Cheshire – A Dog Walker’s Guide - Lyme Park.

Parking: Lyme Park Country Park (free for National Trust members). Free parking available at Disley station (follow signs up steps opposite station building and walk uphill to join the walk at point 2.

Distance: 4 miles.

Ordnance Survey Maps: Outdoor Leisure 1: The Peak District – Dark Peak Area (GR SJ963823).

Dog Factors:

Road walking: ½ mile on a dead-end quiet lane.

Livestock: You may see deer in the park, but it’s easy to give them a wide berth.

Stiles: None.

Nearest vets: Grove Veterinary Centre, New Mills.

The Walk

1  From the car park walk up the steps to the north entrance of the house. Continue past the entrance, joining the metalled road going uphill. Just past the house (opposite the road to another building), look for the broad track on the left climbing to the summi8t of the hill. It passes through an avenue of trees then continues along the ridge to reach The Cage.

2  Keep straight ahead on the obvious track that descends to meet the access road through the park. TYurn right on this to reach the entrance kiosk, then go right to the exit gate beside the Lodge (you could easily cut across the grass to this, missing out the kiosk). Walk along Red Lane to its end.

3  At the junction keep ahead where signed to St Mary’s church and, in 20 yards, bend right. This is now Green Lane, and soon the tarmac ends for it to continue as a track between stone walls. Pass Bentside Farm, then Higher Stoneridge, always keeping straight ahead following Gritstone Trail signs. Pass through a bridlegate to enter a rough moorland area crossed by tributary streams, and continue through a second bridlegate onto a rough lane at a four-way junction.

4  Turn right to walk down the sunken lane to the brook at its lowest point. The old brick bridge is crumbling and an elaborate wooden structure now takes you across. Continue up the hill to the park gate at East Lodge and simply keep ahead on the tarmac drive to return to the house.

From Cheshire – A Dog Walker’s Guide, by author Judy Smith, is published by Countryside Books, available from local bookshops, Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire; www.countrysidebooks.co.uk. (ISBN 978 1 84674 302 3).

It is advisable for anyone who plans to follow the walk to take a copy of the relevant Ordnance Survey map.