Back in Easter-time, we wrote about a walk looping round Kingsley village and the Weaver and this week we thought we'd move a bit further up the river to Acton Bridge.

Beginning in Crowton, this four-and-a-half mile walk takes in quiet country lanes, open fields and riverside pathways, a very tranquil way to end the week.

If you fancy a drink or a bite to eat after you have finished, you can park your car at The Hare & Hounds in Crowton. If not, there may be space on the neighbouring Bent Lane.

• Return to Kingsley Road from your car and turn right onto Ainsworth Lane, where you will be joined by flocks of swallows wheeling around Hill Top Farm.

• Follow the road along for about a kilometre, passing by pretty houses and rolling views over the fields.

• When the lane narrows and forks turn right towards Oak Hill Farm onto Crewood Common Road. Continue past the farm and towards a dead end. As you come towards the end of the road, you will round a bend and walk past a lay-by on your left, where you could also park your car if you wanted to start from this point.

• The lane eventually gives onto a bridle path which crosses over a stream and round to the left to join the River Weaver, where you walk alongside the sheep and lambs who call the neighbouring grassland home.

• Follow the footpath to the right to walk towards the Grade II* listed Dutton Viaduct.

This impressive structure was built in 1836, and regularly conveys trains travelling at up to 125 miles an hour over the river.

In 2017, there was a 'near miss' accident on the viaduct tracks, when a train moving at this maximum permitted speed narrowly avoided three line-side workers, the last of which stepped out of its path with less than half a second to spare.

• Passing underneath the viaduct, you will enter a wooded pathway, emerging at Dutton Locks.

Further down from the lock, you will find the wreck of the Chica, an abandoned boat with a very colourful history.

First launched as the Flora from Norway in 1894, the cargoboat was eventually commandeered by German forces during the Second World War and renamed Bjorg Haikus.

After the War, the boat was sold to new owners, who used her to run guns and smuggled tobacco across the Strait of Gibraltar to North Africa.

However, by 1950, Chica had begun a new life as a fishing boat in Liverpool Bay, later being used for cruises up and down the Manchester Ship Canal and the River Weaver.

In the early 1990s, the boat was tied up on a seemingly temporary basis at Dutton Locks. However, she was soon found to be in need of serious repairs, and years passed with no attention being paid to her upkeep.

So, after a varied career sailing the seas of Europe and Africa, Chica seems to have found her final resting place in the our small corner of Cheshire.

• Returning to the walk, you will have seen a sign reading Acton Bridge 1 Mile. Follow it to the right to leave the water's edge and walk up through the adjacent field.

• Crossing over a stile, turn right again to walk up the track to Manor Farm.

• Passing by the horses in their paddocks, keep to the left to reach a lane. This will bring you to a triangular junction, where you should turn left onto Cliff Road.

• Take the second available right onto Chapel Lane, which becomes Pikenall Lane as you cross over the railway tracks.

• Continue straight on towards Lower Green Farm, the lane softening into a footpath as you go.

• Moving over Acton Brook, you will emerge at the juncture of two fields. Walk straight on to stay in the left-hand field, reaching a short drive leading back onto Kingsley Road (as it becomes Station Road).

• A right turn will then bring you back to the Hare & Hounds and the end of the walk.

If you enjoyed this walk, you might want to try another!

Frodsham and Helsby Hill

Primrosehill Wood

Alvanley Cliff

Manley and Alvanley

Helsby Hill