Sometimes Country Parks can be a bit boring, with regimented walks all clearly signposted and no sense of adventure is required. But among the woods and beside the streams of the Sankey Valley it is possible to get lost. It may be only for a moment and there's no need for search parties, but there's definitely a sense of discovery as you glimpse the lake through the trees or wind your way along little paths once trodden by colliers and canal workers. And many of the people you meet are quiet too, for fishermen are seldom noisy, the children are delightful, saying hello and stepping politely aside, while Carr Mill Dam is noted for the Great Crested Grebe, so don't forget your binoculars.
LOCATION: North of St Helens
START: A58 Haydock, park by Ship Inn
Grid ref: SJ535966 Postcode: WA110AB
DISTANCE: 4.5 miles
GRADE: Easy
TIME: 2 hours
MAP: Explorer - Liverpool Landranger 108
NOTE: Stanley Basin
REFRESHMENTS: Ship Inn, Waterside Inn & Boathouse
EN ROUTE: Stanley Basin, Nineteen Arches Bridge, Caleb's Rough, Black Brook, Hollins Hey Wood, Goit, Slitting Mill
This walk was originally published by
The Manchester Evening News