White Nancy
People living in towns and cities surrounding the Peak District can reach its countryside in a very short period of time but none as quickly as those who live in the little industrial town of Bollington. This walk, which is a popular summer stroll for Bollington's inhabitants, starts beside the parish church and, after a short initial climb, it reaches the curious pear-shaped edifice on Kerridge Hill known as the White Nancy. The true history of the White Nancy seems to have been lost in the passage of time. We do not know who suggested its name or how its shape was decided upon. What is certain is that the local people of Bollington are very proud of this curious memorial and make sure that it is kept in good repair and given a coat of whitewash from time to time. The height is gained, it must be admitted, by some effort but, once gained, it is retained for a mile (1.6km) or so, before you return along a pleasant side valley. This is a walk for lazy summer afternoons, or for an hour or so in the evening.
Directions:
a From Bollingtonâs Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, follow Church Street and Lord Street uphill past the dyeworks/coating mill.
b At the bend at the top of Lord Street, go ahead through the gate and climb the steep hill towards the prominent tower of White Nancy.
c From White Nancy walk ahead along the crest of Kerridge Hill.
d Climb the stile on the left and walk downhill. Take the path, which slants gradually across the side of the hill, to the left of a belt of trees. Cross a wall using a stone stile. At the next wall turn left and follow the wall downhill to gain a waymarked path. Almost immediately the path divides. Bear right through the woodland.
e Follow the track through the ruins of Cow Lane Mill and bear left along the walled lane. Turn left at the main road.
f Turn left opposite the church. Follow Round Meadow Road, bearing left at the next junction.
g Follow the flagged path, to the right, behind a group of stone cottages, the last houses in the built up area of Rainow. Walk through a series of meadows, crossing their boundaries by stone slab squeezer stiles.
h Follow the lane between a group of cottages, then through millyards and past attractive cottages into Bollington.
Places of Interest:
1 Viewpoint. The whitewashed stone tower known as White Nancy is thought to commemorate the ending of the Napoleonic Wars. It looks to the west across the Cheshire Plain with the wooded sandstone ridge of Alderley Edge closer to hand. Eastwards, the outlook is towards Shining Tor and the Cat and Fiddle, England's second highest inn, which marks the moorland crossing of the A537.
2 Viewpoint. The village of Rainow is below with the land rising towards the Cheshire Uplands. In the 18th century, the village 'mayor' was made to ride a donkey facing backwards during his inauguration ceremony.
3 Cow Lane Mill. Built in 1789 and was in use as a textile mill and later as a bleachworks until 1907. A period of excavation and conservation started in 2007 and is ongoing.
Gentle Walk
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