Discover Pickmere

Pickmere can be explored through its footpaths, landscape and historic buildings. Footpath 01 leads to a lake; a permissive path runs around the water. Cob Lodge and Mereview Farm represent different aspects of the village’s history: a former function and a local landmark at Cob Lodge, and a datestone and architectural details at Mereview Farm. If you’re looking for a hotel in Pickmere, these highlights can help you choose what to explore based on your interest in paths, landscape or architectural history.

Footpaths to the lake

Footpath 01 starts at the end of Mere Lane; a Jacobs Way sign and a standard footpath sign mark the start. Footpath FP01 leads downhill from Mere Lane to the lake along a paved road. A permissive path also runs from Footpath 01 around the lake; it continues around the water via a bridge. The sections are described differently: the descent is paved, while the route around the lake is described as permissive and includes a bridge. Signage, path surfaces and permissive access may change. Check the current route information before setting out.

Historic buildings and construction

Cob Lodge was a toll keeper’s house around 1800 and is also a local landmark. It also has a historic connection to Pickmere Hall Farm. The term “toll keeper’s house” refers to a building associated with a toll point and helps explain its former function.

Mereview Farm offers further insight into historic construction. A datestone bears the inscription “R E 1773”. The building is made of red brick in Flemish bond, with natural stone dressings. In Flemish bond, the short ends and long sides of the bricks alternate within each course. The technical term thus refers to a specific brickwork pattern; the natural stone dressings describe another material detail. The details are distinct: 1773 appears on the datestone, while Flemish bond and the natural stone dressings describe the brickwork.

Landscape and the formation of the mere

Pickmere is designated as an SBI, or Site of Biological Importance. If this designation matters to your trip planning, check its current status in local records if needed. Distinct from this is the “Wooded Estates and Meres” landscape character type: only a small part of the Pickmere planning area, around and including Pick Mere, belongs to this type. The name can be rendered approximately as “wooded estates and lakes”. The terms refer to different classifications: SBI denotes biological importance, while the English phrase names the landscape character type.

There is also a cautiously worded explanation for how the mere at Pickmere formed. Apparently, three hollows created by subsidence filled with water, reaching a depth of 40 feet in places. The landscape classification applies to part of the area, while the possible formation explanation concerns the mere itself.

Discover more destinations: Northwich, Pulford, Audlem, Middlewich, Sandbach, Whitby, Egerton, Alsager.

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