THIS GENTLE walk links two canals winding through the foothills of the grand estate of Lyme Park.

Starting at Disley village, we follow the Peak Forest Canal northwards as it heads high above the Goyt Valley on its way to Marple. Then we pass by fields of deer to join the Macclesfield Canal as it head southwards, dissecting the gardens of suburban High Lane. The route back to Disley skirts the edge of the National Trust's Lyme Park and it is easy to divert to stately Lyme Hall itself, less than a mile to the north of the route. Disley has many interesting pubs if you want to end your walk with refreshments.

DISTANCE: 6 miles (allow three hours)

START: Disley village on the A6 south-east of Stockport. There is a car park adjacent to the train station in the village centre (OS Grid Ref. 973846).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: regular train service from Manchester Piccadilly to Disley (on the Buxton line).

Use these route directions in conjunction with the relevant OS map (Explorer OL1 Dark Peak)

From the station car park walk to the traffic lights along the A6 in the centre of the village. Continue straight ahead along the main road past the lights but very shortly cross over to join Hollinwood Road running down the left hand side of the Dandy Cock pub. The road soon runs under the railway and divides into two. Take the left fork. Hag Bank Lane, which runs past cottages and the Peak Forest Canal soon comes into view on the right. Leave the lane when you reach a small open parking area on the right by the canal and cross it via a black and white swing bridge on your right to join the towpath. Turn left along the towpath and follow it north with views over the Goyt Valley below.

The Peak Forest Canal is now followed for 1 miles. Various small swing bridges are passed then leave the towpath by a stone road bridge adjacent to a large cottage and garden on the far side of the canal. Cross over this minor road bridge and bear left up the road above the cottage and its garden. The single-track road passes bollards and climbs quite steeply to pass houses on the right that have great views of the valley below. A junction is soon reached by the Rompers Inn.

Follow the lane straight ahead past the front of the Rompers Inn and car park. Look out for a footpath signpost on your right leading along the edge of the car park. Leave the lane here and join this path, turning right and following an access track. It bears left between cottages then becomes a muddy path bearing right when a stile is reached on the left. Ignore the stile but continue along the main track, which quickly reaches a signpost at another path junction. Bear slightly left here over a stile, entering a field with the hedge boundary to your left. Follow this field edge to the next boundary and continue straight ahead into the adjacent field. Continue along the field edge with high fences on your left. You soon join an access track heading right to houses.

Do not turn right here but continue straight ahead along the access track dropping slightly downhill to deer enclosures on your right. The track bears slightly left and you go through a gate in the fencing before climbing gradually uphill and continuing straight ahead to reach a gate by a house and a signpost at a path junction. Ignore the sign pointing right for the Macclesfield Canal but instead go straight ahead along the driveway, signposted for High Lane. The driveway soon leads to a residential road in the suburb. Turn right along this road past the houses and a bridge over the canal is soon reached. Cross over to the left hand side and the canal can be reached on the left via a series of wooden steps.

Do not go under the road bridge but follow the towpath away from it. The Macclesfield Canal is now followed straight ahead for the next mile. It passes under the A6 by a pub, skirts woodland and passes over the Manchester-Buxton railway line. Leave the towpath by the first bridge over the canal after the railway is crossed. This is shortly after the train line is passed.

Cross this canal bridge and follow a track passing a cottage on the right. Bear left and cross a stile when a gate is reached and continue along the track until you soon reach a waymarked path crossroads at another stile/gate. Turn sharp left here to follow a field edge, with the hedge on your right, which drops down to cross a bridge in woodland. Climb out of the woodland and continue straight ahead along a field edge with views of The Cage in Lyme Park over to your right. Pass through a latch gate by a lodge and then over the cattle grid to follow the access track down to the ticket booth near the main driveway entrance to the estate. Continue straight ahead across the driveway to reach the gates by Red Lane Lodge.

Go through this and a wide tarmac lane is now followed straight ahead for the next half a mile or so all the way back to Disley. It passes detached houses before bearing left then right to drop downhill to the village church. Turn left at the road junction and left again in front of the Ram's Head to return to the train station.