Styal, the Bollin Way and Manchester Airport...

7.5 miles on a day that we were told would be cold and rainy! Well the good old weather forecast was way off again; but to be fair it was cold.
Most of the walk followed the reasonably well-signposted Bollin Way along the river.

A smaller version of Dean Wood near Wigan for much of the walk. Ben would have experienced flash backs to his rugby days as we walked past Withenshaw Rugby Club.
The walk follows the river Bollin as far as a tunnel under the runway of Manchester Airport and then continues along side the runway...

We were expecting 'plane-spotters' but it was obviously too cold for them. One close encounter brought a smile to both Chris' and my face; as we paused to check directions and the map, a Barn Owl flew from the hedge beside us, out across the fields. What a wonderful sight!
Leaving the runway we made our way back across pastoral farmland to Quarry Bank Mill on the Styal Estate

Birds were abundant including the Barn Owl and at least three Sparrow Hawks and a couple of Kestrels.
After refreshments in the Restaurant we used our National Trust Membership Cards to gain access to the Mill. A number of changes since we last visited and well worth a visit if you get time. The power of the water wheel and the engineering involved in transferring this into the machine rooms is worth the visit on its own.

Sadly the steam engines, one from the 1700's, were not working as the boiler needed repairs. Perhaps another visit is needed in 2008. Note Quarry Bank Mill and Styal is one of the most important industrial heritage sites in the world. It is a unique survival from the early part of the industrial revolution, not just the mill itself, but the Apprentice House, the Mill Owners House and the village built for the Mill Workers.

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