Top 8 Waterfalls around Lyme Handley

This is a small but impressive waterfall on the River Dean. It is in a beautiful setting at the lower end of Clough Pool. It has a certain amount of man-made influence, as the top of it appears to be built on to a natural waterfall to create the mill pond above it. It was used by Ingersley Clough Mill back in the nineteenth century. This is simply a delightful scenic spot.

A little gem hidden behind the main street in Hayfield lies the cascading River Sett waterfall meandering its way through to New Mills before merging with the River Goyt. Best viewed from Hayfield Memorial garden located between the terraced houses of the main street.

This is a beautiful hidden waterfall situated on the edge of Alderley Edge in Waterfall Wood. Water flows off the edge of a rock face into a pretty pool of water below creating the perfect forest vista as your passing through.

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. The River Etherow flows through the park which is the source for the lakes and was originally used as a reservoir to power the water wheel; which in turn provided motorized power for the cotton mill. Later on, they used the canal to transport coal for heating and keeping the cotton dry, via a horse drawn canal barge from further downstream. One of the water wheels (Big Lily) that powered the mill would use 50 million gallons of water per day; which would come down the canal and pass through what is now the car park to drive “Big Lilly”

http://www.stockportnaturewatch.co.uk/etherow-country-park

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. The River Etherow flows through the park which is the source for the lakes and was originally used as a reservoir to power the water wheel; which in turn provided motorized power for the cotton mill. Later on, they used the canal to transport coal for heating and keeping the cotton dry, via a horse drawn canal barge from further downstream.

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.

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.