A winter walk from Wildboarclough

A fantastic Cheshire hill walk which touches both Staffordshire and Derbyshire!

A 4/5 mile walk through the higher reaches of Cheshire, passing through woodland, moorland, farmland and to the head of the River Dane.

Wildboarclough to Three Shires Head

A pdf for this walk can be downloaded from https://walkpeakdistrict.com/three-shires-head/ – it’s not just a winter walk, it’s a wonderful walk throughout the year. Pick a quieter time though, as the car parking areas in Wildboarclough can get full.

The walk starts at Clough Head car park.

Walk out of the car park away from the entrance, cross the road, and follow the footpath sign alongside Cumberland Brook.

Cross over the stream and you will walk up the hill through the woods, the brook to your right, and Shutlingsloe behind you.

Walk up to the top of the hill, where you will see a signpost. Follow the path round to the right – by this point the woodland has ended and you’ll be walking through moorland.

The path levels out for a while before climbing again towards the A54. In the summer this is a great place to see lapwings!

Carefully cross the A54 Congleton to Buxton road and descend the ladder stile down into the field.

Here you will walk steadily downhill via footpaths towards the waterfalls at Three Shires Head. It’s well signposted with footpath signs but as this bit crosses farm land, it’s the most difficult section of the walk to navigate.

This route stays in Cheshire the whole time, but if you wanted to step into Derbyshire, you would cross the first bridge, and then to get into Staffordshire, cross the smaller bridge.

Cross back to continue the walk with the river on your left. The path climbs, ending at a gate where you have to cross the road to continue.

This part of the walk has more wonderful views of Shutlingsloe across the moors which in the summer are covered in cotton grass.

Crossing the A54 again, you’ll pass a barn to the left of the path.

Parts of this path are  boardwalk as it can get very damp underfoot.

Finally after walking through the woods you’ll make your way along the small lane beside Crag Hall back to the car park.