Raw Head with David

Raw Head is the highest point along the Sandstone trail, and the county top of the newly formed Cheshire West and Chester county. David and I had been trying to find time to get out for a walk together, and had very nearly co-ordinated to climb a Spanish hill, but our holiday's didn't quite fit together (we caught the ferry from Bilbao that they arrived on the same morning). In the end, we managed an early bank holiday Monday walk with our dogs. Monty found himself up against 2 large and boisterous Labradoodles, and they had a great time!

The weather was perfect, with clear skies and great views in all directions. We parked at the top of Coppermines Lane, and followed the Sandstone trail all the way to the top of Raw Head. You get particularly good views looking North towards Liverpool and The Wirral, but as the walk progresses, you can also see West to the Clwyds, and the South, where Bickerton Hill dominates the foreground.

There are a couple of points of interest on the walk, but we didn't divert for either, wanting to make sure we were back home with our families for the rest of the Bank Holiday! The first is a well that you can nip down to have a look at. I've seen it before, and unless you are into 'well-spotting' (is anyone?) then it's not as exciting as it sounds (and I don't think it sounds that exciting!) Of slightly more interest, a little while before you reach the top, you can scramble down from the path to find a large cave. It's not naturally made, but has been quarried out by locals wanting sand for their floors. It really is quite impressive, and if you want to check it out, you will need a torch! It's a good divert if you have kids with you, as they love to explore inside.

We stopped at the trig point to admire the views and to drink a quick cup of tea (thanks for bringing the flask David!). I've read somewhere that not only is there a summit trig point, but also a summit cave. Rumour has it you can crawl all the way under the summit and come out on the other side of the hill. We didn't find the cave though.

The walk down initially takes you past some very steep drops just off the path. Thankfully neither we nor the dogs strayed significantly off the path - it would have been a very rapid descent down...

All in all we really enjoyed the walk. Perfect weather, perfect timing getting us back not too late, and, of course, perfect company! Thanks David for hill 36!