Walk Mill in the Cheshire countryside is a working water mill, bakery and cafe. The flour is made from home-grown wheat, which you can watch being milled in the traditional way powered by water from the River Gowy.
The owner gave us a guided walk and we saw the mill equipment in action. Milling using a water wheel was first used by the Romans using men to “walk” round before the use of horses. The original mill dated back to 1200 but the building today is new. Historical artefacts have been found, some dating back to 973AD, including traces of a moated fort and Viking coins. There are also various remains from the early mill like the floor tiles, hand-made bricks, a sack hoist, a date stone (RW1668) and a damsel (a damsel is the spindle) Many old sayings originate from flour milling. “Rule of thumb” – the miller feels his grain with his thumb. “All’s grist to the mill” – grist was an old term for grain, “Show his steel” or “On his mettle” – the millwright would show he was experienced by showing his hands with pieces of metal in them.
We visited primarily for tea and home-made cakes in the pleasant cafe. Then we bought some freshly baked bread to take home and a bag of flour for our friends who like to bake their own. It’s definitely worth a visit and, if you have grandchildren to amuse, there is the nearby Crocky Trail or the Ice Cream Farm.
To get to the Walk Mill follow the brown signs from the A41 or the A51 and for Sat Navs use CH3 7RZ.
