Lyme Park

Lyme Park

 Lyme Park Loop

 

May 21st, 2025

 

Distance: 7.5 miles​

 

Difficulty: Moderate.

 

Weather: Fine and sunny

 

Walkers:  Steven Brearley, Russell Spencer, Dean Taylor plus Tommy, Keith Welsh, Simon Williams, Cliff Worthington.

 

Alternative walkers: None

 

Apologies: None

 

Leader: Cliff Worthington, Diarist: Ditto

 

Starting point: Boars Head, Higher Poynton

 

Starting time: ​9.45am​​  Finishing time: 1.00 pm

 

With many of the Wanderers away on their annual trip, we expected a poor turnout today. However, a respectful number of six turned out, bolstered by the return of Dean Taylor for his first outing since having a ‘Simon Cowell’ teeth job.

 

Crossing the road from the Boars Head, we crossed the bridge over the Middlewood Way and over a further bridge over the canal. We then climbed up a steep rocky path towards Lyme Park.

 

After passing through a gate into the park we walked along side a long dry stone wall that has been slowly restored for over 10 years now and we stopped for a chat with the chaps currently working on it

 

Lyme Park's dry stone walls are a key part of the estate's historic character and require ongoing maintenance. The National Trust, with the help of volunteers and members of the Dry Stone Walling Association, works to conserve and restore these walls, which cost approximately £12,000 annually. The estate has 18 miles of dry stone walls, and guided walks are available for visitors to learn more about the conservation efforts. 

 

We continued past the path on our right which leads to the overflow car park and turned next right to follow a path travelling up through the forest.

 

Eventually, we passed through a gate to exit the park and turned right. After climbing over a steep ladder over a dry stone wall, we turned left up a hill until reaching a further ladder over another dry stone wall where we turned right.

 

The path then took us along a ridge with views of Manchester to our right. After climbing over another ladder we stopped for pie time, about 11.15am.

 

Continuing along the ridge, the path eventually became a bridle path. Passing a house and going through a gate we reached a wooden gate on our right leading to a further bridle path. This led steeply down past a row of attractive cottages and eventually emerged on Shrigley Road where we turned right past the now closed Tin Hut Coffee Tavern.

 

We continued along Shrigley Road until reaching a fork in the road where we turned right. After about 100 yards we reached the West Gate to re-enter Lyme Park. Here we walked up a steep path through the forest until passing through a gate into the overflow car park. The path continued until we reached the previously mentioned dry stone wall. Here we turned left and followed a path down back to the Boars Head.

 

This walk is a little shorter than a usual wander and could have been extended by turning right at the wall, heading up to Lyme Park and visiting the cage.

 

Next weeks walk will start from the lay-by at Curbar Edge at 9.55. We will make our way over to Wellington’s monument, White Edge reaching the Gouse by 12.30. Then Froggat Edge, Curbar Edge, back to the lay-by at, say, 2.40 pm.