Old Pale Hill

Old pale hill is one of our favourite Delamere forest walks for families wanting a little bit of a challenge. This is a short walk but it is a hill, I wouldn’t recommend it for prams but it is great for kids and adults. Find more Family walks North West here.

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Old pale trail Delamere

The old pale trail at Delamere is one of the more difficult trails in the forest but it is still achievable for many people with a good fitness level and children of school age, possibly younger.

The trail is 1.9 miles (3.1 km) in total and it is a circular walk with great views from the summit. It took us 25 minutes to reach the highest point and this was all up hill. There are plenty of benches so you can stop for a rest or to take in the views though.

Once you reach the summit, you complete the circular walk back down a different path to Delamere forest.

Child in purple jacket climbing a hill in the forest

Where is Old Pale hill?

Old Pale hill is located near to the forest visitor centre at Delamere forest. It’s also part of the sandstone trail which is a 34 mile trail in Cheshire. Find out more about walking the Sandstone trail here – Sandstone Trail.

Parking for Old Pale hill

Parking for this trail is in the main forest centre car park. You can of course park in one of the other car parks that is further away from Old Pale hill and make your walk longer.

The address of the main Delamere forest car park by the visitors centre is located at Linmere, Delamere, Northwich and the Sat Nav Postcode is CW8 2HZ.

Current parking charges are as follows (April 2024)

Up to 1 hour – £3.50

Up to 2 hours – £7

up to 3 hours – £9.50

All day – £11

Parking is number plate recognition, pay on exit and card or device only. There are plenty of spaces even on the busiest days.

Delamere station is only a short walk from Delamere forest & old pale hill, making this a great walk that you can reach by public transport.

Additional information about the trail route

Summary

Start and finish – Delamere forest centre car park
Approximate duration – 1 hour
Distance – approx 2 miles
Accessibility – This route is up a hill for half the walk on gravel paths. I wouldn’t recommend it for prams. There are lots more suitable trails in Delamere though.
Public toilets – Find public toilets in the visitor centre in the forest centre car park
Other Facilities – There is also a cafe in the visitor centre.

From the car park head to past the visitor centre to the start of all Delamere forest trail.

Brown trail sign for Old pale trail in Delamere forest

You will find a sign for the old pale trail on your left pretty soon at the next junction. Follow this sign on a path through a small woodland area. Keep following this path as it weaves around to the right and up hill. Ignore any junctions with options to go left.

The path is 1 mile uphill to the summit. There are benches at various places too to catch your breath or on a clear day, admire the views.

Once you reach the summit, known as Old Pale heights, you are rewarded with majestic views of 7 counties. There are also transmitter masts up here and a fascinating trig point with a large standing stone with an information plaque on it with a bit of history of the site, right back to the iron age.

View up a hill trail with masts and people at the summit

There are also additional plaques and standing stones with information about what you can see in each direction to orientate you. As I mentioned, you can see seven counties and make out key points on the skyline such as Manchester and Jodrell Bank discovery centre.

Once you have finished admiring the view and are ready to return to the car park then you need to take the path back down the hill. If you stand facing the path that you have just climbed up, you want the one to the right which heads back towards Delamere forest. The third path heads down the other side of the hill.

Standing sone in the centre of a circular path

Follow this path back down the hill until you reach flat ground. At this point turn left and head back to the visitor centre.

Child in the distance walking down a path

You might like to combine this walk with one of the other great walks in Delamere forest such as Delamere forest Gruffalo trail which has gorgeous wooden sculptures of all the Gruffalo and friends characters.

Delamere forest is a great place for family walks and various activities like Go Ape and segway experiences. We’ve been exploring the forest for many years.

Is Old Pale trail at Delamere one of the best kept secret in Cheshire? It’s certainly not a walk you here as much about and the climb is definitely worth it for the views!

4 vertical strips of photos of countryside including mountains, waterfalls and a wooden gruffalo sculpture

Enjoy family walks? Join the Family Walks North West Facebook group to be part of a community sharing the best walks for families across the region. Join here.