Cheshire


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why">WHY?</h2>



<p>There’s real substance to this town that was once on the old London to Chester trading route. The market town’s past prosperity has left it with pockets of glorious architecture to gaze at whilst grabbing a morning coffee or busying about your errands. Moreover, its foodie credentials are growing and the town pulls off one of the biggest free-to-enter food events in the country.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat">EAT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1001" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/DSC_8459.jpg" alt="9 Mill Street, a glamorous space with banquette seating and sharp herringbone floors Nantwich Cheshire" class="wp-image-372" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/DSC_8459.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/DSC_8459-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/DSC_8459-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/DSC_8459-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">9 Mill Street</figcaption></figure>



<p>Kick things off with a visit to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cafedeparis.nantwich/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Café de Paris</a> on Chapel Court, following the scents of lavender that hang in the courtyard. Expect pastries with sticky jams, Croque monsieur, steaming bowls of French onion soup and plenty of ooh la la. <a href="https://gingerandpickles.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ginger &amp; Pickles</a> also doles out brunch dishes and towering cakes, and you’ll often find diners huddled around tiered trays for their excellent afternoon teas, or perch yourself on one of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/missmarmalades/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Miss Marmalade’s</a> higgledy piggledy tables for insanely good cakes amongst mismatched interiors. </p>



<p><a href="https://www.deadwoodsmokehouse.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Deadwood</a> is a prime cut for carnivores, dishing up BBQ-style ribs, burgers and platters of rootin’ tootin’ smoked meat, washed down with punchy cocktails. And over at <a href="https://www.9millstreet.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">9 Mill Street</a>, a glamorous space with banquette seating and sharp herringbone floors, the kitchen prepares globally inspired small plates, from Thai-infused tiger prawns, to salmon ceviche and fillet doused in soy and mirin. On Thursdays, dine on hot billowing pizzas from Jordy’s Pizza Pop Up whilst ordering craft beers and cocktails from <a href="https://www.sixnantwich.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Six Nantwich</a>.</p>



<p>Drive a little out of town and you’ll arrive at <a href="https://www.thebarbridgeinn.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Barbridge Inn</a>, where punters nurse pints and G&amp;Ts with views over the Shropshire Union Canal. Or enter the creaky-floored <a href="https://blacklionnantwich.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Lion</a>, the oldest pub in Nantwich, where you can cosy up next to a roaring fire when the weather turns. Finally, make a pilgrimage to <a href="https://snugburys.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Snugburys</a>, the legendary ice cream parlour and order the chocolate brownie, made from ground almonds, beetroot and four different types of chocolate. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1072" height="1192" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/Walk-the-Line-Vintage-Nantwich.jpg" alt="Walk the Line Vintage Nantwich Cheshire woman wearing vintage coat boot and hat looking in mirror" class="wp-image-371" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/Walk-the-Line-Vintage-Nantwich.jpg 1072w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/Walk-the-Line-Vintage-Nantwich-270x300.jpg 270w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/Walk-the-Line-Vintage-Nantwich-921x1024.jpg 921w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/Walk-the-Line-Vintage-Nantwich-768x854.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1072px) 100vw, 1072px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Walk the Line Vintage</figcaption></figure>



<p>Wander into the Cocoa Yard and have a good rummage in <a href="https://walkthelinevintage.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Walk the Line Vintage</a>, stacked with carefully sourced pre-loved items from personal stylist, Lea Burgess. You never quite know what you’re going to find. On the hunt for simple pieces of womenswear? Pop into <a href="https://whiteribbonboutique.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">White Ribbon Boutique</a> or <a href="https://sleeknantwich.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sleek Boutique</a>.</p>



<p>As for food, treat yourself to a wedge of something wonderfully whiffy from <a href="https://www.cheeseshopnantwich.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Cheese Shop</a> and, whilst you’re here, grab a jar of local honey and a bottle of plonk. But my personal favourite is <a href="https://nantwichbookshop.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Nantwich Book Shop and Coffee Lounge</a> where you can hide away to thumb through books and flop onto its big leather sofas with a slice of cake. Oh and there’s the markets too, from the Nantwich Artisan Market held on the fourth Sunday of every month to the Farmer’s Market in the town square on the last Saturday of every month.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<p>Locals can sign up to the Nantwich Health Centre for GP services. There’s every type of yoga – including aerial – to try at <a href="https://yogaknantwich.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YogaK Wellbeing Studio</a>, whilst <a href="https://www.jj-studios.co.uk/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">JJ Studios</a> runs power plate sessions, Cardio HIIT and postnatal fitness. On your doorstep is one of the best spas in the county, the <a href="https://www.manorhousealsager.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Spa at Manor House</a> where you can wallow on daybeds or dangle your feet in the hot pool in its pretty garden. There’s also <a href="https://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/rookeryhall/spa" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rookery Hall Hotel and Spa</a> for pummelling treatments and its health club with a gym, glass-roofed pool and PT trainer.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>There’s <a href="https://theartmixer.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paint &amp; Sip</a> for those who fancy getting arty whilst supping a wine or three at Loco Nantwich. Come Christmas, the light-switch-on is always a fun festive bash with street stalls and mulled wine warming the crowds. Plus there are wreath-making workshops and other flower-arranging sessions at <a href="https://annafloraflorist.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anna Flora</a>, the town’s ethereal florist who’s made a name for her dark, rustic-style blooms.</p>



<p>Not ‘community’ as such but <a href="https://www.cinderwoodmarketgarden.co" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cinderwood</a> is a progressive market garden in Nantwich, led in collaboration with chef Joseph Otway of Manchester’s huge success story, Higher Ground, supplying its rick pickings to restaurants across Manchester, including Michelin-starred Mana and Erst.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nearby-attractions">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2000" height="1331" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/461819714_556795330034037_6297850684108585752_n.jpg" alt="Family on giant swing Bewilderwood Nantwich Cheshire" class="wp-image-370" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/461819714_556795330034037_6297850684108585752_n.jpg 2000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/461819714_556795330034037_6297850684108585752_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/461819714_556795330034037_6297850684108585752_n-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/461819714_556795330034037_6297850684108585752_n-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/461819714_556795330034037_6297850684108585752_n-1536x1022.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">BeWILDerwood</figcaption></figure>



<p>Fancy a good walk? Mooch away from the centre and along the riverside paths skirting the River Weaver, Nantwich Lake and The Shropshire Union Canal where you can gaze towards the Cheshire Plain. Or slip on your winter warmers and head to the Llangollen canal, winding up at the Dusty Miller pub for an amaretto-spiked-coffee.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Love a garden? Explore the Arboretum, ornamental woodlands and immaculate Rose Rooms at the Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, nipping into the <a href="https://cholmondeleyarms.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cholmondeley Arms</a> (fab food, lots of local gin) on your way back to Nantwich. Finally the kids will relish a day at <a href="https://bewilderwood.co.uk/">BeWILDerwood</a>, the gargantuan adventure park crafted from wood, where children whoosh through the treetops on zip lines and scurry down ropes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture">CULTURE</h2>



<p>In the heart of the town is the <a href="https://www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nantwich Museum</a>, digging into the past and hosting events, from guided walks to river tours. Movie buffs should sign up to the <a href="https://nantwichfilmclub.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nantwich Film Club</a>, pulling up a chair in the town’s Civic Hall for a fiver and watching whatever film is showing that week. Though you could nip over to the Odeon at Crewe for current blockbusters. </p>



<p>Amateur actors tread the boards of the <a href="https://www.nantwichplayers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nantwich Players Theatre</a> several times a year, whilst Crewe’s Lyceum Theatre is an atmospheric and intimate space to catch comedy, dance and anything-goes theatre productions. But the biggie is the <a href="https://www.nantwichfoodfestival.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nantwich Food Festival</a>, the UK’s largest free-to-enter foodie event, where hundreds of stalls, live cooking demos and entertainment take over the streets of Nantwich. </p>



<p>Finally, there’s <a href="https://justsofestival.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Just So Festival</a> at Rode Hall, the madcap kid-focused shindig, where swarms of dressed-up families parade together, dance to live music and stare at leftfield performances, all whilst camping on site. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><a href="https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150428003#/media?id=media0&amp;ref=photoCollage&amp;channel=RES_BUY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="768" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/265988_33246004_IMG_00_0000.jpeg" alt="Step back in time, this 7 bed Georgian gem in the heart of historic Nantwich and walking distance of the station. On the market for £785,000." class="wp-image-367" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/265988_33246004_IMG_00_0000.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/265988_33246004_IMG_00_0000-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2024/10/265988_33246004_IMG_00_0000-768x576.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Step back in time, this 7 bed Georgian gem in the heart of historic Nantwich and walking distance of the station. <a href="https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/150428003#/media?id=media0&amp;ref=photoCollage&amp;channel=RES_BUY" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On the market for £785,000</a>.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-prices">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES</h2>



<p>Overall average houses price come in at £288,137. Terraced homes average £230,345, detached £452,026, with semis fetching £271,563.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nurseries">NURSERIES</h2>



<p>Close to the centre is <a href="https://www.sunflowersatstannes.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sunflowers at St Anne’s</a>, set in the grounds of St Anne’s Catholic Primary School. <a href="https://lamaternelle.co.uk/day-nursery-nantwich/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">La Maternelle</a> is rated Outstanding with wraparound care for littles ones from 3 mths – 5 yrs and Little Angels is pitched in the green environs of Regent Park.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-schools">SCHOOLS</h2>



<p>Families tend to send their little ones to the primary schools close to the town, including Nantwich Primary Academy, St Anne’s Catholic Primary, Weaver Primary, Highfields Academy and Millfields Academy, followed by Brine Leas School or Malbank School and Sixth Form College, both rated Good by Ofsted. </p>



<p>As for independent schools, you’re a long drive away, either towards Chester (45 min drive) and&nbsp; <a href="https://www.kingschester.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The King’s School</a> (4 &#8211; 18 yrs), <a href="https://www.abbeygatecollege.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Abbey Gate College</a> (4 – 18 yrs) and <a href="https://www.thequeensschool.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Queen’s School</a> for girls (4 – 18 yrs)  – one of the top performing girls’ schools in the region. Or across to Stoke-on-Trent, over the border in Staffordshire.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-kept-secret">BEST KEPT SECRET</h2>



<p>Fancy stepping inside a secret bunker? Nantwich is the unassuming location of the <a href="https://www.hackgreen.co.uk/">Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker</a> that remained hidden for more than 50 years – a clandestine HQ for the government in the event of a national emergency. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commute">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>For trains into Manchester, you’ll have to head to neighbouring Crewe, where they take around 1 Hr. Likewise for London Euston. From Crewe, train journeys are around 1 hr 40 mins.</p>



<p><em>View the full&nbsp;</em><a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live/"><em>Top 300 Best Places to Live</em></a>.</p>


Nantwich

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