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10 members of the rambling group today completed an 8 mile circuit of Lyme Park, a national trust property in Cheshire and the surrounding moors . In spite of the poor weather forecast we were really lucky and escaped the rain apart from a few random rain drops.Setting off from Disley Railway station we climbed the first of 5 sets of stairs on our route. Reaching the top we walked down a quiet private road past some very luxurious houses before entering Lyme Park via the west gate. From here we walked up a very steep muddy hillside to reach the path which would take us to the Cage. The Cage at Lyme Park was originally built around 1580 as a hunting lodge where the ladies of the estate could watch the hunt. At night it was used as a banqueting hall. It overlooks the nearby moors and 1,300 acres of park land. In later years it was used as a game keeper’s residence and as a jail for poachers.

Taking the grassy path from here we descended slightly to the  bank above Lyme House.  Lyme is the largest house in Cheshire and is Grade 1 listed. .Lyme’s history can be traced as far back as 1346, when the estate was gifted to Sir Thomas Danyers by Edward III, in gratitude for his service to the Black Prince at the Battle of Crecy. It  passed to the Leghs of Lyme by marriage in 1388 and  remained in the possession of the Legh family until 1946 when it was given to the National Trust. The house dates from the latter part of the 16th century. The magnificent house, gardens and deer park at Lyme Park was the filming location for the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice when it was known as Pemberley. Sadly during our visit today we didn’t encounter Mr Darcy emerging from lake!

Taking the well used path from the house we emerged from the park and took the path which is part of the Gritstone Trail across the moors. On the way we passed an area of rewilding, specifically aimed at encouraging people to recycle and reuse items in their gardens to encourage bees, hedgehogs and other wildlife.  In spite of the recent rain the terrain was not too muddy and apart from a small area of bogginess we emerged onto the main Buxton road. Rather than follow this, we took a smaller quieter but extremely steep road leading up onto open moorland. The original route that had been recced took us over an area of moor which was virtually impassable with mud due to the activity of the local farmer, so instead we took a linear path to a very pleasant spot where we had a brief lunch stop, surrounded by sheep. Looking in the distance we could see rain clouds gathering  and the obvious signs of a localised downpour, so we retraced our steps and took a stony path back down to one of the entrances into Lyme park, passing a very docile herd of highland cattle on the way.

From here we followed well made paths back into the main area of the park and having availed ourselves of the facilities, had another quick pit stop at the cafe for coffees, cake and ice cream! Refreshed again we took the forest path along the side of the beck to return to the entrance kiosk of the park, our starting point some 4 hours earlier, then retraced our steps along the private road back to Disley station. Well done to everyone who completed the ramble, as some members hadn’t walked for some months due to injury. The next ramble will be on 4th May and will be an ascent to Darwen Tower from Abbey Village.