Nick i' th' Hill, Mow Cop and the Old Man - Staffordshire

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Lowland and Hill Walks
Dec 03
2023

12 people attending

8 places left

Your price
£12.50
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A moderate walk over rising ground. Route mainly along paths, tracks and country lanes, but crossing some fields which will be muddy.

Join us on a return to Biddulph Grange (the country park, not the NT gardens) from where we’ll take a different walk to last time, this time heading west and south from the start point.  It's a 9 mile / 14 kilometre walk, with 280 metres of ascent.  The walk starts in Staffordshire and heads into Cheshire, before returning back across the county boundary to the start point.  Depending on the weather, there should be great views west across the Cheshire plain, south to the Potteries area and west to the Staffordshire and Derbyshire moorlands.  Interesting locations along the walk are:

Nick i’ th’ Hill – the Nick is a dip in the Congleton Edge, a sandstone / gritstone ridge overlooking the Cheshire plain.  It is accessible by car from one side only, to provide access to a handful of houses. The Gritsone Trail passes through this location.

The Old Man of Mow – the Old Man is a gritstone pillar, 20 metres in height, in a location that was once a stone quarry.  It is thought that the pillar was left standing because it is a lower quality of stone than the surrounding area. Stone was quarried for building and the better quality stone was used for mill stones.

Mow Cop Castle – Mow Cop is a village that literally straddles the Cheshire / Staffordshire border, with a foot in both counties.  It is 335 metres above sea level, at the southern end of a sandstone / gritstone ridge – Congleton Edge – overlooking the Cheshire plain.  The “castle” is a folly, designed and built in 1754 to enhance the view from nearby Rode Hall.  It was originally a tearoom and picnic location for the Wilbraham family, who lived at Rode Hall.

Dogs: well-behaved dogs are welcome on the walk, but must under control at all times and on a lead when crossing agricultural land.

Accessibility by train: pickup from and return to a local railway station (Congleton or Macclesfield) may be possible.  Message the event leader to discuss further.
 

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Photo credits: all photos by the event leader with permission granted to ODL for their use.

The Clough, near Biddulph Grange
The Old Man of Mow
The Clough, near Biddulph Grange
The Old Man of Mow