START POINT: Chester Railway Station ///visual.rats.bind

END POINT: Official Start/Finish Point of The Wales Coast Path Saltney ///club.view.blaze

VIA: Shropshire Union Canal, River Dee, short road sections

DISTANCE: 2.25 Miles (3.65KM)

TERRAIN: Paved/cobbled Towpath, Pavements, Tarmac Riverside Pathway

GRADIENT: Mainly Flat, short downhill at lock flight on Shropshire Union canal

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Chester Railway Station, Chester Bus Interchange on route

So our first trip to walk the Wales Coast Path was a drive to Flint, park up at the train station and catch the train to Chester, the plan is then to walk back to Flint. This should take us around 13 Miles. The video below is from the first part of our first trip (Well second) as we had already walked from Barmouth to Fairbourne), but this is the first trip we had planned properly(ish), anyway below is the first 2 and a Quarter Miles which I had mapped out on google maps (The map on the homepage) which I used on my phone once we arrived in Chester at about 8am. We departed the train and grabbed a quick coffee and sandwich for later from the station and headed outside. Here we had to look for City Street, luckily this was directly opposite the stations entrance. We headed along City Street until we reached the canal, here I knew we had to turn right. There was works here so we found another way onto the canal. We continued along the towpath until the canal took a sharp 90 degrees bend to the right, I knew this where we had to come off and find South View Road, a short walk and we should pick up the River Dee. It would be plain sailing (well plain walking from there). The Shropshire Union canal was a great little section of our walk, through a sandstone cutting and we got to see some of the City walls. I recommend this route for walking or cycling. On my main map this is the red line out of Chester that we walked to the start of the Wales Coastal Path.

Starting at Chester Station, ///visual.rats.bind Leave the station and take the road directly opposite the main entrance which is City Road, continue a short way until you cross the canal. ///float.await.castle Head right onto the Shropshire Union Canal (Leave City Road on the left hand side, make your way down to the towpath and then U-turn under the bridge you just walked across). Keep to the canal passing down Northgate Locks and then under a railway bridge and then as the canal takes a sharp right hand bend pass under the bridge directly after the bend, as you pass under this bridge you will need to take the path leading up to the road on the bridge and leave the canal here. ///strut.lions.relay Once facing the road turn right onto South View Road and follow this road to the junction with Sealand Road at the end. Cross Sealand Road and pick up the pathway on the opposite side of the road leading away from the road. ///clean.pines.moves Follow this path as it bends right and follows the side of the River Dee, a left bend still following the River and then a long straight until you reach the two stones situated one each side of the path. This is the official start point of the Wales Coastal Path. ///club.view.blaze We continue from here in Part 1 of my Wales Coast Path walks Saltney to Flint.

PLANNING YOUR TRIP LINKS: TRAINS: Avanti West Coast | Trainline.Com

BUSSES: Arriva 11 Service

WEATHER: BBC | Met Office

WALES COAST PATH: NEXT PART