Chester: Handbridge - River Dee - The Meadows - Handbridge

Derek Smith

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This is a delightful and very popular circular walk along the bank of the river Dee in Chester. It is best walked in summer at weekends when there is a lot of activity to observe on the river as the meadows themselves are quite drab. You are likely to see large passenger boats, rowing eights and canoes sailing by. Cabin cruisers are often seen cruising and can also be admired at their moorings, (photo on the right). In summer the river is so full of boats that even the police have a launch. The walk starts along a roadside pavement to gain access to the start of the riverbank footpath route. The footpath is at least a meter wide throughout, and the surface is quite flat, consisting of compacted chippings and sand. There may be a few puddles after a heavy rain, and in winter the final 200m may be bit muddy. The path finishes with a short but steep slope to the place where you parked (if you drove to the walk). There are three wide kissing gates which wheelchairs should be able to negotiate without much difficulty, but users may need assistance with those last few meters at the end. However, do not attempt this walk after severe storms in Wales or long periods of very heavy rain as the Dee may be in flood, and as the meadows are a flood plain, they may become submerged. This walk is the shortest alternative to three other routes in this locality, the next longest is the 7832 walk, then the longer 2290 walk, or for serious hikers the even longer 7833 walk. This walk includes instructions for walkers from moored river boats.

This walk is suitable for children, senior citizens and everyone in-between, also excellent for dogs, buggies and wheelchairs. Suitable footwear will be anything flat soled and there should be no problems for anyone wearing shorts. There are no refreshments, picnic tables or toilets, but there are several bench seats along the path by the river.

England - North England - Cheshire - River Walk