After the Sandiway Miniature Railway visit (qv) seven members and friends travelled by car to Ettiley Heath near Sandbach where two more members were waiting at the start of the Wheelock Rail Trail. This multi-user path follows the former North Staffs Railway (NSR) line to Lawton Jn (to the east of the current Alsager station). It OG 1852 as a branch from the south to Ettiley Heath (Goods) on the southern outskirts of Sandbach where it was extended to from 1866. A sparse passenger service ran from Harecastle (now Kidsgrove station) to Wheelock & Sandbach [was Sandbach (Wheelock) from OP in 1893 until 1923], serving Lawton (also OP 1893) and later Hassall Green (OP 1905). This service was withdrawn in 1930 but goods traffic continued until the 1970s. Just after the start of the walk the group found significant buildings remaining at Ettiley Heath Goods (CG 1965)[below left]and after about ¾ mile came to the site of Wheelock & Sandbach station.

The platforms (rebuilt) were visible but the station was in such a narrow cutting that the building (which still survives, along with two NSR houses) was at road level with quite a steep climb up the embankment to reach it. They were viewed before continuing along the railway path for a short distance onto an embankment where a bridge crosses Dingle Brook. Underneath it and just above the brook is a heavily engineered deck, known locally as the 'Dancing Bridge'; the group took a short detour to view this and speculate about the reason for its name. It looks like an accommodation bridge over the stream under the line.



At Malkin's Bank the railway would have crossed what is now a golf course and so an interesting deviation was taken, following the rather wide Trent & Mersey Canal (with its pairs of locks to cater for the former high traffic levels) as far as Hassall Green. There, after a brief stop to shelter from a heavy shower, the group rejoined the course of the old railway at the former Station Master's house by the onetime level crossing and station (where it becomes the Salt Line Way) and carried on under the M6 to the destination at Lawton Heath End on the outskirts of Alsager.

The official walk ends here and the car drivers were kindly given a lift back to collect their vehicles by John Cameron, while others retired to the local hostelry to enjoy a relaxing evening at the end of a very pleasant afternoon. A couple of keen members later returned and were able to extend the walk to the site of Lawton station on the clearly defined railway trackbed in use as a de facto path and returned just as it was becoming dark.