This
walk came about during a discussion over coffee after Church probably
two Sundays ago and was a bit of a corporate effort. Nothing was
planned until some one mentioned Styal Mill and possibilities of
lunch at the Ship Inn. One person had a much walked route embedded in
her boots! This route also allowed the opportunity to cut back
through the beautiful gardens if the prospect of the few short but
sharp inclines was too much.
Firstly
we had coffee in the Mill restaurant before ten of us set off from
the old Mill Yard (featured in ‘The Mill’ TV series). We went up
the hill from the Mill towards the Apprentice House but turned left
along the track that skirts the outer edges of land round the
original home of the Gregg family. This used to be a muddy path but
in the last few years the National Trust has upgraded many of the
paths on the estate, making them accessible to more visitors,
including wheelchair users and children’s buggies.
We
dropped down to the River Bollin which was swollen after the recent
heavy rains. It was here that some of the group headed back through
the gardens. The rest of us walked along the river leaving the Oxbow
Bridge to our left and then up to the outer edges of the estate
before going down into a gully and up the other side in very short
order!
Passing the Northcliffe Chapel we turned back towards the Mill but at a higher level. We carried on at this height through the car park and over the fields towards the Wilmslow entrance to the estate. We walked back to the Mill Yard, through the beautiful woods, taking in the remains of the 18th Century quarry and going over Heron’s Pool Bridge before meeting up with the others.
The weather was muggy and wet interspersed with brilliant sunshine. We were joined for an excellent lunch by five non walkers. This was not a conventional walk by the St. Paul’s group but it was an altogether pleasant and convivial occasion.
HGL August 2019
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Assembly point - Quarry Bank Mill |
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Styal Estate |
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Woodland Path - Styal Country Park |
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Heading toward the garden |
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Giant redwood tress |
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Above the River Bollin |
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Styal Cross |
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Lunch at the Ship Inn Styal
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