Length: 1 mile
Grade: Easy
Highlights: Errwood Hall, Rhododendrons
Best time of year: Early summer
Starting by the banks of Errwood at the Errwood car park this short walk lets visitors see the romantic ruins of Errwood Hall once home to the Grimshawe family. Early summer, around the beginning of June is the best time of year to enjoy this walk and see the mass of colour from the estimated 40,000 Rhododendrons planted here.
There is map on an information board that is an easy reference at the start of this walk and provides more information about the forestry operations and wildlife in the valley. Head through the car park directly away from the reservoir to start the walk towards the ruins. The path, slightly to the right is a gentle uphill slope towards the hall. Keep following the path and keep an eye out for a small set of steps on the right hand side, don’t worry if you miss these steps here though, there is another route to the hall ruins just slightly further on where you turn right.
After climbing the steps you turn right almost heading back on yourself until until you loop around to the left where you will soon see Errwood Hall on your left, an ideal place for a break or a picnic.
Walk past the hall and to the left until you cross a walkway bridge, (as shown in the photo above). Do not however cross the next larger bridge that you see ahead of you to the left. From here turn towards the right, almost back on yourself and then carry straight on, do not take the path that bears off to the left towards the Spanish Shrine. From here you simply follow the path crossing a small section of open land before the path takes you through a more wooded terrain with dense trees to the left where deer can sometimes be seen. The path drops downhill back towards Errwood Reservoir and when you reach the road turn right to take you over the bridge and back towards the car park.
As an alternative for a longer walk from here you can also seek out the old Grimshawe cemetery and the Spanish Shrine before walking down towards the street and back towards Errwood car park.