Local Life - Wigan - May 2019
Wigan's FREE local lifestyle magazine.
Wigan's FREE local lifestyle magazine.
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68 Leisure<br />
Carr Mill<br />
by Jess Phillips<br />
On a glorious spring day masquerading as midsummer,<br />
we headed out on our latest 4 ½ mile Jack’s Tracks<br />
around Sankey Valley Country Park and the beautiful<br />
Carr Mill Dam near St. Helens. Begin at the Sankey<br />
Valley Visitor Centre (postcode WA11 0AB), where<br />
you’ll find a convenient free car park just behind the<br />
Ship Inn off Blackbrook Road/Stanley Bank Way (A58).<br />
The visitor centre is also a good place to learn a bit<br />
more about the flora and fauna of the park before you<br />
head off along the trail.<br />
First, walk onto the old canal tow path, then turn<br />
right to make your way up through the country park<br />
along the main trail. There are plenty of birds to spot<br />
along the way, plus a few monuments to the Sankey<br />
Canal’s long and lustrous history by the waterside.<br />
As you reach the northern end of the park, pass<br />
under the East Lancashire Road and then the railway<br />
viaduct, with Carr Mill Dam in front of you. If you’re<br />
lucky, a train might pass by overhead. Continue to<br />
follow the path as it slopes gently upwards and to<br />
the right, then to the left onto Garswood Road. This<br />
is where you’ll find the Toby Carvery pub – walk<br />
towards the water’s edge and follow the path around<br />
the western side of the reservoir.<br />
If you live locally, it’s easy to forget what a feat of<br />
engineering Carr Mill Dam actually is. It was formed<br />
by damming Blackbrook Valley, and used to power<br />
industrial mills before being enlarged for use as<br />
a headwater for the St. Helens Canal in the mideighteenth<br />
century. Many species of birds make their<br />
home at the dam, including Grey Heron, Mute Swan<br />
and Kingfisher.