[caption id="attachment_427" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Ramblers beside Quarry Bank Mill shop[/caption] Quarry Bank Mill was built for cotton spinning by Samuel Greg in 1784, and half a century later it was the largest such business in the UK. The Mill, a Grade II listed building, is now a working museum of the cotton industry. It is part of Styal Country Park, an estate of approximately 500 acres which was given to The National Trust by the Greg family in 1939. The Mill featured on a recent walk, when twenty two East Cheshire Ramblers (including Max, a Jack Russell) met at Twinnies Bridge, at the confluence of the Rivers Bollin and Dean. They enjoyed unseasonably warm weather and many put their jackets away for most of the walk. The walkers followed a path alongside the Bollin, meandering through woodland to the Mill, then over cobblestones, before an easier tarmac drive took them past the footpath signed for Morley, - though walkers should beware the muddy fields on that shortcut! At a National Trust sign “To the woods”, they turned left along a footpath that leads above Quarry Bank House and garden, acquired in 2006. Continuing through the woodland, they again followed the picturesque river, but now in a westerly direction. They crossed several bridges and tackled steep flights of steps, leaving the river far below in a gorge, to reach their coffee stop, close to Giants’ Castle Bridge. As walk Leader, Gina Thompson, remarked “We are so lucky to have this on our doorstep. While walking through the woods you can forget the hum-drum of modern life.” The ramblers left the woods to cross the busy A538 by the Britannia Hotel where their route took them through fields to Morley Green. There they re-crossed the A538 to join a track, which eventually led to Kings Road. Turning left here, they passed Wilmslow Rugby Club and took a track that brought them back to the start point. All agreed they had greatly enjoyed their 5 mile walk. Gina Thompson [caption id="attachment_428" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Ramblers near the Mill garden[/caption]