Porsche-noir: Bickerton Hill , Cheshire the UK.

Bickerton Hill refers to two low red sandstone hills that form the southern end of the Mid Cheshire Ridge in Cheshire, north-west England. The high point, Raw Head, lies on the northerly hill and has an elevation of 227 metres.

Elevation: 227 m

Topo map: OS Explorer 257, Landranger 117

Parent range: Mid Cheshire Ridge

Location: Cheshire, England

Bickerton, Check point :just before the A534, at a minor road junction, GR 514537.

Bickerton Hill , Cheshire the UK.

Bickerton Hill , Cheshire

Maiden Castle Summit

Bickerton Hill lies to the south of the Sandstone Ridge at the southern tip of the Peckforton hills and covers approximately 280 acres.

The Sandstone Trail

Explore a 3 mile section of the Sandstone Trail A circular walk around Maiden Castle Bickerton Cheshire (PDF / 0.6MB) download which offers beautiful views across the Dee Valley to the Welsh hills and passes the ramparts of Maiden Castle Hillfort.

Lowland Heath

Bickerton is one of the few remaining lowland heaths in Cheshire. It’s a place of wild and rugged tranquility, with open heath, woodland, and splendid views towards distant hills. It has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its lowland heath plants and wildlife. In addition to the SSSI, Hether Wood is a Site of Biological Importance and a great place to find a quiet spot to walk in amongst the sweet chestnut, birch, oak, rowan and beech trees.

Maiden Castle

The red sandstone of the area comes dramatically to the surface across the landscape. An Iron Age fort, Maiden Castle, a Scheduled Ancient Monument of national importance lies at the highest point of the hill - 212m above sea level. On a fine day you can see all the way to the Welsh mountains.

The castle was built at Bickerton between 500 and 600 BC, and was probably still occupied when the Romans arrived in Britain.

The whole site would have been a bustling settlement with stone and timber buildings, trackways and livestock enclosures. Today you can still see the two semi-circular ramparts that were used to defend the settlement .

back again to dinner..At The Bickerton Poacher

Good Morning from Bickerton Hill

There is evidence of settlement on the hills dating from the neolithic or Bronze Age. The earthworks of an Iron Age hill fort, Maiden Castle, are located on the summit of the southerly hill; they are a Scheduled Monument. The hills have been quarried and mined for copper since the 17th century, and a grade-II-listed engine house chimney remains as a remnant of the mining industry. Several caves occur in the sandstone, some of which have a history of habitation. The Sandstone Trail, a long-distance footpath, runs along the ridge, and the area is popular with walkers.

A large area of the southerly hill is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its biological importance; much of this hill is owned by the National Trust. Its summit plateau has an extensive area of lowland heath, a rare habitat in Cheshire, and one that is particularly important for reptiles. A substantial population of Lobed Maidenhair Spleenwort, a fern that is rare in Britain, is found here. Nationally scarce species observed in the area include the bleached pug and alder kitten moths, and the Malthus frontalis species of soldier beetle. The western escarpment of the northerly hill has also been designated an SSSI for its exposed Triassic sandstones.