Cheshire
Cheshire | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
| |||
Primary Destinations | |||
Altrincham • Birkenhead • Chester • Congleton • Crewe • Ellesmere Port • Macclesfield • Manchester Airport • Nantwich • Northwich • Runcorn • Stockport • Wallasey • Warrington (part) | |||
Other Important Destinations | |||
Knutsford • Holmes Chapel • Hyde • Middlewich • Sale • Wilmslow | |||
Current Highway Authorities | |||
Cheshire East • Cheshire West & Chester • Derbyshire • Halton • Manchester • Stockport • Tameside • Trafford • Warrington • Wirral | |||
Borders | |||
Denbighshire • Derbyshire • Flintshire • Lancashire • Shropshire • Staffordshire • Yorkshire | |||
National Highways Roads | |||
M6 • M53 • M56 • M60 • M67 • A41 • A55 • A57 • A483 • A494 • A550 • A556 • A628 • A5103 • A5117 | |||
Cheshire, officially the County Palatine of Chester, is a traditional county in North West England. The county council was abolished in 2009 and so the county is now split into a number of Unitary Authorities and Metropolitan Boroughs.
Geography & Economy
Cheshire is very diverse, stretching from the Wirral coast to the South Pennines. Much of the central section of the county is comprised of the flat Cheshire Plain, although this is surrounded by hills on all sides. Although a large part of the county is rural there are some large settlements in the north, for example Birkenhead and Stockport.
Parts of the county are very affluent, particularly around the Golden Triangle in the northeast. Traditionally the county was famous for cheese, salt and the Crewe railway works; whereas these still exist, industry has modernised, with a petrochemical refinery and Vauxhall factory in Ellesmere Port. Birkenhead has car ferries to Ireland whilst Manchester Airport is at Ringway, near Wilmslow. Tourist attractions include the Anderton Boat Lift, Little Moreton Hall and the city of Chester.
Roads
The county has a good network of roads, with perhaps only the upland sections being less well served. However, travelling through Cheshire is one of the most important ways of getting to Liverpool, Manchester and North Wales so much of the traffic on the roads is just passing through.
Most non-trunk roads within the county are maintained by the Unitary Authorities of Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Halton and Warrington, and the Metropolitan Boroughs of Stockport, Wirral, Trafford, Manchester and Tameside. Part of the extreme north-east of the traditional county is administered by Derbyshire County Council. National Highways maintain a number of motorways and connecting roads, mostly in the north; only the M6 reaches the south of the county.
At one time Cheshire had the misfortune to contain two of the most unliked roads in England: the A556 connecting the M6 and M56; and the A57/A628 over Woodhead, forming the main road between Manchester and Stockport. The former was bypassed in 2017; whilst plans to upgrade the latter have been discussed for some time the road remains S2. Cheshire is also home to perhaps the most famous downgraded motorway, the A6144(M).
The northern boundary of Cheshire follows the River Mersey. At one time the furthest downstream bridge was in Warrington, followed by a transporter bridge at the Runcorn Gap (replaced by the Silver Jubilee Bridge in the 1960s and tunnel at Birkenhead, complemented by a second in the 1970s. Currently under construction is the Mersey Gateway Bridge, also at Runcorn; controversially both bridges here will be tolled once the bridge is opened.
Route | From | To | Length | |
---|---|---|---|---|
M6 | Catthorpe, Leicestershire | Gretna, Dumfriesshire | 236 miles | View |
M53 | Wallasey | Guilden Sutton | 21 miles | View |
M56 | Gatley | Mollington | 34 miles | View |
M60 | Stockport | Stockport | 35.3 miles | View |
M60 | Knutsford | Manchester | 14 miles | View |
M62 | Eccles | Stretford | 6 miles | View |
M63 | Eccles | Bredbury | 15 miles | View |
M67 | Denton | Mottram | 5 miles | View |
M531 | Hooton | Little Stanney | 5 miles | View |
A6(M) | Bredbury | Hazel Grove | 4.5 miles | View |
A6(M) | Heaton Norris | Hazel Grove | View | |
A34(M) | Bruntwood Park | Alderley Park | View | |
A556(M) | Over Tabley | Castle Hill | 6 miles | View |
A6144(M) | Urmston | Carrington | 1.2 miles | View |
A6 | Luton | Carlisle | 299 miles | View |
A34 | Winchester | Salford | 200 miles | View |
A41 | London | Birkenhead | 204 miles | View |
A49 | Ross on Wye | Bamber Bridge | 158 miles | View |
A50 | Leicester | Warrington | 99.3 miles | View |
A51 | Chester | Kingsbury | 79 miles | View |
A54 | Ladmanlow | Tarvin | 42.0 miles | View |
A55 | Holyhead | Chester | 88 miles | View |
A56 | Chester | Broughton | 80.1 miles | View |
A57 | Liverpool | Lincoln | 122 miles | View |
A464 | Oaken | Nantwich | 37.5 miles | View |
A483 | Earlswood | Chester | 153.6 miles | View |
A494 | Dolgellau | Mollington | 61.7 miles | View |
A500 | Hanchurch | Nantwich | 18.8 miles | View |
A523 | Calton Moor House | Hazel Grove | 31.9 miles | View |
A525 | Newcastle under Lyme | Rhyl | 73 miles | View |
A526 | Newcastle-under-Lyme | Salford | 35.8 miles | View |
A527 | Congleton | Newcastle-under-Lyme | 13.7 miles | View |
A529 | Nantwich | Hinstock | 18.9 miles | View |
A529 | Chester | Hinstock | 33.6 miles | View |
A530 | Burleydam (NW) | Lostock Gralam | 22.8 miles | View |
A531 | Madeley Heath | Weston | 6.7 miles | View |
A532 | Crewe Hall | Marshfield Bank | 4.0 miles | View |
A533 | Rode Heath | Widnes | 30.3 miles | View |
A534 | Wrexham | West Heath, Congleton | 37.3 miles | View |
A535 | Holmes Chapel | Chelford | 6.4 miles | View |
A536 | Congleton | Macclesfield | 16.15 km | View |
A537 | Knutsford | Axe Edge Moor, near Buxton | 20.3 miles | View |
A538 | Macclesfield | Altrincham | 17.0 miles | View |
A540 | Chester | Hoylake | 19.2 miles | View |
A548 | Llanrwst | Chester | 53.0 miles | View |
A550 | Cefn-y-bedd | Hooton | 14.8 miles | View |
A551 | Gayton | Seacombe | 11.2 miles | View |
A552 | Woodchurch CH49 | Birkenhead | 4.1 miles | View |
A553 | Hoylake | Birkenhead | 7.6 miles | View |
A554 | Bidston | Birkenhead | 7.4 miles | View |
A555 | Manchester Airport | Hazel Grove | 8 miles | View |
A555 | Backford | Ellesmere Port | 3.6 miles | View |
A556 | Delamere | Bowdon | 18.7 miles | View |
A557 | Sutton Weaver | Rainhill Stoops | 9.7 miles | View |
A558 | Runcorn | Daresbury | 3.3 miles | View |
A559 | Lower Stretton | Hartford | 12.7 miles | View |
A560 | Altrincham | Mottram in Longdendale | 16.8 miles | View |
A626 | Heaton Chapel | Dinting Vale | 9.9 miles | View |
A627 | Hazel Grove | Chadderton | 15 miles | View |
A628 | Hollingworth | Pontefract | 37.6 miles | View |
A635 | Manchester | Doncaster | 51.0 miles | View |
A5002 | Macclesfield | Buxton | 15.0 miles | View |
A5004 | Buxton | Bridgemont | 7.8 miles | View |
A5011 | Talke | Lawton Gate | 1.9 miles | View |
A5015 | Burleydam | Combermere Park Lodge | 0.2 miles | View |
A5016 | Ridley House | nr Bank Farm, Ridley | 0.1 miles | View |
A5017 | Beam Street | Crewe Road | 0.3 miles | View |
A5018 | Winsford | Wharton Green | 1.6 miles | View |
A5019 | Nantwich Road, Crewe | Earle Street, Crewe | 0.7 miles | View |
A5020 | Crewe Green | Weston | 2.7 miles | View |
A5021 | Hightown | Kinderton Street | 0.1 miles | View |
A5022 | Sandbach | Brereton Green | 1.4 miles | View |
A5023 | Antrobus Street | Bridge Street | 0.1 miles | View |
A5024 | Buxton Road | Park Green | 0.3 miles | View |
A5027 | Victoria Hospital, Birkenhead | Upton | 5.9 miles | View |
A5028 | Poulton Road | Church Road | 0.27 miles | View |
A5029 | Borough Road | Tower Road | 0.8 miles | View |
A5030 | Canning Street, Birkenhead | Wallasey Bridge Road, Birkenhead | 2.1 miles | View |
A5031 | Hamilton Street | Chester Street | 0.1 miles | View |
A5032 | Backford | Ellesmere Port | 4.2 miles | View |
A5033 | Chester Road | Knutsford Town Centre | 1.8 miles | View |
A5034 | Tatton Park | Bucklow Hill | 1.5 miles | View |
A5035 | Hazel Grove | Hazel Grove station | 0.1 miles | View |
A5060 | Warrington | Lower Walton | 1.1 miles | View |
A5061 | Westy | Sankey Bridges | 2.3 miles | View |
A5078 | West Street, Crewe | Nantwich Road, Crewe | 1.5 miles | View |
A5088 | Birkenhead | Liscard, Wallasey | 1.4 miles | View |
A5102 | Wilmslow | Stockport | 7.1 miles | View |
A5103 | Manchester | Northenden | 5.5 miles | View |
A5104 | Corwen | Chester | 26.7 miles | View |
A5115 | Boughton, Chester | Boughton Heath | 0.7 miles | View |
A5116 | Chester | Moston | 2.3 miles | View |
A5117 | Helsby | Saughall | 7.8 miles | View |
A5126 | Halton Lodge | Beechwood | 0.8 miles | View |
A5133 | View | |||
A5137 | Gayton | Clatterbridge | 3.2 miles | View |
A5139 | Bidston | Seacombe | 2.4 miles | View |
A5143 | Bramhall Green | Hazel Grove (S) | 2.0 miles | View |
A5144 | Timperley | Hale | 1.2 miles | View |
A5145 | Stretford | Stockport | 7.4 miles | View |
A5149 | Cheadle | Poynton | 6.5 miles | View |
A5196 | Wilson Patten Street | Chester Road | 1.52 km | View |
A5227 | Chester Street, Birkenhead | Argyle Street, Birkenhead | 0.3 miles | View |
A5268 | Chester | Chester | 2.0 miles | View |
A5301 | London Road/Elwood Way | Audlem Road | 0.6 miles | View |
A5365 | Lower Heath | Wolstenholme Elmy Way | 0.94 km | View |
A5480 | Bache | Blacon | 1.3 miles | View |
A5509 | London Road | Watling Street | 0.4 miles | View |
A6015 | Newtown | Hayfield | 3.3 miles | View |
A6017 | Bredbury | Ashton-under-Lyne | 5.9 miles | View |
A6018 | Mottram in Longdendale | Stalybridge | 2.9 miles | View |
A6024 | Woodhead | Honley | 10.1 miles | View |
A6113 | Market Street, Hyde | Stockport Road, Gee Cross | 0.8 miles | View |
A6144 | Sale | Lymm | 12.5 miles | View |
A6180 | Romiley | Bredbury | 0.7 miles | View |
A6188 | Heaton Chapel | Shaw Heath | 4.73 km | View |
B529 | Moss Side | Northenden | 4.5 miles | View |
B5069 | Hampton Heath | Nant y Caws | 23.8 miles | View |
B5071 | Hatherton | Crewe | 7.0 miles | View |
B5072 | Nantwich Lake | Wellington Road | 0.2 miles | View |
B5073 | Nantwich | Burford | 1.8 miles | View |
B5074 | Salterswall | Nantwich | 11.7 miles | View |
B5075 | Northwich | Higher Marston | 1.7 miles | View |
B5075 | High Street | Nantwich Road | 0.5 miles | View |
B5076 | Crewe | Bradfield Green | 2.8 miles | View |
B5077 | Crewe Green | Lawton Gate, Alsager | 6.2 miles | View |
B5078 | Chellshill | Barthomley | 4.8 miles | View |
B5079 | Elworth | Wheelock | 2.5 miles | View |
B5080 | High Street | Winsford & Over Station | 0.1 miles | View |
B5081 | Smithy Green | Middlewich | 6.8 miles | View |
B5082 | Rudheath Woods | Northwich | 5.9 miles | View |
B5083 | Northwich Road | Manchester Road | 1.2 miles | View |
B5084 | Brook Street | Mobberley Road | 0.1 miles | View |
B5085 | Alderley Edge | Knutsford | 6.4 miles | View |
B5086 | Davenport Green | Wilmslow | 2.0 miles | View |
B5087 | Macclesfield | Alderley Edge | 5.7 miles | View |
B5088 | Chester Road | Park Lane | 0.6 miles | View |
B5089 | Macclesfield | Whaley Bridge | 8.2 miles | View |
B5090 | Tytherington | Bollington | 2.3 miles | View |
B5091 | Bradley Mount | Bollington Cross | 0.7 miles | View |
B5092 | Wilmslow | Poynton | 4.8 miles | View |
B5093 | Woodford | Stockport | 4.1 miles | View |
B5094 | Stanley Green | Bramhall | 2.3 miles | View |
B5095 | Smithy Green | East Didsbury | 3.9 miles | View |
B5130 | Chester | Cock Bank | 15.7 miles | View |
B5131 | Rowton | Upton | 4.8 miles | View |
B5132 | Stamford Bridge | Eastham | 16.5 miles | View |
B5133 | Windle Hill | Hooton | 3.4 miles | View |
B5134 | Neston | Hinderton | 1.0 mile | View |
B5135 | Neston | Gayton | 2.8 miles | View |
B5136 | Neston | Rock Ferry | 8.5 miles | View |
B5137 | Clatterbridge | Bromborough | 2.1 miles | View |
B5138 | Heswall | Thingwall | 2.2 miles | View |
B5139 | Upton | West Kirby | 3.5 miles | View |
B5140 | Frankby | Caldy | 1.7 miles | View |
B5141 | Caldy | West Kirby | 1.7 miles | View |
B5142 | Warrington Road, Weaverham | High Street, Weaverham | 0.75 miles | View |
B5142 | Liscard | Egremont | 0.5 miles | View |
B5143 | Liscard | New Brighton | 1.04 miles | View |
B5144 | Weaverham bypass | Station Road | 0.34 miles | View |
B5144 | Birkenhead Road | Poulton Road | 0.6 miles | View |
B5145 | St Hilary Brow, Wallasey | Seacombe | 1.7 miles | View |
B5146 | Freeman Street | Beaufort Road | 0.8 miles | View |
B5147 | Whetstone Lane | Borough Road | 0.4 miles | View |
B5148 | Birkenhead | Dacre Hill | 1.9 miles | View |
B5149 | Birkenhead | Bebington | 2.3 miles | View |
B5150 | Higher Bebington | Woodhey | 1.1 miles | View |
B5151 | Bidston | Willaston (S) | 10.4 miles | View |
B5152 | Frodsham | Cotebrook | 9.0 miles | View |
B5153 | Greenbank | Kingsley | 7.2 miles | View |
B5154 | Runcorn | Weston Point | 1.1 miles | View |
B5155 | Silver Jubilee Bridge | Central Expressway | 2.3 miles | View |
B5156 | Lower Walton | Latchford | 2.0 miles | View |
B5157 | Latchford | Thelwall | 4.2 miles | View |
B5158 | Lostock | Lymm Interchange | 11.6 miles | View |
B5159 | High Legh | Warburton (Toll road) | 4.0 miles | View |
B5160 | Mossbrow | Bowdon | 3.9 miles | View |
B5161 | Bowgreen | Altrincham | 1.8 miles | View |
B5162 | Rosehill | Well Green | 1.6 miles | View |
B5163 | Langham Road | Hale Road | 0.6 miles | View |
B5164 | Woodlands Road | Manchester Road | 0.35 miles | View |
B5165 | Manchester Road, West Timperley | Shaftesbury Avenue, Timperley | 2.8 miles | View |
B5166 | Ashton upon Mersey | Wilmslow | 10.5 miles | View |
B5167 | Baguley | Withington | 4.4 miles | View |
B5168 | Sharston | Northenden | 0.4 miles | View |
B5172 | Egerton Park | Rock Ferry | 0.6 miles | View |
B5181 | Hibel Road | Park Street | 0.52 miles | View |
B5192 | Upton | West Kirby | 2.5 miles | View |
B5196 | Congleton Road | Hightown | 0.5 miles | View |
B5290 | Northenden (SW) | Moss Side | 4.3 miles | View |
B5308 | Chester Road | The Square | 0.5 miles | View |
B5309 | Middlewich (E) | King Street Farm | 1.8 miles | View |
B5310 | Greenway Road | Halton Road | 0.7 miles | View |
B5311 | Ashton upon Mersey | Sale Moor | 2.1 miles | View |
B5333 | Poulton Road | Wallasey Road | 0.6 miles | View |
B5334 | Moor Street, Congleton | High Street | 0.2 miles | View |
B5335 | Middlewich | King Street | 1.6 miles | View |
B5336 | Wharton Green | Mere Heath | 1.7 miles | View |
B5337 | Watling Street | London Road | 0.6 miles | View |
B5338 | Nantwich town centre | Nantwich bypass | 0.9 miles | View |
B5341 | Burford | Nantwich | 2.6 miles | View |
B5355 | Middlewich Road | Wharton Park Road | 1.1 miles | View |
B5356 | Daresbury | Lymm | 5.7 miles | View |
B5357 | Heather Road / Park Road | Hale railway station | 0.55 miles | View |
B5358 | Prestbury | Heald Green | 7.3 miles | View |
B5359 | Wilmslow | Chelford | 4.1 miles | View |
B5361 | Chester Street | King's Square | 0.2 miles | View |
B5374 | Greenbank | Winnington | 0.6 miles | View |
B5391 | Higher Wincham | Over Tabley | 3.5 miles | View |
B5392 | Jodrell Bank | Broken Cross | 7.0 miles | View |
B5393 | Ashton Hayes | Frodsham | 6.5 miles | View |
B5394 | High Street | Red Lane | 0.5 miles | View |
B5395 | Malpas | Whitchurch | 6.8 miles | View |
B5397 | Cross Street | Northenden Road | 1.6 miles | View |
B5438 | Heath Road | Halton Road | 0.7 miles | View |
B5445 | Gresford | Belgrave | 6.5 miles | View |
B5463 | Ledsham(N) | Ellesmere Port | 2.9 miles | View |
B5465 | Cheadle Heath | Stockport (E) | 2.4 miles | View |
B5470 | Hurdsfield, Macclesfield | Chapel-en-le-Frith | 12.3 miles | View |
B5472 | Crewe Hall | Meremoor Moss | 1.6 miles | View |
B5477 | Bayswater Road | Leasowe Road | 0.6 miles | View |
B5569 | Over Tabley | Millington | 2.6 miles | View |
B6062 | New Smithy | Bridgemont | 3.1 miles | View |
B6101 | Marple | New Mills | 4.2 miles | View |
B6102 | Station Road | Strines Road | 0.4 miles | View |
B6103 | Hazel Grove | Woodley | 3.9 miles | View |
B6104 | Portwood, Stockport | Marple Bridge | 5.1 miles | View |
B6105 | Glossop | Crowden | 5.3 miles | View |
B6169 | Audenshaw | Dukinfield | 1.5 miles | View |
B6170 | Ashton-under-Lyne | Hyde | 2.8 miles | View |
B6171 | Heaviley | Offerton | 1.0 mile | View |
B6174 | Hattersley | Roe Cross | 0.96 miles | View |
B6175 | Greenfield | Dukinfield | 7.2 miles | View |
B6184 | Wood Street | Bramhall Way | 1.64 km | View |
B6431 | Oxford Road, Dukinfield | Stamford Park, Stalybridge | 0.7 miles | View |
B6445 | Dukinfield | Stalybridge | 1.1 miles | View |
B6468 | Hyde | Gee Cross | 0.7 miles | View |
B6544 | Ashton upon Mersey | Sale Golf Club | 3.4 miles | View |
T12 | London | Inverness | View | |
T13 | Winchester | Preston | View | |
T14 | E of Birmingham | Birkenhead | View | |
T18 | Swansea | Manchester | View | |
T19 | Chester | Bangor | View | |
T55 | Derby | S of Stockport | View | |
T56 | Stoke-on-Trent | Delamare | View | |
T57 | Shrewsbury | Warrington | View | |
T58 | Shotwick | Warrington | View | |
T59 | Liverpool | Skegness | View | |
T61 | Manchester | Mottram | View | |
T84 | Dolgellau | South of Birkenhead | View |
Key
Turnpikes
Junctions
Bridges, Tunnels, and other Crossings