Lyme park circular walk to the lantern
Do you love visiting Lyme Park? Have you explored the wider estate though? This Lyme Park circular walk is a great introduction to the beauty and tranquillity of the wider estate. It’s not an accessible walk for prams or wheelchairs (the gardens are perfect for these) but at just over 2 miles it’s great for kids. Find more Family days out in North West England here.
Where is Lyme Park
Lyme Park is in Disley, right on the Cheshire/Manchester border. It is a large National Trust property.
The address for Lyme Park is:
Disley,
Stockport,
Cheshire,
SK12 2NR
Lyme Park car parking
There is a large car park at Lyme park but it does sometimes get full on sunny days, especially on Bank holidays do plan to arrive early and check Facebook as they do update if they have closed the car park.
Cost of visiting Lyme Park
Lyme Park is a National Trust property and entry to the house, garden, parking, walks and playground are all free for members.
If you aren’t a member then you need to pay an admission fee at the drive-thru gate. At the time of writing it is £6 per adult and £3 per child (£15 family ticket). The only additional charge would be if you wanted to go inside the house.
Lyme park walks
There are loads of options for walks at Lyme Park and they are all fantastic walks.
When our children were younger and in prams, we loved walking around the gardens. There are lots of steps but there are plenty of accessible paths too. You can walk over a mile without steps. Now they are older we can explore parts of the garden that are hidden away up or down steps.
We also enjoy exploring the wider estate now that they are older too. You’ll find lots of options for walks of different lengths and you can collect a free map at the drive-in gate or snap a picture of the map at the snack kiosk in the car park.
The walks around the wider estate are well worth exploring. It’s beautiful countryside and you might even see a deer or highland cow. There is plenty to keep the walk interesting too like woodlands, open countryside, uphill and downhill sections, stiles and the lantern and the cage too.
Once you are finished your walk there are cafes and ice cream parlours to enjoy a well-earned refreshment, a shallow stream to paddle in and an amazing adventure playground too.
Summary
Start and finish – Lyme Park, main car park
Approximate duration – about an hour for this walk but you can extend it around the estate, by visiting the house &/or gardens and of course, a trip to the amazing play area. You can make a full day out if you choose.
Distance – a little over 2 miles
Accessibility – This route is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs. There are kissing gates, high styles and some steep sections
Public toilets – Find public toilets in the house and garden courtyard or the Timber yard.
Other Facilities – this is a National Trust property with a house and gardens to explore, a fantastic adventure playground, numerous cafe options and National Trust shops.
Lyme Park circular walk to the lantern, directions
This circular walk starts from the main car park. There are a few short, steep sections and a few high stiles (but there are alternative options for young children which I will share below). We first did this walk when our children were 4 and 7 so it is possible for little legs.
The walk starts from the back right corner of the car park where you will see a gate on the path leading up into the woods.
Pass through this gate and follow the path up to the next gate at the top. It’s about a quarter of a mile and slightly uphill.
The path is also uneven but suitable for little legs. You will have woodlands on your left and fields on your right. You will come to a gate at the top of this area.
As soon as you pass through this next gate turn left into the woods. This path is also about a quarter of a mile to the next gate. The path is through woodlands and is muddy in places.
Pass through the next gate and immediately turn left. The path starts off slightly uphill and the dry stone wall is on your left.
You’ll follow this path, keeping the wall on your left, passing through 1 gate, for about three-quarters of a mile.
The path comes to a ladder stile over the dry stone wall on your left. There is a locked gate just before it which has a cut-out bit for dogs.
You can also fit small children through it or simply pass them over the gate if the ladder is too much for them. My youngest is 6 and she managed the ladder with one of us at each side guiding her. Our 10 year old had no problems. Both also tested the gap in the gate and found they could squeeze through.
Once you have passed over the wall you want to turn right. This path goes uphill through a field, passing through a kissing gate. Immediately in front of the stile is another path which heads back to the house and gardens.
Pass through the kissing gate and follow the path through the field to the gate directly in front of you.
Pass through the gate and you will see the lantern on the hill before the woodlands start. This is the steepest part of your walk but it doesn’t last too long and you can see the lantern that you are aiming for. Our youngest was the first to the lantern, practically running up the hill.
The lantern is a folly with the top part of the sandstone tower believed to originally have sat above the north archway of the house and was probably placed on the hill next to the woods in the 1720s.
There are no windows or doors in the octagonal 3 story tower. There are also no floors still in place so you can go inside and see up to the roof. From here, you get fantastic views of Lyme Park and across Cheshire, you can even see Jodrell Bank on a clear day.
After you have finished looking at the lantern, keep climbing up the hill with the lantern on your right. It’s only a very short distance until you meet the main path through the woods. You want to follow the path left, uphill.
After a short distance, you will find your path blocked by a dry stone wall. You can either climb over the ladder stile or you will notice a little further up on your right there is a gap in the wall. It’s not quite to floor level so you will have to navigate a couple of steps on your way up and down but it is designed as an access point for those who can’t manage the ladder.
Once over the dry stone wall, you are back in parkland fields and you will see one other main paths on the estate at the bottom of the field. The views here are fantastic and on a clear day, you can see Manchester city centre in the distance.
This feel is a little muddy in places but at the end of April, it was easy to walk around the muddy parts.
You’ll cross one final small stile before you meet the path. Turn left and follow this path down to the main car park.
You can take a small detour here to see the cage if you want to extend your walk. Make your you follow the path and don’t stray into the private deer sanctuary.
I hope you all enjoy this walk and don’t forget to reward the kids with a trip to the playground (crows wood) which is around the edge of the pond, past the timber yard (cafes and toilets).
Enjoy family walks? Join the Family Walks North West Facebook group to be part of a community sharing the best walks for families across the region. Join here.
More nearby family walks to try
National Trust Hare Hill is a short drive away and there is a small nature play area, walled gardens and pram-friendly walks around the woodlands.
RHS Bridgewater Gardens are stunning gardens to walk around as well as another fantastic play area.
Alderley Edge is a short drive away and has lots of options for walks of different lengths and abilities. There is a small natural play area and pram-friendly walks are possible.
Dunham Massey is another great National Trust for visiting with kids.
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