Mow Cop Castle

Mow Cop Castle is a folly which was built by the Wilbraham family, who lived down at Rode Hall in Cheshire. The castle folly was always supposed to look ruined and was designed to create a romantic view and it really does stand out sitting on the top of Mow Cop Hill. It is visible for miles around with it’s iconic arch almost touching the clouds as it stands 355m above sea level.

This short walk lets you explore the history of Mow Cop, taking in the ruins of the castle and the Old Man o’Mow, a distinctive rock feature in the landscape. Along the route you’ll discover why this site is important to the Primitive Methodists, and see some impressive views over the Cheshire and Staffordshire countryside.

There is free parking at the Mow Cow Castle car park (ST7 3PA) gets you just meters away from the castle.

We set off first for an explore of the castle, climbing up the rocky path and holding on to eachother as it got rather windy being so high up. The area is full of craggy rocks to climb on and you can stand below the castle’s arch. There is a tower that was built as a summer house in 1754 by Randle Wilbraham, the local Lord of the Manor. It is blocked off with railings but you can can have a good look through the bars.

Once up at the castle ruins you have an impressive 360 degree view of the Cheshire and Shropshire. As you head back down, turn away from the castle and you will find a stone driveway. Follow this till you get to the road where you will find a National Trust sign. Cross over the road, taking care of the traffic and turn right to walk up the hill. Take the immediate next left and follow the footpath. After a short walk you will see a huge rock to your right. This is the Old Man o’Mow.

We carried along the path for a little while, this joins the Gritstone Trail, which can actually lead to a very long walk. However, we just did a small circular walk, getting back on to the road which finally brought us back to the National Trust Sign and back to Mow Cop Castle. It was only a 2km loop that we did, but it was great to see the Castle and Old Man o’Mow.