This year marks 130 years in celebration of the National Trust; one of our key partners.

Three of the Trust's most popular countryside 'properties' lie along the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge: Bickerton Hill, Helsby Hill and Bulkeley Hill.

With 91 hectares to explore, Bickerton Hill is a perfect place to find peace and solitude. But there's lots to see and do here too. Make sure you stop to discover the remains of Maiden Castle; the fort ruins that date back to the Iron Age. Keep an eye out for the ranger and volunteers working hard on the lowland heath regeneration.

Or, enjoy breathtaking panoramic views from the rocky summit of Helsby Hill with its celebrated 'trig point', before crossing the valley to the tumbled ramparts of Woodhouse hilltop enclosure, high on the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge.

Alternatively, take a walk onBulkeley Hillwhich forms the southern end of the Peckforton Hills. This sandstone escarpment is rich in history and wildlife. Semi-natural ancient woodland covers most of the hill, though a little of the heathland which covered the hill before trees were planted in the early 20th century still remains in isolated patches near the summit. Grazing ceased in the 1930s and 1940s and Bulkeley Hill – like much of the Sandstone Ridge – was largely open lowland heath covered in heather, gorse and bilberries. However, a series of twisted, veteran sweet chestnut trees must have existed for several hundred years; these trees would have once been periodically coppiced to provide timber for fences and buildings. A curious iron tramline also exists, which links the top of the hill, with the low ground to the east. This steep narrow-gauge track was built solely to carry heavy components to the summit during the construction of a 'surge regulator' at the Peckforton Pumping Station in 1949.

Enjoy!