 5.6 km from start — 05 May 2024
12. This is the 'A' frame cycle gate where the Saltney Ferry cycle path meets the pedestrian bridge from Higher Ferry (off to the right). The route continues straight ahead, but you much navigate a second cycle gate and a concrete post (next 2 photos) to get there. This gate is the narrowest of the route, with only a 30cm gap at the top. 6.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
13. These are the 'slalom' style cycle gates at the base of the Higher Ferry footbridge, which you need to pass through to continue along the Dee river path. There is also a car park here if you only wanted to walk part of the route, or make a circular loop through Chester along the Wales Coast path on the north side of the Dee. 6.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
14. This view is of the Higher Ferry pedestrian bridge, and the concrete post that must be navigated to continue along the Dee river path. The gate at the left appears to be permanently locked. Note the change from pavement to mud and small gravel. Note that the second bench on the route is just beyond this photo to the left (I forgot to photograph it). 6.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
15. This is the first stile on the route, marking the start of the first agricultural section (dried cow pats could be found between here and Sandycroft). Note the permanently locked gate to the right. The path ahead is still reasonable clear, but traffic is low enough that some grass is able to stabilise the mud along it. Metal stiles are less common on this route than wooden ones. 6.7 km from start — 05 May 2024
16. Second stile, and first wooden one. Path is mostly grass now, but still evident amongst the taller grass and weeds either side. 7.7 km from start — 05 May 2024
17. This stile is the first of two bracketing what appears to be a slipway for Airbus parts brought in by barge (?) along the Dee (off to right of this photo, behind blue fence). This stile has a 'permanent' alternate route behind the fence pole to the right of the stile, where the wire fencing has been trampled (note the dirt path). The next gate/stile is visible across the tarmac. 7.9 km from start — 05 May 2024
18. This is the gate/stile on the opposite side of the Airbus slipway. Note the yellow arrow clearly pointing the direction of travel. The path is still visible but more grass than dirt. 7.9 km from start — 05 May 2024
19. Next stile around some drainage plumbing and monitoring equipment. 8 km from start — 05 May 2024
20. 'Stile' (if it can be called that) at the Sandycroft end of the Dee path, continuing on into the industrial estate. Most people clearly go under the wire mesh (requires ducking). Beyond here the path is primarily large loose gravel on quite uneven ground (also a fair bit of dog poo). 9.6 km from start — 05 May 2024
21. View of the exit of the path onto the industrial estate. At this end the path is quite muddy, with less gravel. Continuing along the route from here, you are back on pavement. 9.9 km from start — 05 May 2024
22. Between the industrial estate and here you are following the pavement along Station Rd (to the left in this shot). The route as given asks you to turn left (in this shot, straight ahead) along Chester Rd east until you reach a public access path in a field on the right side of the road. However, Chester Rd east is the main route for large lorries between the many industrial estates in Sandycroft and the A55, and just beyond this junction it becomes a 60mph speed limit. At the same point the 'pavement' strip vanishes, and on the other side of the road there is no verge and a large ditch. I would strongly discourage anyone from walking along this road, and instead ecnourage you to cross Chester Rd east and head straight up Moor Ln (road sign just visible on the right of this shot). 10.7 km from start — 05 May 2024
23. Better view of the junction of Moor Ln and Chester Rd east. Although it also has a 60mph limit, it has a 7.5tn limit (no lorries) and is relatively low traffic. Dog walkers and horse riders are common, so regular users kill their speed and are on the lookout for other road users. The route as given emerges from the field onto Moor Ln a bit further up the road. 10.7 km from start — 05 May 2024
24. The route as given next goes into a farmyard off Moor Ln and enters fields again. I could not find the field entrance in the farmyard, and with all the 'private property' signs around I didn't take any photos. I suggest rerouting via Duckers Ln (see Bucche two route), show in this photo. Between here and the next photo you are entirely on paved surfaces (road or pavement). 11.5 km from start — 05 May 2024
25. This is the first swing gate, at the entrance to the path skirting around Hawarden golf club. The path beyond it is a quite steep downhill on loose gravel. 14.1 km from start — 05 May 2024
26. This is the second swing gate on the route around the golf club, at the bottom of the gravel path from the road. Here the ground is quite clayey, but further on it is more grassy. To your left is a rope fence separating the path from the golf course (private grounds). There is nothing to stop wayward golf balls on this part of the route, so keep your wits about you. Shortly beyond here is the third (and final) bench of the route, which I forgot to photograph. 14.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
27. This photo shows 2 possible obstacles. To the rear left you can see a metal gate with a wide path to the left of it. This is the path out of the golf course and onto the next stage of the route. Although there is a vehicle gate (not visible) it is tied up along the wall with the same rope used to mark out the path around the golf course, so I don't think it is normally shut. In the foreground you can see a wooden stile. This part of the path is through a working horse farm, so I assume at some point there was a gate here, but I could not see one when I visited. The route continues up the asphalt road to the right, becoming looser gravel towards the next photo. 14.5 km from start — 05 May 2024
28. This stile is at the top of the path above the horse farm. The well-worn path to the right side of the stile suggests it is popular with walkers, and I had no difficulty taking it instead of climbing the stile. The route travels off to the right, under the train bridge. The path to the left leads to more golf club greens. 14.6 km from start — 05 May 2024
29. This photo shows the quality of the path beyond the railway bridge, as well as a gate across the path. The two paths to the left and right are for golf buggies (note the blue 'private land' sign on the tree to the right); our path travels straight ahead. From here the path becomes quite muddy, even when it hasn't rained for several days. It then transitions back to grass between two hedgerows (see next photo). 14.8 km from start — 05 May 2024
30. The grassy path between hedgrows leads you into the final agricultural section of the route. This first field is growing grain. Our path travels to the right, despite where the yellow arrow on the stile points (this stile is where we diverge from a local circular walk, which continues straight ahead). 15.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
31. This view is just over the stile in the last shot, looking west along the path of this route. Note the grain crop growing to the right. The double stile and bridge in the next photo is at the back left corner of this field. Unhelpfully the green walker signs on the pole at the centre of the photo don't include one pointing back towards Harwarden for those travelling in the Buckley -> Chester direction. 15.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
32. This metal bridge with double stiles leads us from the grain field into a cow pasture (they'd been moved to another field when I visited, but the cow pats were still quite fresh and the ground just beyond the bridge was very uneven and muddy). The path through the cow pasture is not clear (follow the hedge to the right until you see the metal gate of the next photo ahead to the left). An ability to read maps would be helpful here. 15.6 km from start — 05 May 2024
33. This is the gate and stile at the top (western end) of the cow pasture. When I visited the gate was wide open (most likely from moving the cattle to a new field), but the path to follow along the fence line is very clear once over the stile if not. Due to the dry weather the ground was firm, but cow pats were frequent and it wouldn't take much rain to turn the path into a boggy mess. 15.8 km from start — 05 May 2024
34. This gate is the exit from the cow pasture, and on to the mud and small loose gravel road up towards the bridge over the A55. Beyond here the going is much easier (although I suspect rain would make things more interesting). 16.1 km from start — 05 May 2024
35. Final stile out of the fields before the bridge over the A55 (paved - I didn't photograph it because the farmer was on it at the time). Note the cows in their new field beyond (not one you need to enter on this walk). If you wish to avoid the cows entirely, the best option is to continue alone Glynne Way in Hawarden (do not go down the A550 and enter the golf course), which becomes the Highway. Take a left onto Wood Ln, then keep following it uphill until you cross over the A55 and the road becomes Burntwood Rd. This meets Drury Ln just before you take the next public access path towards Knowle Hill (photo 39). All of these roads have pavements, and have 30mph limits. 16.2 km from start — 05 May 2024
36. Once over the bridge the path splits into a vehicular gravel road towards the farm and a stile into a grass field (the one we take). The path in the grass isn't the clearest, but just follow the hedge to the obvious exit in the back left corner (next photo). Despite appearances, there is wire on the fence to the right of the stile; there is no bypass option here. 16.3 km from start — 05 May 2024
37. This is the exit out of the grass field. There is a gate tied up off to the right of shot, but judging by the state of the path here it hasn't been shut in a long time. In the distance you can see the first kissing gate, which lets out onto what looks like a gravel driveway (next photo). 16.5 km from start — 05 May 2024
38. This is the view from Drury Ln, looking back at the gravel driveway out of the field (centre right of shot, pinkish). The green walker sign only points the right way once you know where you're going if you're travelling in the Buckley -> Chester direction! From here to the next photo you are entirely on pavement alongside 20-30 mph roads until the next photo. 16.5 km from start — 05 May 2024
39. This is the public access path towards Knowle Hill, just beyond the junction with Burntwood Rd on Drury Ln and a bus shelter. The path is probably muddy when wet, but when I went it was firmly packed with only a bit of loose gravel in places. 17 km from start — 05 May 2024
40. Second kissing gate of the route, and first on the way to Knowle Hill. Note the path is well worn and still mostly compacted mud. 17.3 km from start — 05 May 2024
41. Path continues to the left along the fence. More gravel present on this section, as well as sheep or rabbit poo, so mind your step. There are multiple paths through the park converging on this point, so be aware of other users. 17.5 km from start — 05 May 2024
42. This is the final kissing gate of the route, close to the end of the path through Knowle Hill park. Note the intermittent gravel in the compacted mud. The path will become paved for a short while just past the bend of this photo, as it passes a housing estate on the left, and then veer off to the right into another housing estate. Ignore the right-turn and continue straight along the gravel path to reach the main road (Chester Rd/A549; next photo). 17.6 km from start — 05 May 2024
43. The gravel path becomes and asphalt road where it meets the main Chester Rd/A549. If you are travelling in the Buckley -> Chester direction, look for these signs at that junction to find your way into the Knowle Hill park. From here out the route is entirely on pavement along 30 mph roads, ending in a pedestrianised shopping zone (next photo). 17.8 km from start — 05 May 2024
44. This shot is looking back along the pedestrianised shopping precinct at the end of this route, which has level brick paving its entire length. The route officially ends outside the Town Council building about 100 yds behind us on Mold Rd, adjacent to a bus stand which can take you back to Chester. Public toilets (not indicated on the OS map) are available next to the library. From the middle of the pedestrian zone, follow the light coloured paving into Brunswick Rd car park and keep going in the same direction until you see the tan brick building opposite new build flats, which is the library. The toilets are a little further down the road past the library (Padeswood Rd N) in the smaller brick building (about 100 yds in total from the pedestrian zone). 18.9 km from start — 05 May 2024