Lymm - Canal, Dam & The Dingle

Navigating The Route

This is a circular Spy Mission around Lymm Canal, Dam & The Dingle, with Agents helping Special Agent Lucinda Woods stop evil property developer Ivor Newhome from draining Lymm Dam with a mini submarine and save the ducks and drakes by working out the code to deactivate it.

The mission covers approximately 1.5 miles and should take around 2 hours to complete. This figure-of-eight route explores the centre of Lymm, heads around the dam and lake area, follows canal-side sections and takes in The Dingle and the steep-sided gorge before returning to the village centre.

This Trail is not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs. There are steps in places, some steep, plus uneven sections, narrow pavements, busy roads, a hill and some sections with no pavement.

Take care when crossing roads and keep Mini Agents close on narrow pavements, busy stretches and anywhere near the stream and gorge section.

There is an optional scenic detour of about 1 mile around the lake with no clues, rejoining the Trail later. A detour up Maltmans Road may find a children's playground.

Getting There

By car: Start your operation at The Cross where Pepper Street meets Rectory Lane (WA13 0HR). The nearest car park is Pepper Street P & D car park in the centre of Lymm (WA13 0JB). Free parking can also be found on the outskirts of town just off Crouchley Lane, nearest post code WA13 0AS; if you decide to park here, you can walk down to the start of the Trail in Lymm centre (WA13 0JB), which may involve duplication of part of the Trail route.

By public transport: Make your way to The Cross where Pepper Street meets Rectory Lane in Lymm centre to begin the mission. The circular route returns to the village centre once the submarine-stopping intel has been gathered.

Need the Loo?

There are new toilets on the walk between Clue 04 and Clue 05, though they are occasionally locked, so plan your comfort break like a properly prepared Agent.

Bring Your Furry Sidekicks

Four-legged Agents can join the operation, with a few restrictions to keep in mind 🐾

The route includes roads, narrow pavements, steps, uneven ground, a churchyard, water and a gorge, so keep canine recruits close, especially around traffic, the dam, the canal and the stream-side sections.

Food & Drink Stops

Code-cracking can be hungry work. There are pubs and cafes in the village centre, and there are usually vans selling snacks and ice-creams beside Lymm Dam.

The canal section also mentions a possible ice-cream van by the buildings, while the dam and lake area have some lovely picnic spots. The optional scenic detour around the lake also has some great places for a picnic if your squad has packed supplies.

Want to Make a Day of It?

Lymm Dam and the Optional Lake Detour

The dam is the watery heart of this operation, with picnic spots, snacks and ice-creams nearby. If your Agents still have energy after saving the ducks and drakes, the optional scenic detour adds about 1 mile around the lake, with no clues and some great places for a picnic.

The Bridgewater Canal

The mission follows part of the 39 mile long Bridgewater Canal, which connects NW England from Runcorn to Manchester and onto Leigh. Once a commercial waterway carrying tonnes of traffic every year, it is now a leisure waterway and forms part of the Cheshire Ring.

Lymm Slitting Mill Gorge

The Dingle brings Agents into a much wilder-feeling section of the mission. Lymm Slitting Mill gorge is a steep-sided gorge formed of Wilmslow sandstone and red Helsby sandstone, laid down during the late Triassic period about 220 million years ago. Slittern Brook flows on to join the River Mersey, so enjoy the geology but keep everyone steady near the water and slopes.

The Cross and St Mary's Church

Lymm's historic centre gives the mission a proper old-village backdrop. The Cross is a memorial to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria and sits on red sandstone steps dating back to the 17th century and maybe even Saxon or Roman times, with replica stocks replacing the original ones from 1775. Nearby St Mary's dates back to the 11th century and has been rebuilt several times; the current church was built in local sandstone in the 1850s and modified in the 1870s by Chester architect John Douglas, who designed the Eastgate Clock in Chester.

Lymm Festival

If your mission falls at the end of June, Lymm's festival adds arts, literature, music and transport to the village mix, with lots going on. It is a lively time to visit, provided your Agents do not get distracted from their top-secret submarine shutdown duties.