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Etherow Country Park Lake and Weir

Discover

Places to see

United Kingdom

England

North West England

Greater Manchester

Etherow Country Park Lake and Weir

Recommended by 106 hikers out of 110

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Location: Greater Manchester, North West England, England, United Kingdom

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Best Hikes to Etherow Country Park Lake and Weir

4.5

(84)

247

hikers

1. Mill Brow, Etherow Country Park & the Peak Forest Canal loop from Marple — Manchester

10.3km

02:55

230m

Intermediate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Intermediate

4.8

(44)

265

hikers

2. Etherow Country Park loop — Manchester

5.35km

01:26

70m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

4.3

(3)

hikers

3. Ernocroft Wood – Keg Woodlands Waterfall loop from Compstall

3.77km

01:02

60m

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

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Easy

Tips

Alex Foxfield

February 17, 2021

One of the UK’s first country parks, Etherow was founded in 1968. It was originated as the Andrews Estate in the 1820s and included a mine, a mill and a mill pond. The park is the start point for the Goyt Way, a 10-mile (16.1 km) route along the Goyt Valley to Whaley Bridge.

Today, the park is a local nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. A range of habitats can be found on the 32-acre (12.8 ha) site. Open water, tall fenn, reed swamp, carr and mixed deciduous woodland all provide for the wildlife that make the reserve so vibrant.

Ian Delve

March 2, 2022

Etherow Country Park is rich in wildlife. The park is home to over 200 species of plants and more than a hundred species of birds have been recorded here.

The park has its own nature reserve which is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The reserve is managed solely by Cheshire Wildlife Trust and there is now a short permissive footpath through the SSSI with access to a bird hide overlooking the River Etherow.

The wide variety of habitats within the park allow an abundance of wild plants to thrive here. With the exception of mid-winter, plants are easily spotted throughout the year. Look out for flora such as Dog's Mercury, Wood Anemone, Hedge Woundwort and Common Spotted Orchid, among many others.

The many areas of woodland in the park provide an ideal home for a variety of wild plants and animals.

Etherow Country Park provides ideal hunting territory for a variety of birds of prey. Tawny Owls hunt frequently in the Keg woodlands.

Etherow Country Park was once part of the estate of George Andrew, who built Compstall mill in the 1820's. Compstall village was also built by Andrew to house his mill workforce. The waterways which you can see today were also built by Andrew to carry water from the weir on the river to turn the mill wheel, which stood where the car park is today.

Andrew was also fond of shooting and fishing and the Keg woods and pool were his own private shooting and fishing grounds. Nowadays these areas are a quiet sanctuary for a variety of wildlife.

Ian Delve

June 11, 2022

The Park itself first of all started off as part of the “Andrews” estate originating in the 1820’s. At the time it incorporated a mine, a cotton mill and the lake.

Later on in 1968 it became one of England’s first country parks, and now attracts over a quarter million visitors a year. They come to enjoy the natural beauty of ancient woodland along the river valley; in the foothills of the Peak District National Park.

Mr George Andrew originally built the mill and made the man made lake (Canal). He also required a large workforce for the operation of the mill; so George also built a lot of the houses, along with the Church and School.

Also a lot of the street names are named after members of the Andrew’s family.

Etherow Country Park has steadily grown over the years, and now covers an area of around 200 acres. It lies at the heart of the Etherow-Goyt Valley, this is also the start of The Goyt Way, which is a 10 mile walk to Whaley Bridge.

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Elevation 90 m

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Tuesday 16 September

14°C

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40 %

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Max wind speed: 22.0 km/h

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See hikes here

Take Me There

Location: Greater Manchester, North West England, England, United Kingdom

Etherow Country Park Lake and Weir

1. Mill Brow, Etherow Country Park & the Peak Forest Canal loop from Marple — Manchester

2. Etherow Country Park loop — Manchester

3. Ernocroft Wood – Keg Woodlands Waterfall loop from Compstall

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