Seven intrepid walkers braved wet and windy (but unseasonably mild) weather on this 9.5 mile circuit of Lyme Park, starting from Nelson Pit car park, led by Mike Field, who based it on a walk with East Cheshire Group on 6th November.
The group photo was taken near the main hall.
We headed north from the hall up to the Cage, which was built in 1524 (some decades before the main house) and has had various uses since. We were able to see Manchester from the top of Cage Hill, but Kinder Scout was hidden in mist.
Near the vehicular entrance to the estate at Parkgate, we reversed direction and headed south through the leaf-strewn Elmerhurst Wood and Crow Wood to the Timberyard Cafe, where we had a coffee stop. We managed to confuse two of the party by taking shelter in the Muddy Paws Engine House, where they took some minutes to find us.
From the Ordinance Stone on Higher Moor, five counties can allegedly be seen on a clear day, but on this occasion we could barely see one.
At the lunch stop at Bowstonegate, we made a small detour to view the Bowstones, which are located on Bowstone Gate Farm but accessible from the minor road alongside via their own dedicated stile. Local legend states that their name is derived from their use by Robin Hood and his men to re-string their bows. In fact they are the shafts of Anglo-Saxon crosses. Two stone cross heads on display at Lyme Park Hall may have originally surmounted the shafts.
All agreed that it had been a good walk despite the weather.
Mike Field