Outlying Areas: Helsby to Frodsham and Sutton Weaver

	Helsby Hill from Hapsford The vertical cliffs of the prominent sandstone outcrop of Helsby Hill are well seen from the tiny hamlet of Hapsford.
	Helsby Crags Flat-topped Helsby Hill is the location of the most impressive of the sandstone crags in the Merseyside area. Traces of Stone Age and Iron Age settlements have been found in the area (including an Iron Age hill-fort called Woodhouses near the summit). The first identifiable settlers were the Vikings in the 10th century, the name being of Viking origin and meaning 'village on the edge' (of the Mersey estuary, presumably). The Domesday book lists the Normanised name Hellesbe. The hill is 427 feet (130 m) high and supported quarrying from the early 19th Century up to the 1920s, the stone being used for many buildings in Liverpool and Birkenhead. The crags are popular with rock climbers and offer everything from easy scrambles up to serious challenges.
	The Church of St. John the Evangelist, Alvanley This Grade II listed church is built of sandstone in 14th century style and was completed in 1861. There was a tradition that newly-weds leaving the church were detained by a rope held across the church gate until an agreement had been reached to buy drinks at the White Lion opposite. Alvanley is situated on the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge high above the Cheshire Gap with superb views across the plain to Wales. This small rural village has some beautifully restored thatched sandstone cottages and handsome Georgian farmhouses.
	The White Lion, Alvanley Originally a farmhouse dating from around 1700, the White Lion, in the pretty little village of Alvanley, has more recently been much extended, but retains a cosy and welcoming atmosphere. There are some larger rooms and a number of smaller nooks and crannies, all with dark wood panelling. There are beautifully located seating areas outside. Up on the Sandstone Ridge here you feel as though you're in the heart of the country.
	St. Lawrence's Church, Frodsham There was a church on this site at the time of the Domesday Book, though the earliest parts of the present church, constructed from beautiful local sandstone, date from about 1180. The tower is 14th century, at which time the chancel was also lengthened; further building work was done in the 16th century and after. There are some Saxon and Norman carved stones inside the tower and the nave is said to be one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Cheshire.
Frodsham in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England (1848) The Town is situated on an eminence on the bank of the river Weaver, near its confluence with the Mersey, and consists of a broad street, a mile in length, extending along the road from Chester to Warrington, and another branching from it and leading to the church. At the east end is a stone bridge of four arches over the Weaver, which is navigable here; and at the west end stood a Norman castle. [...] The church stands on elevated ground, in the village of Overton, is built of red freestone, and appears to be of high antiquity, the nave displaying traces of Norman architecture.
Frodsham in The Beauties of England and Wales, Vol II, Edward Wedlake Brayley and John Britton (1809) Frodsham is a small town, pleasantly situated on an eminence beneath the hills which form the northern extremity of Delamere Forest, and but a short distance from the junction of the Weaver with the Mersey. Frodsham had formerly a castle, which [...] stood at the west end of the town, and was latterly inhahited by the Savages, Earls Rivers, but was consumed by fire in the year 1642; its site is occupied by a handsome modern house. The Church stands at a vast height above the town, in a part called Overton. [...] Near the church is a school, with a good bouse for the master, and a cupola on its summit for an observatory. The brow of an eminence, called Beacon Hill, behind the school, is cut into a very pleasant walk, commanding a fine view of the estuary of the Dee, and the more distant parts of Lancashire. At the foot of the hill are shooting butts for the practice of archery, a science which, from being of the greatest importance in the art of war, is now only exercised for diversion. Frodsham Bridge, over the Weaver, is nearly a mile east of the town; at some distance from it, on the bank of the river, are some works for refining rock-salt. Vast quantities of potatoes are cultivated in this parish.
	St. Lawrence's Church, Frodsham
	The Ring O'Bells, Frodsham This lovely old pub, originally a farmhouse, dates from the 17th century or possibly even earlier. Inside are a lot of cosy little rooms with bags of character and atmosphere.
	Woodhouse Hill, near Frodsham Woodhouse Hill, seen here from Helsby Hill, is traversed by an early section of the Sandstone Trail, a long distance path from Frodsham to Whitchurch through the beautiful mid-Cheshire countryside.
	Jacob's Ladder on the Sandstone Trail An entertaining scramble, for those accustomed to this kind of thing, on the Sandstone Trail near Frodsham.