Wednesday 5 June 2019 – An Evening Walk Around Styal

As usual, click on any image for a better resolution version and slideshow

On a cloudy but fine evening when the expected rain failed to materialise, Sue and I joined 25 SWOG (Stockport Walking and Outdoors Group) walkers for this pleasant stroll around the familiar environs of Styal.

John was there in plenty of time to grab a pre walk drink at the Ship Inn (pictured above), whilst the rest of us accumulated outside the nearby Book Exchange.

There’s an excellent Community Café – Earlam’s - which we visited on 28 January. If you are passing here during the opening hours, it’s a good watering hole.

We departed promptly (as always) at 7.30, with Chris well camouflaged in a pretence that he wasn’t actually the leader of this walk. We made our way along the broad path to Quarry Bank and the River Bollin.

A lovely walk along the tree lined valley was interspersed with a few ups and downs, the last of which occurred after crossing Giants Castle Bridge, from where the next picture was taken.

On the way to the main A538 road, we passed this relatively recently fallen tree. It wasn’t clear exactly where it had fallen from, as a well worn path crossed the area where we would have expected to find a hole from the uprooted monster.

It’s always good to cover what should be familiar ground using someone else’s route. Whilst I normally walk alongside the A538 for a few metres and take field paths through Morley, Chris took a path directly across the main road, soon after which there’s a good footpath through the field shown below.

Chris’s route then re-joins the main road after walking up a quiet lane before Morley. Then its an easy stroll past the now defunct and dilapidated Bank House Farm, to Quarry Bank Mill.

Next to the mill is Quarry Bank House, where the owner, Samuel Greg, and his family lived in the early 19th century.

There’s lots more information here and elsewhere.

A few minutes beyond the mill, the village of Styal was reached, where most of the walkers offered the Ship Inn a good burst of custom.

Here’s the route – 7 km with about 100 metres ascent, taking us an hour and three quarters.