Start/Finish: Middlewood Way Car Park,
Adlington Road, Bollington. Distance: 10.3 miles (16.6 km). Difficulty: Mainly
medium, a few small inclines. Time: 3½ to 4 hours.
1.
From the Middlewood Way car park, cross straight over the road
(Adlington Road) into the recreation ground. Walk along the right hand edge of
the recreation ground, with the River Dean to your right. Cross the bridge over
the river, and turn left to follow the river. At the end of the recreation
ground, bear right to walk up to the main road.
2.
Turn left along the main road and then immediately left up a
bridleway. This takes you up to the canal towpath, opposite Clarence Mill.
3.
Bear left along the canal towpath, so that you are walking away
from Bollington with Clarence Mill on your right. Now walk for a few miles
along the towpath.
4.
Eventually you will pass the Lyme View Marina (where there is a
cafe). After a few more bridges you will get to bridge number 16.
5.
Cross over the bridge, and bear right to cross a field. Pass
through a gate.
6.
Follow the footpath, keeping to the left hand side of the field.
Ignore the footpath off to the left. Go through the kissing gate - you should
be passing to the right of the Throstlenest Farm buildings (just visible
through the hedge).
7.
Pass through another kissing gate, and follow the path round to a
lane.
8.
Turn right along the lane.
9.
At Green Farm, bear right to pass in front of the farm house. Turn
left at a junction to pass behind the farm buildings. Go through a gate, and
pass to the left of an outbuilding. Follow the footpath as it turns right to
pass to the left of the outbuilding.
10. Pass through a gate, and
walk round to a tall ladder stile. Cross the ladder stile - a sign now
indicates that you are in the grounds of Lyme Park.
11. Take the wide path that
goes diagonally uphill after the ladder stile. Continue straight on, and bear
left when this path merges with a wider bridleway.
12. Keep straight on when
another bridleway merges from the left. Bear left at the next junction, along a
driveway.
13. At the next junction,
turn right to follow the Gritstone Trail, which you will follow all the way
back to Bollington. All Gritstone Trail signs are a ’G‘ in a boot, in a yellow
arrow. Follow the Gritstone Trail signs, along a drive / bridleway, going
uphill through woods (Knights Low Wood).
14. Emerge from the woods,
and follow the sign (only just readable) to the Bowstones, which leads you away
from the woods, along a wide path up hill.
15. At the top of the hill
there is a farm house. Just after the farmhouse, the Gritstone Trail turns
right. A sign indicates that you will be walking in the direction of Charles
Head. Follow the bridleway out across the moors for a few miles now.
16. Eventually the bridleway
forks off to the left, and downhill slightly, to meet Bakestonedale Road.
17. Turn right along
Bakestonedale Road.
18. Just after a few houses,
the Gritstone Trail turns left along a path, away from the road. Follow the
Gritstone Trail as it heads out across moorland.
19. Bear left to pass to the
left of a large pond.
20. Bear left where a
confusing sign indicates several directions, still following the Gritstone
Trail.
21. After crossing a stile
onto a tarmac lane, cross the cattle grid, and bear left away from the lane, to
follow a wall down hill, along a grassy path.
22. Cross a stile by a gate,
to follow the path (still the Gritstone Trail) down between a wall and a wooded
area.
23. Bear left after the
wall, to follow a grassy path downhill. Cross straight over a farm track, and
continue following the grassy path downhill, aiming for a corner fence. Bear
right after the corner fence, and you will soon reach a gate.
24. Turn left through the
gate, and go down hill, passing two ponds on the left.
25. After passing through a
gate in a stone wall, the Gritstone Trail passes through a wooded area, and
heads down hill. Go through a metal kissing gate, and cross an old packhorse
bridge over a stream.
26. Follow the Gritstone
Trail up hill now across a field, until you meet a lane (Hedge Row).
27. Turn right down the lane,
past houses.
28. At the end of the lane,
you will meet Spuley Lane - turn left here.
29. After a short distance,
bear right at a junction (with a house to the left) to walk down into
Bollington, along Ingersley Road.
30. At the end of Ingersley
Road there is a roundabout. Continue straight on along Palmerston Street (the
main road through Bollington).
31. Just after passing under the canal
viaduct, turn right down into the park (recreation ground). Walk across the
park, to Adlington Road, and return to your starting point.