Bucche two

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Bucche here.

This route is based on Bucche one, with small changes in the Sandycroft to Hawarden section to avoid the two biggest issues with that route. A few alternative routings follow at the end.

1) Walking along Chester Rd east in Sandycroft (60mph road, many large lorries, no pavement, deep ditch to cross, no obvious entry to field path)
Coming from Chester, the Bucche one route follows Station Rd out of Deeside industrial estate to Chester Rd east, turns left down Chester Rd east towards the Airbus factory, then crosses the road and a large ditch to take a public access path across a field towards Hawarden, emerging part way up Moor Ln. However, just past the junction with Station Rd, Chester Rd east increases to a 60mph limit just as the pavement ends and a large ditch (with no verge) starts on the northern side of the road. This road is heavily used, particularly by lorries and other large vehicles servicing the many industrial estates in the area, and I would strongly discourage anyone to walk along it. In addition, I cannot find any evidence of an entrance to the field where indicated either when I've driven past or by looking on Streetview, even though the Flintshire public right-of-way map indicates there should be a green flag, a bridge and a kissing gate there (last inspected 2010, however). Bucche two avoids these problems by walking directly from Station Rd to Moor Ln, and skipping this section of the field walk. Although Moor Ln is also a 60mph road, it has a 7.5tn weight restriction and is regularly used by horse riders and dog walkers. Vehicles are relatively few, typically travelling more like 30mph and diligent about moving over to pass slower traffic.

2) Access to right of way path between Moor Ln and Crosstree Ln, Hawarden (lack of path signage, many 'private' signs)
Shortly after joining Moor Ln from the field mentioned above, the Bucche one route goes down a farm track and picks up another right-of-way path behind the farm, emerging onto Crosstree Ln in Hawarden. I found the green walker sign where the farm track meets Moor Ln, but when I reached the farm there were loads of 'private property' signs, and I couldn't easily see the gate/stile where we are supposed to enter the field (Flintshire map says the stile was last inspected in 2020). As access is uncertain for this part of the route, I decided instead to stick to the local roads, which are very low traffic, paved and easy to navigate. Bucche two therefore turns off Moor Ln onto Duckers Ln, then follows Leaches Ln, Sunnyside, Ash Ln and finally Crosstree Ln, meeting up with the original route's exit from the field (the green walker sign is clearly visible there as well).
Another option is to take Moor Ln all the way up to Glynne Way, where you can either walk along the pavement into Hawarden directly, or take another right-of-way path in a north-westerly direction from just before the Glynne Way junction which exits onto Crosstree Ln as before. However, the Flintshire map found an 'unsatisfactory gap' at the Moor Ln end of the path in late 2022, so this option will require further investigation before recommending.

3) Alternative routings due to preference
The Chester end of the route takes in Chester racecourse, which is sometimes shut for events and maintenance. Some people may also wish to avoid the 2 flights of stairs between the racecourse and the golf club. The best alternative is to follow the Shoche one route out of Chester, taking in the Wales Coast path along the northern bank of the Dee until you reach Higher Ferry. Take the footbridge across to the southern bank and pick up the route there.
Between Hawarden golf club and Buckley the walk passes through pastures used for cows, which some people may also wish to avoid. In this case, continue along Glynne Way in Hawarden (which becomes the Highway), turn onto Wood Ln and keep walking uphill until you cross over the A55. Continue along what is now called Burntwood Rd until it meets Drury Ln, where you can pick up the route from the right-of-way path towards Knowle Hill

This route is based on Bucche one, with small changes in the Sandycroft to Hawarden section to avoid the two biggest issues with that route. A few alternative routings follow at the end.

1) Walking along Chester Rd east in Sandycroft (60mph road, many large lorries, no pavement, deep ditch to cross, no obvious entry to field path)
Coming from Chester, the Bucche one route follows Station Rd out of Deeside industrial estate to Chester Rd east, turns left down Chester Rd east towards the Airbus factory, then crosses the road and a large ditch to take a public access path across a field towards Hawarden, emerging part way up Moor Ln. However, just past the junction with Station Rd, Chester Rd east increases to a 60mph limit just as the pavement ends and a large ditch (with no verge) starts on the northern side of the road. This road is heavily used, particularly by lorries and other large vehicles servicing the many industrial estates in the area, and I would strongly discourage anyone to walk along it. In addition, I cannot find any evidence of an entrance to the field where indicated either when I've driven past or by looking on Streetview, even though the Flintshire public right-of-way map indicates there should be a green flag, a bridge and a kissing gate there (last inspected 2010, however). Bucche two avoids these problems by walking directly from Station Rd to Moor Ln, and skipping this section of the field walk. Although Moor Ln is also a 60mph road, it has a 7.5tn weight restriction and is regularly used by horse riders and dog walkers. Vehicles are relatively few, typically travelling more like 30mph and diligent about moving over to pass slower traffic.

2) Access to right of way path between Moor Ln and Crosstree Ln, Hawarden (lack of path signage, many 'private' signs)
Shortly after joining Moor Ln from the field mentioned above, the Bucche one route goes down a farm track and picks up another right-of-way path behind the farm, emerging onto Crosstree Ln in Hawarden. I found the green walker sign where the farm track meets Moor Ln, but when I reached the farm there were loads of 'private property' signs, and I couldn't easily see the gate/stile where we are supposed to enter the field (Flintshire map says the stile was last inspected in 2020). As access is uncertain for this part of the route, I decided instead to stick to the local roads, which are very low traffic, paved and easy to navigate. Bucche two therefore turns off Moor Ln onto Duckers Ln, then follows Leaches Ln, Sunnyside, Ash Ln and finally Crosstree Ln, meeting up with the original route's exit from the field (the green walker sign is clearly visible there as well).
Another option is to take Moor Ln all the way up to Glynne Way, where you can either walk along the pavement into Hawarden directly, or take another right-of-way path in a north-westerly direction from just before the Glynne Way junction which exits onto Crosstree Ln as before. However, the Flintshire map found an 'unsatisfactory gap' at the Moor Ln end of the path in late 2022, so this option will require further investigation before recommending.

3) Alternative routings due to preference
The Chester end of the route takes in Chester racecourse, which is sometimes shut for events and maintenance. Some people may also wish to avoid the 2 flights of stairs between the racecourse and the golf club. The best alternative is to follow the Shoche one route out of Chester, taking in the Wales Coast path along the northern bank of the Dee until you reach Higher Ferry. Take the footbridge across to the southern bank and pick up the route there.
Between Hawarden golf club and Buckley the walk passes through pastures used for cows, which some people may also wish to avoid. In this case, continue along Glynne Way in Hawarden (which becomes the Highway), turn onto Wood Ln and keep walking uphill until you cross over the A55. Continue along what is now called Burntwood Rd until it meets Drury Ln, where you can pick up the route from the right-of-way path towards Knowle Hill