The Cheshire country estate walk named among UK's best for spring
It features 'wondrous woodland and picturesque gardens'
(Image: ©National Trust Images/James Dob)
Spring is starting to appear on the horizon. Granted, we've got to get through February first, but signs of spring start to appear as the first flowering bulbs burst through the ground.
When the season truly gets underway that's when we're treated to bursts of colour from golden daffodils and carpets of bluebells. These are all paired with the return of lush greenery as trees begin to show signs of life once more.
Looking ahead to the arrival of spring in the coming weeks, The Independent has named five of the UK's most beautiful walks for spring - and the list includes one right here in Cheshire. The publication said that Quarry Bank Mill in Styal is one of the best walks to do this spring, reports the MEN.
Run by the National Trust, Quarry Bank Mill is a country estate with gardens, woodland and a historic cotton mill - which is actually one of the best preserved in the country. Like many places in the region, it's an area where natural beauty and industrial history collide.
The mill was built by industrialist Samuel Greg, who lived in an elegant Georgian home on the estate. Mill workers lived nearby in the purpose-built Styal Village while visitors could also visit the Apprentice House and see where children as young as nine worked in cramped conditions.
With acres of estate to explore, Quarry Bank is perfect for a walk this spring. The Independent wrote: "Beyond its magnificent landscape, 400 acres of wondrous woodland, picturesque gardens and cotton mill, this preserved factory is a benchmark of the Industrial Revolution.
(Image: ©National Trust Images/Derek Hatton)
"Today, its walled garden is packed with apple, pear and peach trees galore, and apricots are the first to bloom. Elsewhere, the winding River Bollin with its ornamental bridges, gorges and rare wildlife, can reward for miles."
It's free to walk around the estate and woodlands, although to enter the Mill, Gardens and Apprentice House you'll need to buy a ticket from the National Trust. Tickets start from £21 for adults and £10.50 for children aged five to 17 (under fives go free), until February 28. Prices are set to increase slightly from March 1.
Other walks The Independent included in the list were Petworth House, West Sussex; Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent; Culzean Castle and Country Park Ayrshire and Arran, Scotland; and Castle Ward, Country Down, Northern Ireland.