Challenging Hills, Lyme

Start / Finish

Mill Pond

Note: Free parking is for National Trust members only.

This route takes visitors from the car park and Timber Yard coffee shop area through Knights Low Wood, before picking up a stony path along the edge of the moorland and entering Lantern Wood. It passes The Lantern (a stone folly) before descending and ascending back up to the second stone folly, The Cage. From here the routes descends back to the start.

There a route has three very challenging climbs and is varied underfoot. There are three gates and three stiles along the way.

This route is not suitable for push chairs or wheelchair users.

• START from the Run at Lyme Park information board, turn left along the footpath by the mill pond and cross the bridge.
• Turn left following the footpath around the back of the mill pond.
• At the end of the path turn right on to the tarmac road.
• Just before the cattle grid take the left hand fork to the large wooden gate.
• Go through the gate and follow the stony path uphill until it reaches a wooden gate.
• Go through the gate and turn right. Follow the path keeping the wall on your immediate right.
• When you reach the corner of the woodland with the step stile, turn left up the hill keeping the wall on your right.
• Keep going until you come to a broad path coming in from the left. At this point go through the gate on your right and turn immediately left taking the path running alongside the wall.
• Stay on the path until it finishes at the corner of the wall. Go over the wooden step stile on your left and head diagonally right across the field to a small wooden stile.
• Go over the stile and head straight uphill towards the Lantern (a stone folly).
• Go about 20 metres up past the Lantern and take the track leading left, following this to a gap in the dry stone wall.
• Go through the gap and turn downhill, aiming to the right of Kennels wood.  Cross over a small wooden stile in the fence and after about 50 metres you will meet a large stony track.
• Go straight over the path and follow the grassy track down to the stream (aim just to the left of the woodland at the bottom of the hill).
• Cross the stream and go straight uphill to the Cage (a large rectangular folly).
• Turn left at the Cage and follow the path towards Lyme Hall.
• At the bottom of the path you will meet a small road, turn right and follow this as its winds downhill to the Timber Yard and the FINISH.