New Mills, Mellor and Disley ¦ A walk through industrial history ¦ Samuel Oldknow

Join me for a walk through some of the history of the Industrial Revolution. The route is around 9 miles in length, and we start at New Mills Newtown railway station and finish at Disley station. Initially dropping down to the River Goyt near The Tors below New Mills, we turn left and head along the Goyt before rising up to Brook Bottom and dropping back down to Strines. From here we roughly follow the Manchester to Sheffield railway line and the Goyt into Mellor. Here we get to view Roman Lakes, the old "Roman" packhorse bridge, and the remains of Mellor Mill.
I do try and tell the colourful history of Mellor Mill, Roman Lakes and the entrepreneur Samuel Oldknow, but my lack of research, as usual, leads me astray! I have tried to add corrections into the video where possible!
Our last leg takes us up to the Peak Forest Canal. Here we turn left and head back along to Disley to catch the train home. For a slightly longer circular route, you could continue back to New Mills Newtown station.
Link to route plotted on OS Maps app - explore.osmaps.com/route/1792...
If you need the map it is OS Landranger - OL1 - The Dark Peak - amzn.to/2DvDpt6
The link above is an Amazon UK affliate link. If you purchase via the link the price is the same to you, but I receive a small commission which helps to fund this channel.
Thanks for watching!
Music reproduced courtesy of KZbin Music Library.
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#history #hiking #ukcountryside

[@Yorkshiremadmick]

Lovely walk and packed full of useful history

[@DesGreene]

Glad you enjoyed it Mick! It's an interesting area with all the industrial history. Hope all is well with you👍

[@zaravielle]

INGORMATIVE and HISTORICAL👌👌👌

[@DesGreene]

Thank you! All the best to you👍☺

[@travel_nature_and_life]

I really like that a hike has a story. And here, you bring us a link between past and present, a reading of life , in a way. We think too often of the present minute when our steps tread the ground, while time has forged all this, long before us. 🥾👍

[@DesGreene]

So glad you enjoyed it! ☺ I'm always fascinated by how the usage of land has changed over time. Often, what we think of as countryside today were centres of industry centuries ago! Amazing how nature recovers when left alone! 👍😊

[@jullieadeleida3197]

How nice notification to open and watch with pleasure and share beautiful bro..👏👍🙋

[@DesGreene]

Very kind of you! 😁 Many thanks for watching and commenting👍🙂

[@siegfriedschlag4353]

Guten Abend, gut gemacht super ❤ 🎹 tolles Video 👍 danke für gegenseitige Unterstützung, wünschen dir eine schöne Woche, Anne & Siggi🔔 Abofreund 🔔

[@DesGreene]

Vielen Dank fürs Zuschauen, Siggi! Liebe Grüße und bis bald!👍☺

[@SandVan]

Spectacular walk and very informative 😊

[@DesGreene]

Cheers folks! All the best & catch you soon👍

[@wendingourway]

Now that certainly is a great area...lovely along the river for sure. Always interesting to learn about the history. These places were certainly built to last! Bruce and Otis

[@DesGreene]

Hi Bruce and Otis! It was great to see the river carrying a good head of water for a change. But that might tell you something about the awful wet summer we are having! 😂 I really enjoyed the walk, as it's so interesting along there. Hope you are both keeping well! All the best and see you soon👍🙂

[@CampervanTales]

The farm at the top, Higher Hague Fold Farm was my parents in laws farm. They bought it as a bit of a run down place back in the 80's. They lived in Disley and could see the farm from their window and said one day they wanted to buy it. I have many memories of helping them with the hay making and other farm jobs. My ex wife and I had our wedding reception in the garden there on August Bank Holiday weekend back in 1993. We got married at the Methodist Chapel in Brookbottom.

[@DesGreene]

That's a great piece of local history! 🙂 It's such a beautiful and interesting area. I really enjoyed exploring a few parts I'd not visited before. Hope you are both keeping well. All the best and thanks for watching 👍🙂

[@niyazeeshan2868]

Very nice sharing 👍👍❤️

[@DesGreene]

Thank you! 👍🙂

[@LivingtheSilverLife]

What a beautiful walkway by the river. It it just so pretty. Reminds me of one that we walked or rode our bikes on in Pennsylvania. Love the farm- so quaint. You had a lot of information handy to tell us about Samuel Oldknow. Interesting. That old pedestrian bridge is just spectacular. That's a lot of people coming down to enjoy the area and all the things it offered. Nature took it back over. Great hike. Be safe, Bill and DeAnna

[@DesGreene]

Hi there! Glad you enjoyed seeing the area and hearing a little of the history. It must have been such a change going from a huge mill employing 2000 people to a busy holiday reasort! All nice and peaceful for hiking now though👍😁

[@JenniferLupine]

Great walk Des! Looks like the river was very high and flowing fast! I enjoyed hearing you tell about the history of Samuel Oldknow and the mills, and as I say, it’s your version! 😉😄 The wheel must have been huge… interesting to imagine so many workers in the mill, and not making much money at all during those times. Great walk back along the canal! 🌳🌳👍👍👌 Thanks!

[@DesGreene]

Glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer! I'm sure profit from textiles was good at times, but then I read that war with France had a bad effect, and I'm sure all of Oldknow's many projects would have meant he had to borrow heavily to finance them. Interesting sounding guy, though! The mill remains were fascinating. That water wheel must have been an impressive sight! All the best & thanks for watching👍☺

[@chrisbentleywalkingandrambling]

A lovely circular hike there, Des. Thanks for all the historical information. I really enjoyed it. That river was definitely full. Normally, you get to a weir, and it's trickling over, but that was thundering over. Thanks for sharing, Des.

[@DesGreene]

Thanks Chris👍 Some of the history was slightly mangled, but I've tried to correct it on the screen notes! 😁 The river was definitely high for this time of year, but what a wet July we've had! Cheers for watching and see you soon👍

[@riesling-hiker]

Hello Des, very interessting hike and stories from the past times. Greetings Kai 👍 🍻 👍

[@DesGreene]

Glad you enjoyed it, Kai! Hope you are keeping well. Many thanks for watching👍🙂

[@owdoglenn481]

Done some of that myself, the mother in law lives on Hague Bar. Pride of the Peaks in New Mills centre is a great little pub.

[@DesGreene]

It is lovely walking all along the Goyt Valley. And many thanks for the pub suggestion! I'll give it a try some time👍🙂

[@ScottsLand]

What a great walk. You know me and history lol. Love a walk and love a bit of history no matter the era. The Mills I think were so important for some parts of England and life was tough for sure. Lovely to hear the story of Sam the man 😂and what empire he built. Walking through history is a fav with me. You should be a walking tour guide. You would be ace at it. Keep on hiking as always 👍😃👍🥾🥾🥃🥃

[@DesGreene]

Ha ha, me a walking guide? That would cause some hostoric controversy! Each group would go home with a different version of history! 😂 Mr Oldknow does sound like a really enterprising bloke. Always looking for the next big idea. Hope all is good with you Scott! Take care👍☺

[@ramblingracheltrailtales]

Hello Des, thanks for showing us this side of the Peaks. The industrial history is fascinating. Disley, that’s where the Gritstone trail begins. I’d like to do that at some point. Lovely video. Have a good weekend 😊

[@DesGreene]

Hi Rachel. I'd still love to do the Gritstone at some point. As I mentioned the other day, I was scouting out wild camping spots up on Bosley Cloud recently. I reckon that is it's one disadvantage. Transport is great for me at least...single train to Kidsgrove and single train home from Disley!

[@NicoleHikesalot]

Amazing history and the place was very interesting to see, beautiful setting, the bridge was so beautiful too! Too bad about the vandalism. That was such a nice view over the water, interesting to hear about the mill. The old ruins were awesome. I hope you have been well Des!

[@DesGreene]

Hi Nicole. Glad you enjoyed seeing the area! It certainly has a lot of of interesting history from before nature took back control! All good here thanks, hope you are keeping well too👍🙂

[@WyeExplorer]

Hey, nice walk out of town des - lovely pub along the way. This was a class bucolic walk amid the countryside. Packed with history wherever you look. I couldn't stand to live next to that weir in the cottage - to loud. Well, a lot of shifting fortunes on this one. One thing remains though and that's the sounds of nature as we explore. I imagine you had time to listen. All the best. Mark

[@DesGreene]

Hi Mark. Oh I reckon I could put up with living in that cottage! 😁 It had some lovely gardens too! I did enjoy this walk. Always nice to walk near a river, and I do love a bit of industrial heritage as well. All the best and see you soon👍☺

[@WyeExplorer]

@@DesGreene Yeah, I wasn't there to be fair des. Good to hear of the walk.

[@solitaryrambler]

Hi Des, really enjoyed this! 😀 Good old Mr Oldknow left some very interesting industrial history along this walk, so much to see. The Fox Inn looked very inviting too 😁 Must explore that part of the Goyt Valley and Peak Forest Canal at some point as I've only ever ventured as far as the New Mills area. Thanks for sharing Des. All the best 🙂👍

[@DesGreene]

Hi Patrick. I hadn't walked the stretch down around Mellor and Roman Lakes before. That area where they've excavated the basement of the mill is well worth a visit. The entire valley, from Whaley Bridge down is fascinating though I reckon 😁 Cheers for watching and have a great week👍☺

[@TheCountrysideChannel]

Lovely video Des, very informative as usual

[@DesGreene]

Thanks my friend! All the best👍

[@GreenMorningDragonProductions]

Really enjoyed the sights you showed along the way - I basically did this route as an 11 year old in 1980 on a sponsored walk for Burnage High School, along the Peak Forest Canal to Marple. Look forward to getting back there for a wander around, some day. Cheers from Yokohama :)

[@DesGreene]

That's great that it brought back memories! 😁 You've reminded me of a nightmare sponsored walk I did in the snow up to Bow Stones above Disley. Trainers with no tread and snow are not a great mix! 😂 Hope you get to do this walk again some time👍 All the best!

[@rupertxaviauchelford-west4929]

Brill..I've walked around there many times..The bit up to the canal over the railway line can be a tough one, especially when you have been walking 9/10 miles.. I was expecting a cheers at the end from Malt Disley 🍺😀👍🏽

[@DesGreene]

I was definitely glad to see that bench when I got up to the canal! 😁 I probably should have called into Malt Disley! Would have avoided getting caught in a downpour on the way across to the station! Maybe next time👍

[@rupertxaviauchelford-west4929]

@@DesGreene I bet you was glad to see that bench.. I often go to Malt Disley.. There is always something different on to choose from. 👍

[@FXWalesAnnaAlf]

Hi Des, been trying but failing to watch this as signal keeps cutting out as we are back out camping. Will catch up properly when home in the next day or two, like the sound of this history walk , it sounds like a nice10 mile walk :) ~ Anna 👍

[@DesGreene]

No worries Anna! Hope the weather isn't too bad for your camping trip👍 I got a proper old soaking on my hike yesterday!😂

[@ChrisJB]

Very nice Des. The River looked pretty high and well flowing. The Fox Inn looks right up my street too. I'm on my hols at the moment but will message you when I get back re Shining Tor. 👍

[@DesGreene]

Hi Chris. It was great seeing the Goyt with a good flow on it, but hope this rain clear up before you get back!😁

[@ChrisJB]

@@DesGreene Me too! I'm following the weather from afar. 🌧

[@DesmondsDonders]

Lovely walk and talk Des. Another conspiracy debunked LOL. I wondered why the names were familiar, I think I have said before my Uncle lived in Whalley Bridge at one point.

[@DesGreene]

You get your money's worth here, David! Conspiracies raised and debunked in the same video!😂

[@atrampinthehills.841]

Lovely walk through History Des...nicely put together...i am guessing this was filmed last summer, as it is not raining. Ha Ha..

[@DesGreene]

I did mangle the history a little until I'd read up on it afterwards, but a really interesting walk! I think I managed to catch the weather off guard, but it get get me back on that ladt stretch to Disley station. Got a good soaking! 😂

[@nicklarge007]

Brilliant as ever Des, know that area like the back of me hand, lived in New mills for a while, my ex boss lived in Mellor, often walk around there nice to see it documented as you can only do! Thanks again! ( BTW do you live local to here?)

[@DesGreene]

I'd done parts of this one before, but never the bit down by Roman Lakes and the foundations of the old mill. It was really fascinating and full of history! I'm from Stockport, so not too far from this area. All the best & many thanks for watching👍☺

[@nicklarge007]

@@DesGreene we must meet up for a walk someday,I only live in Bredbury, would love a chat and a stroll sometime!