A new walking trail linking all the local market towns has been launched.

Dot Flint, chair of the Town Partnership Forum, announced "another example of working together" by the Town Partnerships to establish a new circular walking trail connecting the towns of Alsager, Congleton, Holmes Chapel, Middlewich and Sandbach, to be known as the 'South Cheshire Market Towns Trail' (SCMTT).

A free illustrated map including directions narrative of the trail and shorter sub-routes will be available in local information centres.

Mrs Flint, from Sandbach, said: "The map funded by Cheshire East through the New Home Bonus Fund, is a great example of what can be achieved by volunteers working together, it will help promote our wonderful countryside and offer people an opportunity to live a healthy lifestyle."

The idea to establish the trail was conceived by the 'Five Towns Partnership', an organisation comprised of residents representing the partnerships of Holmes Chapel, Congleton, Alsager, Sandbach and Middlewich, and supported by the local Ramblers Groups and University of the Third Age.

Mrs Flint added: "Our local towns are surrounded by wonderful and varied countryside and are of historical interest and it seemed a great way to promote fun, health and wellbeing of residents and those living further afield by enticing them into our towns and countryside by providing the challenge of a long distance circular walking trail that passes through or close by the five towns.

"The degree of challenge posed by the walk caters for all abilities; while some will relish the full challenge (circa 40 miles) others may wish to break it down into sections completed over several days or indeed take the alternative routes indicated on the map.

"Others may prefer to walk a single section between towns, spending time to explore them and return home by public transport."

The trail can be started from any of the five towns but the directions narrative on the map starts from Asbury Mere Country Park, Congleton, and assumes a clockwise direction to the walk.

The park is a good starting point for the trail as it offers car parking and a café with views of Bosley Cloud, Congleton Edge and Mow Cop, to the east.

Congleton Edge and part of the Mow Cop Ridge are traversed en route and afford views of the Staffordshire Moorlands to the east and the Cheshire Plain to the West (walkers wishing to take a more gentle route can follow the Macclesfield Canal to Scholar Green).

Just a short (0.5m) distance from the Macclesfield Canal near Scholar Green is Little Moreton Hall (NT) a not to be missed Tudor mansion.

The route then forges through rich Cheshire farmland passing close to Alsager and joins the Trent and Mersey Canal at Hassall Green when the route alternates between canal bank and farmland through Sandbach and onwards to Middlewich.

The Ancient Crosses and cobbled square in Sandbach and canal locks at Middlewich are well worth visiting according to Mrs Flint.

From Middlewich the trail heads through flat farmland to Holmes Chapel, then heads down into the River Dane valley where the viaduct spans the river.

The trail then follows the Dane Valley Way, a beautiful area of steep sided woodland rich in wildlife, through to Swettenham village.

The Dane valley is left behind as the trail heads through Brereton Heath Nature Reserve and onwards through farmland back to Astbury Mere.

Maps of the trail are available in the Congleton Visitor Information Centre and Congleton Library.

You can find the online map here.