February's Audlem Gossip article

Each month, the AudlemOnline team sends a 500-word article about the village to the publishers of the Whitchurch Gossip and Market Drayton Gossip magazines.

These excellent publications are widely (and freely) distributed in North Shropshire and many in Audlem see a copy, particularly of the Whitchurch magazine. Many of our readers, however, are outside their distribution area.

We thought you might like to read what we said about the village this month in the February issues:

Walking in Audlem

With Spring not too far away, a reminder that Audlem is a walkers' paradise at most times of the year with many walks including a section of the Shropshire Union towpath with fifteen locks as it passes through the village.

Walking groups are a regular sight in the area while Audlem itself boasts the Audlem Ramblers Society, known to all as ARS. They organise longer walks in the likes of Shropshire, the Peak District and North Wales while monthly shorter walks are more local, including a selection from the village.

There are three pubs to enjoy in Audlem – the Lord Combermere in the village centre, and the Bridge Inn and the Shroppie Fly (although the latter is currently closed for refurbishment) next to the canal – and two cafés (the Old Priest House and Jinja Bakes Café) for refreshment and possibly a meal to make it a real day out.

The towpath is now designated the most southerly section of the Weaver Way, a project to provide a long-distance path from the very south of Cheshire to the banks of the River Mersey in the north of the county. You can explore away from the canal in all directions.

A selection of walks in the Audlem area have been published as a leaflet which is available free from many outlets including Williams' Newsagent, Audlem Mill Canal Shop, Audlem Post Office, Overwater Marina and local Tourist Information Centres in Market Drayton, Whitchurch and Nantwich.

One of the most pleasant walks is the Highfields Circuit. You head out southwards along the canal passing ten of Audlem's locks. After crossing into Shropshire, you leave the canal near Adderley. You will be rewarded by fine views as you pass Highfields, an historic house set in remote countryside.

Going north on the canal sees a walk that passes Hankelow Mill, a circuit of just over an hour which passes a magnificent mill on the River Weaver.

The Bagley Lane circuit is popular locally and normally takes less than an hour. As well as a series of locks, there are pleasant lanes to enjoy and eventually a fine view of Audlem village and St James' church as you return down a bank towards Audlem Brook.

A shorter walk takes you near the magnificent Moss Hall which is less than a mile from the village. After walking northwards to Lock 15, you leave the canal and cross attractive meadows with fine views of the Jacobean hall.

From Easter, you can enjoy both a walk and a trip on Audlem Lass, the 12-passenger boat that plies the canal every Saturday and Sunday until the end of October. Audlem Lass raises funds for the lifeboat charity, the RNLI, and is run by a team of fully-trained local volunteers. Each year, around 4,000 passengers enjoy trips between Lock 15, to the north of Audlem, to the Overwater Marina where there is also a café.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.