Quarry Bank Mill and Styal Country Park - Saturday 10th August 2019

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