Walk Leader: Stephen Martin

Number on walk: 3

Distance: 18 miles

Weather: Bright and warm with a little breeze

Trans-Pennine Trail part 2.  Aintree to Southport.  18 miles

Three walkers and Jan the dog set off from Aintree Train Station at 09.30hrs after a breakfast/drink at Toby Carvery adjacent to the station.  Following the old Cheshire train line as close as possible to the original route, it took us to the rear of the railway before joining the main road down to the Leeds Liverpool canal.  After a short stint along the canal, we crossed into the Mersey Forest and the Old Racecourse Road (possibly the where the first Grand National was held) and onto the original Cheshire Lines.  The path took us through flat fields laden with flocks of geese, ditches and cuttings. 

Once we arrived at Woodvale, close to the aerodrome, we took the path running adjacent to the main road to Southport where we had lunch in the sand dunes.  A short while later we took a further break near Pontins where the first transatlantic return fight took off from. 

One of group left us here; however the rest of the walk into Southport was easy on a shared tarmacked path.   We arrived at the Trans-Pennine Trail monument at 15.00hrs. A pint on Britain’s smallest pub and a train ride back to the start, finished the walk off perfectly.

The day was bright, warm with a little breeze.  Ideal for such a walk.