{"id":1004676,"date":"2022-01-06T15:07:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T15:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.half-daywalker.com\/?p=1004676"},"modified":"2022-11-04T15:51:01","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T15:51:01","slug":"styal-morley-green-and-the-bollin-valley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.half-daywalker.com\/?p=1004676","title":{"rendered":"Styal, Morley Green, and The Bollin Valley"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

All week, Thursday’s forecast has been for a band of rain \/ snow to arrive around the middle of the day. In hope that the forecast may change, I planned a walk in the hills. I also had a Plan B.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I set the alarm for an early start, and sure enough, the forecast was stubbornly unchanged with rain expected at 11.00am. So, Plan B it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 8.30 am I was at the free National Trust car park at Quarry Bank Mill in Styal (SK9 4LA), just 10 minutes from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This may be familiar territory, but to come here when it’s completely deserted was rather novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The route I’d chosen was a mix of various places I’ve walked before, but never in one go. The walk was 5.5 miles, and took about 2 hours 15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a great dog walking route, with just a short section of farmland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The walk is on OS Explorer Map 268.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Quarry Bank Mill to Twinnies Bridge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It’s eerily quiet at the mill. I imagine that 200 years ago it would have been a hive of industrial action, by 8.45am! But not today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I set out on the path south from the mill yard, and take the detour past the weir and round the mill pond, with its thin covering of ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is always a lovely riverside walk, and usually busy. A few joggers and dog walkers are around now to share the scenery!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Some trees have been felled and left with statuesque stumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    The path crosses the River Dean adjacent to its confluence with the Bollin and emerges onto a field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Before reaching the car park, I took a diagonal right across the field to a wooden bridge over the Bollin and followed the path back along the opposite bank of the river. I follow the Bollin Valley Way signs from here. The path rises and runs alongside Wilmslow Rugby Union Club’s ground before dropping back into the valley to follow a stream over boardwalks and up a pretty clough. The familiar January echoing sound of a woodpecker rattling a trunk as he claims his 2022 territory is a delight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Morley Green<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      I crossed Altrincham Road. A short way down Mobberley Road a path on the right led alongside a fairly innocuous looking area of scrub and small trees. I stopped here awhile as it was alive with feeding birds. I suppose this is an advantage of being out so early – the birds are hungry and active after a long night. There were blackbirds, redwings, fieldfares, chaffinches, bullfinches, long-tailed tits and blue tits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      At Morley Green the Bollin Valley Way path crosses a couple of fields. I hoped they would be frozen, but they are just wet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        After crossing another minor road, a track takes me past a small farm, and then reaches another building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Do you remember when your mom said “your room looks like a bomb’s hit it”. Well I think it literally had in this case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        The track leads on to wards some more fields. When the airport radar equipment came into view I soon left the Bollin Valley Way, turning right at a gate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        After crossing a field, the path heads down to the riverside at a sharp meander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        Back to Styal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        The path emerges onto Altrincham Road at the hotel formerly known by the enticingly name “Valley Lodge”, now known as the boringly ordinary Airport Inn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Crossing the river by the hotel entrance a sharp right turn took me back into the National Trust estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        From here, the walk is a wonderfully picturesque trail all the way back to Styal. In a few places the valley narrows and the path includes steep steps up to the top and back down again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        It’s best described pictorially!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          GOOSANDERS – 2 FEMALES \/ 1 MALE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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            ANOTHER TREE BITES THE DUST<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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              GIANT’S CASTLE BRIDGE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

              <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              KINGFISHER BRIDGE<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

              On reaching Kingfisher Bridge, raindrops were drifting down. The path by the river would have taken me through the Quarry Bank Mill garden, but I went left up the hill past the beech tree graveyard!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              As the climb levels off, I turned right and headed across to the Visitor Reception and car park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              At the car, the rain turned to snow! 10.50am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              So, I was pleased to have selected Plan B, because it fitted in superbly with the weather conditions, and it’s a really fine walk, that I’m sure many people would go a long way for the chance to enjoy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Feeling blessed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              And Finally…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              I’ve been looking through lists of the best albums of 2021. This little gem, Homecoming, by Du Blonde is 10 tracks in 24 minutes, and I love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              This track is “I’m Glad That We Broke Up”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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