Quarry Bank in Leek

(+Always nice for a walk regardless of season. Friendly staff. Wheelchair accessible. (-One minus would be the fact that the toilets werent cleaned properly on last few visits.

Best to visit early to avoid the crowds.If you arrive early, explore the many trails and walks before the main attractions open.The staff are very friendly and informative and will readily answer any questions asked.Lovely to wander along the banks of the River Bollin without which this place wouldnt exist.Gardens and paths very well maintained with great views of the estate from higher vantage points.The Mill has been expertly brought back to life with a working experience of cotton manufacturing to marvel at.Excellent cafe and ice-cream outlet means you wont starve. Well stocked souvenir shop.If you want a real treat, walk up to the weir and watch the Trout leaping in the foaming pool !A great day out.I only live 8 miles away and cant believe I havent visited this place sooner.Just Go.

Great place to visit. Fabulous gardens, historic mill with working mill wheel, machinery and steam engines.Lots of interest for all the family. Good tea rooms. Helpful and informative volunteers and staff.

A trip back in history with knowledge staff, great exhibits and I tractions with their guests.Lovely walk around the gardens, which are well maintained. The mill is loud, but shows you a small part of what it was like back in the day.Lovely ice cream parlour selling the ice cream farm Cheshire products.The mill shop has a bit for everyone.A great day out for all the family.

I can definitely recommend a visit to this working heritage site. Quarry Bank Cotton Mill, established by Samuel Greg in 1784, was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution. The Mill was fed by the river Bollin and houses Europes most powerful water wheel. If you ask the guides will actually start up the machinery for you! The site is extensive and includes the mill, main house, gardens, an apprentice house, glasshouse and kitchen garden and workers village.

Recently became NT members and thoroughly enjoyed our visit here. The staff were very attentive and would happily give one on one sessions. Very interactive tour of the cotton industry. There is plenty to go around including trails off the main grounds. We finished the day with a walk to the airport where we could watch the planes take off.

Very nice estate to explore with my dog, I walked through the woods by the river to the perimeter of the airport and back (quite steep in parts!).Purchased food and drink from upper garden cafe before strolling around the rest of the garden and outside of Mill.Plenty of car parking available. Friendly staff.Highly recommended.

Hidden treasure behind ugly area around Manchester Airport. Green valley with important industrial buildings, where you can learn a lot about harsh history of child labour. Thanks to amazing volunteer staff this place works really well and everyone is willing to explain you how this place used to work decades ago.

Fantastic place, great to go around, relax but also lear about the past and how mill works. Kids love it, well definitely be back to explore more.

Beautiful in the afternoon sun, the staff have been busy making the woods more accessible with new plank walks and on a weekday its super quiet.Although the house & gardens close at 5pm the car park & woods are open until 8pm, perfect for a sunset stroll or run.

Amazing place to spend the day, wonderful to see the all the processes and old machines being used to process the cotton from the cotton plant, all the way to the weaving the fabric, credit to National trust in keeping these historic places alive for future generations, makes you appreciate what we have today, plenty of free parking and lovely walks for dogs, hot food served in restaurant and lovely coffee and such friendly and helpful staff. Being able to see the cotton and weaving machines in use is a wonderful experience.

Lovely day out myself and my husband had some lunch which was tasty and well priced, the buildings were amazing soMuch history very informative and friendly guides and volunteers will definitely be back.

One of my favourite National Trust properties. A great day out for all the family, with a fantastic hands on experience through the mill and beautiful gardens.

A beautiful site, we spent most of the day here walking around the grounds and then through the mill watching demonstrations and listening to the very knowledgeable staff/volunteers. We had a picnic in the picnic room next to the popular cafe and visited the second hand book shop (no staff, donations in a box with prices on the back of the books). The shop was well stocked with all sorts of beautiful items, including cotton squares, tea towels etc that have been made in the mill.Such a fascinating piece of British Industry history for young and old.

Had a lovely day here with my 9yo. Some great activities in the mill meadow. The staff in the apprentice house and mill all very helpful and informative.

Great full day out.Really interesting guided tour of the apprentice house.Lovely gardens and glasshouses.Very informative guides in the mill.Huge waterwheel.Pretty woodland walks and a great unspoilt village.Nice community cafe in the village.

Free with National Trust membership. One of the best places I have visited, so much to see and do and most definitely a whole day visit. Lots of walks to do, things for families and plenty for everytype of visitor. Cannot recommend it enough.2 cafes and beautiful gardens

Really pleasant mill and gardens. The café was fairly expensive but really good quality food. I really enjoyed that the staff were doing demonstrations on each of the floors showing how the cotton was produced. We enjoyed the tour of the apprentice house, the guide was very knowledgeable. Plus free electric car charging was a bonus

Started walking through from Wilmslow Park (the Carrsto Quarry Bank Mill and what a great walk it is. The place is so peaceful and to be honest not many people on the trails which is such a bonus. Once I get to Quarry Bank Mill I then walk through to Styal village. It really is such a great walk and being able to be at one with nature. I do the walk 4 or 5 times a week with a round trip taking about 3 hours. Lovely!!

Lots to see and so much history. Beautiful grounds as well as the well informed, friendly staff on hand throughout made it a lovely day out. If youre not a member of the National Trust, this can be an expensive day out for a family. Tip: become a member if you can.

Its been a few (20?Years since Ive been here. Its a big place and you need to allow enough time to view the Mill, and the gardens. Its on the pricy side, £20 pp for adults, no discount for Seniors. Membership would possibly work out cheaper over the year considering the number of places you can visit, but again, no Senior discounts, which they used to have. Is it expensive, well I suppose it is a costly place to upkeep. The working exhibits, and staff are excellent, but there seems to be more static displays than there were, unless my memory is fading. Decent shop selling the usual NT based products. Didnt visit the Gardens due to the late arrival. For those less firm, there is a Golf Buggy service. Overall, enjoyable experience.

Perfect day here. Had a tour of the apprentice house and a look around the mill. Beautiful gardens as well.

Great place to visit, very interesting, gardens are lovely, will definitely be going back, can take the dog, would say most areas are fully accessible and they have golf buggies if aid is needed

Really nice place, lots of interesting facts to learn, the history of it. Take the kids. Teach them of what it was like back in the day, show them how easy they have today. Industrial revolution. Love this place. Bring your own food and drink as the prices are a tip off.

A wonderful combination of manufacturing and social history with attractive gardens in a lovely location. The guides were very good - especially the demonstration of spinning and weaving cotton by hand, and the tour of the apprentice house.Practically speaking there are two good cafes and two shops, and transport for the mobility impaired.Its £19 for a normal adult ticket, which may put people off - but if this is your kind of place you can spend the whole day here.

Fantastic place, both Mill and gardens. The Peonies were in full bloom on our visit, absolutely stunning. Staff were lovely and very knowledgeable, cant wait to go back.

Great place for shine history and a walk. Staff in the mill are great and the grounds are very well looked after. Ideal day out for the family

Very nice setting, if you are interested in the history of the cotton mill industrial era then its the place for you and the gardens are best visited during late spring when the rhododendrons are out as they are aplenty. Good day out with the family but prices are a bit steep otherwise.

Beautiful gardens lovely cafe for a quick coffee and a very good lunch, the old family house was open for visitors and well worth a visit, very interesting

Its a big park with beautiful views.. Lots of pretty flowers and perfect for picnics with kids.. The ice cream place there has the best Ice creams (its a must try)..I have visited twice and loved it.

Lovely place to spend a few peaceful hours prior to our flight from Manchester airport, the gardens are beautiful (the rhododendrons & other flowers were in full bloomand the mill itself is really interesting with a fascinating history, we will be back to explore more and to walk to nearby Styal village when we have more time :)

We went on a Sunday, it was a lovely day very busy, the garden and woods area were beautiful and when we went into the mill it was very interesting, we also visited the family home. The staff and helpers are very knowledgeable and FriendlyBecause we had National Trust membership it didnt cost us anything but to pay to get in is pricey, it was a nice wellspent afternoon

Lots to see and do at Quarry Bank. Plenty of picnic benches for packed lunches, accessible toilet and baby change facilities were good. My 6 year old enjoyed completing the Easter egg hunt and I thought the gardens were magnificent. Good family day out.

This property is one of the jewls in the National Trusts crown.We visited in mid April and the gardens were beautiful adorned with spring flowers and billowing blossom.The site is large and sprawling and if visiting the Apprentices house, Mill and Owners house allow about 3 hours to fully appreciate this unique site.Toilets are available throughout and there are two food outlets.If a little infirm there is transport available where there are steep slopes. Use it from the beginning as there is a lot of walking involved.If the weather is fine take a picnic as the flat area alongside the mill is a great area for children to let off steam.If intending to visit all there is to see here allow at least 4 hours as entrance to the Apprentices House is by timed ticket and walks through the gardens and woodland can be long.

Great place. Toielts on site. History well told and presented. Beautiful gardens and woodland walk by the river, Mill with working water wheel, other houses such also open. Childrens play area. Parking on site.

Brilliant place. The historical mill and house was great but the best part about Quarry Bank is the simply beautiful garden. Great day out, perfect for walks especially if youre close and a member. Would go again.

Free car parking. We arrived by 10.30am. Lots of spaces. Very helpful, friendly customer service staff. Gorgeous walks along the Bollin. Lots of families and well behaved dogs. We chose the Giants castle route which includes a path alongside the perimeter fence of Manchester Airports runway 2 so we had great views of arriving and departing planes. The final stages of the walk took us through the quaint Styal village and quiet country lanes.

Lots to see and do here, a great and important piece of history well preserved and presented. Lovely walks around the area as well. Would definitely recommend!

Another large NT site with so much to see and do. The highlight of the visit is walking around the mill, with staff on hand on each floor to provide demonstrations and information about all of the machinery. The walk around the woods and the gardens is picturesque.

Really nice walk around and very interesting history of the cotton mill. Great demos from the National Trust team of each weaving machine, from the humble spinning wheel to the massive and noisy machines powered by water and steam.Lovely gardens although I imagine even better in late spring and summer when more flowers are in bloom.

Not visited for a while, quite a few changes from the improved parking and new entrance centre (no man in shed anymoreto the new garden and glasshouse works. Mill walkthrough seemed shorter but is always interesting to stop and talk with the volunteers. Usual queue for ice-cream 😁

Oh my goodness. Do not miss the opportunity to visit this wonderful property. The history is fascinating. We definitely want to go back. The engineering is mind boggling . The staff and volunteers were extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their subjects and were delighted to chat. We thoroughly enjoyed our day. If you have mobility concerns , Remember to take cash for the shuttle golf cart that be called to zip you up and down the hill . What fun ! Oh, and to add to the magic of the day... It snowed.

Loved it! Another gorgeous National Trust Park.Lots of space for parking availability and the most warmest welcome from informative and friendly staff working at Quarry Bank.It was my first time visiting Quarry Bank and it was a lovely experience. We got tickets for the mill which was scheduled and run by a guide which is also lovely and informative. We got to see all the machines turn on and saw how the business expanded and just how young workers were able to work in the mill when it first opened. A fabulous experience and lots of history to learn.This place is brilliant for family, I love that they have a pushchair storage room, always handy (especially when you have more than one child and a large buggy!A beautiful bookshop and giftshop is available to go into.We also managed to go for a long walk in the beautiful gardens with lots of bridges and scenic routes. We had a fantastic time, I cant wait to visit again in the summer!

A nice place for a day out, went on a rainy day and thoroughly enjoyed walking on the muddy pathways and puddles of water. Highly recommended for a group of friends or families willing to have a nice refreshing walk alongside the river along with beautiful backgrounds for photography lovers.

This is our 1 of 2 favourite local areas for walking. We take dogs, but have been to see the buildings (taking turnsas well. Lovely staff and volunteers, gardens have such beautiful views. With dogs following the black by river/ good walk for most. It is even and rarely very muddy. The walk through woodland towards Wilmslow is the dogs favourite. If you have wellies and do not mind mudbath for self and dogs, the Styal walk in the opposite direction than the Wilmslow is the winner (there are stairs, so not great for all!). Pictures are from last day of October 2021 the lower garden and the black route.

A fascinating insight into early textiles manufacturing and working conditions, which were particularly bad for children. Seeing the working machinery was of interest, showing the hard graft and ingenuity that went into it.The gardens were pleasant, as were the mill staff. We didnt go to the apprentice houses, as it was guided tours only and we came later in the day. Even still, there is plenty to see for the day.

An absolutely fascinating national trust property, not at all like many of the larger estates or houses. This is a living industrial centre which encompasses a few buildings including the mill which is still operational, the mill owners house and an apprentices house. Absolutely worth a visit and take your time. The book shop is great too and the gift shop is really well stocked.

Great visit. Lovely gardens. Intriguing walks in the woodland. If you are interested in the industrial revolution this is a real gem for social history and engineering history having many working examples of beautiful machines. Well worth admission price.

Lots to see, informative and friendly staff that are happy to help. Theres a buggy to help people get around if they struggle walking up and down the hillside. Lovely clean cafes and toilets. We will definitely be back

Always such a good day out! I have been visiting this place since primary school and it never disappoints!I have the privilege of bringing my own children there now.The history of the mill is really interesting and worth paying to go in and see (we got the family ticket for £47 which allowed 6 of us inas you learn about the history of the industrial revolution and get to see looms in action + the helpful and knowledgeable staff give you lots of brilliant information.As well as the mill itself there are the sculptured gardens and surrounding forest walks. You can easily spend hours on end here without even realising! Car parking is currently free! The only thing to pay for is admission to the mill itself incl. sculptured garden.This is an amazing day out for both adults and kids alike! The final added bonus is a delicious ice-cream shop! If you want a great family day out or couples or even solo then this is a great place to go.