Local Walks
There’s so much to see and do in the local area – we have created some routes for you to walk and cycle on. Click the buttons below to see all the routes – and explore our beautiful landscape.
Crank Caverns
Crank Caverns is the common name of the remains of the Rainford Delph Quarry near Crank in Merseyside. It is a network of underground tunnels and caverns, as well as an extensive woodland. Information in the St. Helens local history archives states that quarrying for stone began here as early as 1730. As the quarry expanded, the cost of purchasing land to open cast mine it increased, so it was decided to opt for a different method. Instead of quarrying out the stone, they would mine it out, following a seam of stone until it ran out. This resulted in the network of caves, tunnels and shafts we see today. Mining ceased in 1865, and the woods and caverns were used as a game reserve by the Earl of Derby until 1939, when they became a storage facility for ammunition for the anti-aircraft position at Crank. After the war, the caverns ceased use as a game reserve.