Local Life - St Helens - May 2019

45
Carr Mill
by Jess Phillips
On a glorious spring day masquerading as midsummer,
we headed out on our latest 4 ½ mile Jack’s Tracks
around Sankey Valley Country Park and the beautiful
Carr Mill Dam in St. Helens. Begin at the Sankey Valley
Visitor Centre (postcode WA11 0AB), where you’ll find
a convenient free car park just behind the Ship Inn off
Blackbrook Road/Stanley Bank Way (A58). The visitor
centre is also a good place to learn a bit more about the
flora and fauna of the park before you head off along
the trail.
First, walk onto the old canal tow path, then turn
right to make your way up through the country park
along the main trail. There are plenty of birds to spot
along the way, plus a few monuments to the Sankey
Canal’s long and lustrous history by the waterside.
As you reach the northern end of the park, pass
under the East Lancashire Road and then the railway
viaduct, with Carr Mill Dam in front of you. If you’re
lucky, a train might pass by overhead. Continue to
follow the path as it slopes gently upwards and to
the right, then to the left onto Garswood Road. This
is where you’ll find the Toby Carvery pub – walk
towards the water’s edge and follow the path around
the western side of the reservoir.
If you live locally, it’s easy to forget what a feat of
engineering Carr Mill Dam actually is. It was formed
by damming Blackbrook Valley, and used to power
industrial mills before being enlarged for use as
a headwater for the St. Helens Canal in the mideighteenth
century. Many species of birds make their
home at the dam, including Grey Heron, Mute Swan
and Kingfisher.