Sandals four

Slow Way not verified yet. Verify Sandals here.

A pleasant route through flat Cheshire countryside, with a good stretch along a former railway line. Well described by the first reviewer so not much to add. Accessible for dogs and prams, especially along the railway line, part of a route formerly carrying salt from the Cheshire salt mines.

Starting from Sandbach the route headed down an alleyway almost hidden between two shops (Iceland and a chippy at the time) which continued along a string of alleys, with occasional cycle barriers. A short bit of pavement walking took us high over the Salt Line former railway track, which we then walked down to along a track, which started immediately after the bridge, down the side of a garage.
At this point the Salt Line is also the Wheelock Rail Trail. It is a lovely wooded track, used by walkers (sometimes with dogs), cyclists and horseriders. It is quite wide and smooth with a soft dry earth and fine gravel surface. According to the cheshireeast.gov.uk leaflet the route is wheelchair accessible using RADAR locks at main access points. There are also cycle barriers. However, there are obstacles towards Alsager which would prove more challenging for some wheels users.
The road crossing at the A534 was busy and fast but with decent length gaps in the traffic when we crossed it. Unfortunately the railway line soon after here has been subsumed by a golf course, but the route easily diverts onto the towpath for just over a mile. There appeared to be an alternative track for cycles running parallel to the towpath some of the time, mostly the other side of a hedge, with connecting gaps, but we didn’t test this.
At Malkin’s Bank Golf Course there is a café open to the public and accessible from the towpath. Just before a farm access bridge before the motorway, there is a kissing gate, then a footpath and a short bit of quiet road which leads to the Salt Line again. This section has some benches and a picnic table.
The official track ends at Lawton Heath but it is possible to continue with a dog-leg across the road and through a narrow fence gap into the woods, where well-used footpaths continue along the north side of the railway embankment. This comes out into an arable field where another, surprisingly dry and well-used footpath crosses it and heads into Alsager. There is a narrow bridge and a playing field, then some pavements leading into the centre of Alsager and on to the station.
I really enjoyed this route. It was largely off-road, quiet, easy, direct, pleasant and interesting.

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