The walk begins by Astbury Mere on the southern edge of Congleton.  We will walk along lanes to get to the Macclesfield Canal and walk along the towpath  in a southerly direction.  We will return across fields to the historic parish church at Astbury. Then via a lane and field path to the take in some more of the Mere and the start of the walk.  The mere is man-made and was previously a sand quarry. Quarrying finished in the 1980s and over the years it was transformed into today's Country Park.