7 Oct 2026 Malpas Leader: Kath & Dave, Length of walk: 9 miles, Driving distance: 27 miles, Number walking: 11
Click here for a map of the route.
Parking is just off Malpas High Street (SY14 8NW). It is free to park and there is also a toilet available.
The weather for the walk was a mix of sun and cloud. A short shower occurred late on causing the walkers not wearing waterproofs to put them on. Five minutes later the sky cleared.
The group left Malpas opposite the church where the police and ambulance activity sparked some interest. This heightened when Karen’s Paul reported from the Bentley factory that they were responding to a suicide. (Don’t Bentley make cars?) On this happy note the walkers set off into empty countryside.
The route soon joined the Bishop Bennett Way which runs for 34 miles from Beeston to Wirswall on the Shropshire border. The eponymous Irish Bishop spent some of the early 19th century surveying Roman roads in Cheshire.
The group stopped for coffee by a pond, but Lesley declined to go paddling.
The leader stopped for lunch at Bell o’ th’ Hill opposite the disused pub the Blue Bell, which was founded in 1677. A workman was busy patching it up in a manner that suggested that a full refurbishment is not on the cards. The lunch site boasted a notice board for the Sandstone Trail which is hundreds of yards away. Perhaps they hoped to recruit walkers from the pub when it was open.
The route back to Malpas included part of the Marches Way. For those who want a challenge, this is a partly-waymarked trail stretching 218 miles from Chester to Cardiff.
The old Malpas fire station has been converted to a bar and most of the walkers paused there for a refreshing drink.
