The White Nancy is one of my favourite walks as it provides amazing views mixed with historical interest, It is also great for children as it is a rated an easy route and has some really interesting features to keep kids interested along the way.
Top Info
🚗Park on Jackson Lane near The Bulls Head Pub or in Jackson Lane Car Park which is free public car park. There are other car parks in Bollington which are a bit of a further walk away but great if you are planning to head to a cafe in the centre after your walk. Pool Bank Car Park is a large free car park in the centre.
⛰️Steep incline up to White Nancy
🪨There are lots of rocky steps
👶Not suitable for Pushchairs/scooters
⛰️Spot White Nancy monument, a Trig Point and Beautiful Waterfall
🥾Wear Suitable Shoes
🥾5.3km circular route
Not only does the this walk provide some excellent views that sweep across the rolling green hills of the Cheshire countryside, but it also features White Nancy, a memorial site on top of Kerridge Hill that was built in 1817 to commemorate the victory of coalition forces at the Battle of Waterloo. The trail also takes you to a Trig Point along Kerridge Ridge and past a beautiful waterfall as you cross Dean River. It really is a pleasant walk.
The White Nancy Circular Walk is 5.3km if you choose to do the longest loop and takes 1.5 hours to complete. It is a fairly easy trail overall but there are a few steep sections along the route that could limit mobility for some walkers and when the weather has been wet the paths can get muddy and slippery especially on the steep, grassy parts. The steep northern slope of Kerridge Hill has been made easier to ascend as it has a series of steps up the hillside; however, these will get your heart racing and definitely give you a workout.
Parking
Park on Jackson Lane near The Bulls Head Pub or in Jackson Lane Car Park which is free public car park. There are other car parks in Bollington which are a bit of a further walk away but great if you re planning to head to cafe in the centre after your walk. Pool Bank Car Park is a large free car park in the centre.
The Route
From Jackson Lane, head past the Bulls Head Pub and turn left onto Redway Lane. After a row of houses you will see a gap between two building and a black sign post saying White Nancy. Head up here, the road becomes a walking path heading upwards. Keep on this path untill you come to the foot of the Kerridge Steps on your right that will lead you up the hillside.
As you head up these steps, the views behind you are of the town of Bollington. These steps are solid and secure but do give you a bit of a work out, however this is the only tough part of the walk so once your at the top you will feel relieved and welcomed by the view of the White Nancy structure.
At the top, its a nice place to stop and have a picnic. There are not any benches but a few perfectly placed rocks are just right to sit on. On one of our walks up to White Nancy it was being painted, it was quite a scene with it now a bright white structure with men balancing on ladders lent up against it.
Our girls liked how White Nancy was sat upon a giant compass showing which direction was which and after a few photos we set off again to carry on along the circular trail. Walking past White Nancy and heading south you walk along the ridge.
There are a couple of places where you can take a left turning to make the circular route shorter. If you want to find the Trig point walk further along Kerridge ridge till you come to this gate on your left with a kissing gate, head up the grassy slope to the top of the hill to find the stone Trig point.
If you want to make your walk slightly longer you can walk along the rest of the ridge. When you get the the end the path takes a sharp turn left and you then find your self walking back parallel to the ridge but at a lower level which is mainly through fields. The path is quite obvious as it has been worn from plenty of people walking it.
As you walk through the field, you will come to a gate and sign saying "Welcome to Waulkmill woods". Keep going straight and take a pleasant walk through these woods. On our visit the path was lined with bluebells which made it look very pretty. As you walk along you will start to see and hear the river running along the path on your right.
Soon you will find the gorgeous waterfall and cottages at Waulkmill Waterfall. This is such a lovely setting to stop and take in your natural surrounding. At the cottages, head left and your now back on the road which will take you back into the centre of Bollington and back to where you have parked.
After our walk we drove just a few minutes up the road to find a cafe. We visited Cafe Waterside which is inside Clarence Mill, Clarence Road, Bollington. It is a lovely cosy cafe which is right next to Macclesfield Canal. It has inside and outside seating with a good looking menu. We just had a drink and cake as we had already had a picnic on our walk.
Visit Jan, May and June 2023
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