Lyme Park and The Cage Circular

Lyme Park is a National Trust estate at Disley, near Stockport, on the Cheshire edge of the Peak District. Its 17 square km deer park rises from the Palladian-fronted Lyme Hall to moorland, and The Cage, a Tudor-era hunting tower, stands on the high ground above the house. The hall was used as Pemberley in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. The circular walk is about 6 km with roughly 150 m of ascent and is graded easy: the climb is gradual, the paths are wide and there is no exposure. Drivers reach the estate at Lyme Park, Disley, SK12 2NR, where parking is charged for non-members and the park may also charge an entry fee for vehicles. Without a car, a Northern train from Manchester Piccadilly reaches Disley in about 20 minutes, followed by a walk of about 20 minutes to the park gates. Surfaces are a mix of estate tracks, grass and gravel, and the upper section crosses open parkland with little shade apart from the wooded stretches near the house. From the hall the route runs past the lake and along the parkland drive, climbs through open grazing to The Cage, which is about 350 m above sea level, and gives views across the Cheshire plain to the Manchester skyline on clear days. The return follows the park paths past the Lyme Park deer herd, which are red and fallow deer and should be viewed from a distance. A shorter turn-around is available at The Cage, and the walk can be cut by following the same estate track back to the house. Water is available at the visitor facilities near the hall, along with toilets, a cafe and a shop. There are no huts on the route, but the Cage tower provides some shelter from wind. Dogs are welcome on leads, with restrictions in some areas of the deer park.