EASTLEIGH RAMBLER: NORTH WALES COAST PATH

CHESTER TO THE MENAI BRIDGE

DAY ONE CHESTER TO FLINT 5 APRIL 2015

This was the first day of a seven day walk which involved 87.9 miles. We stayed for four nights at the Premier Inn 20-24 City Road, Chester CH1 3AE which was well located for exploring the city centre. We used the NCP car park near the station which was £6 per day or £24 for a week. We took breakfast and evening meal at the Square Bottle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester

We walked across the city centre via Eastgate Street, Watergate Street and New Crane Street down to the River Dee. The above is an old lock entrance to the canal network that runs through the city. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shropshire_Union_Canal

The banks of the River Dee from the parkland near Sealands Road. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Dee,_Wales

This trip I was accompanied by Dave, Jim Tracey and Bob featured here at the markers indicating the start of the Wales Coast Path some 1.5 miles out of Chester. http://www.walescoastpath.gov.uk

The canalised River Dee was dredged in vain to keep the port of Chester open to shipping. Most of the mornings walk was along a tarmac cycleway / footpath. I asked Bob what he thought of the walk so far and he replied - looks fairly straight forward.

The Ferry footbridge

Next along the way was the Hawarden Airport but from the opposite bank we could see very little of it and continued keeping one eye out for bikes and those on roller blades. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawarden_Airport

The Airbus factory could be seen on the opposite bank and this dock is where the wings are loaded on to barges and transported downstream http://www.airbus.com/ All was quiet when we passed as it was Easter Sunday.

After 6 miles of walking we got to the A494 bridge over the River Dee and passed underneath with the Welsh Road bridge on the B5541 ahead in blue. Here the path was closed for reconstruction and we had to deviate through Garden City to get to it. Jo's café and the Queensferry Hotel had not opened yet to we continued

We crossed the River Dee via the Jubilee or Blue Bridge to continue on the south side. This is the view back. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_Bridge_(Queensferry) We had a picnic near a large electricity pylon and watched the water pouring upstream by the incoming tide.

The next bridge is the Hawarden Railway Bridge painted in white. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawarden_Bridge

Closer view looking back.

On a wilder part of the river we had to deviate away from the River Dee to get a bridge over the Wepre Gutter which empties into the river.

View from the bridge looking back along Wepre Gutter to the River Dee.

Next came the wharfs at Connah's Quay and this was the view across to the Corus Shotton Steel works. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connah's_Quay

This is the view from Connah's Quay down to the Flintshire Bridge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flintshire_Bridge

Another shot a bit further downstream.

The path crosses the main coastal railway and there is some road walking through Connah's Quay and we had a welcome pint in the Halfway House.

As we walked on the environment was dominated by the Power Station http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connah's_Quay_Power_Station

On reaching Pentre we left the coast road and crossed the railway into tidal marshland. The coastal path makes an interesting and potentially muddy way through the coastal margins.