Description
This is a Slow Ways route connecting Widnes and Warrington.
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This is a Slow Ways route connecting Widnes and Warrington.
Know of a better route? Share it here.
Status
This route has been reviewed by 3 people.
There are no issues flagged.
Photos for Widwar one
Photos of this route will appear when they are added to a review. You can review this route here.
Information
Route status - Live
Reviews - 3
Average rating -
Is this route good enough? - Yes (3)
There are currently no problems reported with this route.
Downloads - 4
Surveys
What is this route like?
Surveys are submitted by fellow users of this website and show what you might expect from this Slow Ways route. Scroll down the page to read more detailed surveys.
Grade 3X based on 1 surveys | Sign up or log in to survey this route. | ||
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Description | Note | ||
Grade 3: Route includes rough surfaces that may include small boulders, potholes, shallow ruts, loose gravel, short muddy sections. Access grade X: At least one stile, flight of steps or other obstacle that is highly likely to block access for wheelchair and scooter users. |
Grading is based on average scores by surveyors. This slow way has 1 surveys. | ||
Full grading description |
Only people who have completed our training can become Slow Ways surveyors and submit a survey. We do not vet contributors, so we cannot guarantee the quality or completeness of the surveys they complete. If you are dependent on the information being correct we recommend reading and comparing surveys before setting off.
Survey Photos
Facilities
Facilities in the middle third of this route.
Challenges
Potential challenges reported on this route. Some challenges are seasonal.
Obstacles
Obstacles on this route.
Accessibility
Is this route step and stile free?
Measurements
Surveyors were asked to measure the narrowest and steepest parts of paths.
The narrowest part of the path is 100.0cm (1)
The steepest uphill gradient walking East 9.0% (1)
The steepest uphill gradient walking West 9.0% (1)
The steepest camber: no data
How clear is the waymarking on the route: Clear (1)
Successfully completed
We asked route surveyors "Have you successfully completed this route with any of the following? If so, would you recommend it to someone with the same requirements?". Here is how they replied.
Recommended by an expert
We asked route surveyors "Are you a trained access professional, officer or expert? If so, is this route suitable for someone travelling with any of the following?" Here is how they replied.
Terrain
We asked route surveyors to estimate how much of the route goes through different kinds of terrain.
There is no data on how much of this route is on roads
There is no data on how much of this route is lit at night
Thereis no data on amount of route paved
There is no data on muddiness
There is no data on rough ground
There is no data on long grass
Report a problem with this data
1 surveys
Information from verified surveys.
Geography information system (GIS) data
Total length
Maximum elevation
Minimum elevation
Start and end points
Widnes
Grid Ref
SJ5136785279
Lat / Lon
53.36215° / -2.73225°
Easting / Northing
351,367E / 385,279N
What3Words
army.took.deals
Warrington
Grid Ref
SJ6062988200
Lat / Lon
53.38918° / -2.59345°
Easting / Northing
360,629E / 388,200N
What3Words
sheet.happen.nature
Widwar One's land is
Widnes | |
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Grid Ref | SJ5136785279 |
Lat / Lon | 53.36215° / -2.73225° |
Easting / Northing | 351,367E / 385,279N |
What3Words | army.took.deals |
Warrington | |
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Grid Ref | SJ6062988200 |
Lat / Lon | 53.38918° / -2.59345° |
Easting / Northing | 360,629E / 388,200N |
What3Words | sheet.happen.nature |
Arable | 17.4% |
Intertidal flats | 14.5% |
Marshes | 26.5% |
Urban | 41.5% |
Data: Corine Land Cover (CLC) 2018
reviews
Mary Oz
07 Jan 2024We set off from Widnes on a beautiful, frosty, misty, sunny morning. It was a bit of a long way round to start with, via a busy complicated road junction with inaccurate plotting. The road crossings all had pedestrian lights and ramped kerbs though.
An off-road cycle track brought us to a gated level crossing (trains seem to be infrequent here I think) then a swing bridge over the disused canal.
The route then followed the Sankey/St Helen’s Canal for most of the way. This was also part of the Trans-Pennine Trail. Other path users were friendly and polite. The path surface was good, with very few puddles considering how much rain we had had in the last few weeks. There were one or two smelly sections though!
We were also generally following the Mersey Estuary, with its saltmarshes, although it was difficult to see most of the time, due to the mist. For a former industrial area, it was surprisingly beautiful and interesting. We even saw a fogbow!
We were too early to take advantage of the Ferry Inn, but what a lovely setting. Currently they don’t do much food though.
We left the canal to pass a recycling centre, before a pleasant woodland walk (some roots across the path) brought us to a suburban cycle track close to the Mersey, with a glimpse across to the old transporter bridge. Another level crossing brought us to the pavement walk into Warrington, past some industry and a park with a fabulous Golden Gate!
I found this to be a very pleasant and interesting walk.
Hiking Historian
02 Mar 2023Decent enough walk, mostly along the Sankey Canal, and the best connection to join Widnes with Warrington.
Starting in Widnes, it is well-paved, with ramps at crossings, and the route passes a supermarket and, once over the main road, a pub and fast food outlets. The road through the retail estate, however, is not well-served by ramps, so wheeled users may find the going tricky. Once past the shops, a tarmacced footpath to an unpaved road (although this is mostly closed to traffic) to a gated rail crossing, which brings us onto the canal.
The path is long and straight, with a metalled path with loose stone, running alongside the old canal. It is a green belt between areas of disused industry, including the Fiddler's Ferry power station, to vanish over the next few years. There are nice views over the river, when it meanders close enough, especially at the tempting pub, just past the marina.
Approaching Warrington, I concur with the previous reviewer that the road passing the local tip is best avoided; in fact, at time of survey, it was closed to flood defence works. There is a tarmac path just ahead that leads to a footbridge at the road, from where we wander through a wood on an earthern path, which can be muddy in places. Once clear, it's into a residential area with a tarmac path. Despite new, there's not many ramps at crossings. Once over a level crossing, a paved road walk through an industrial estate then into Warrington town centre itself, with its mixture of shops. The end point is close to both the bus and train station.
Hardly a picturesque route, but the canal is always a good wander, and is well-used by walkers, dogwalkers and cyclists alike. It is 98% accessible; just the lack of ramps in Widnes and the housing in Sankey Bridges make is not totally friendly for wheeled users.
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Chris Manasseh
20 Jun 2021Despite following a disused canal for much of its length, this route never quite manages to escape an urban, industrial feel. The long stretch of canal gets quite same-y and is dominated for the first half by Fiddlers Ferry power station. Nevertheless, there are some nice views across the Mersey estuary and of the new Runcorn bridge, and it is a good direct line between Widnes and Warrington. There is also a handy pub at roughly halfway. Several road crossings at the start, and some awkward route-finding through a retail park. A short section of pavement-less road, just after leaving the canal at Sankey Bridges, can be easily avoided with a short detour, leaving the canal c. 100 yards further on. Probably not suitable for wheelchairs due to several metal gates/barriers.
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