Project

River Bollin Riverlands project at Lyme

View across countryside with trees, fields and in the distance the Bollin reservoir — Bollin reservoir across the park at Lyme | © National Trust Images / Annapurna Mellor

As part of a national programme to improve the health of rivers across England and Wales, we've launched the River Bollin Riverlands project. The project will include Lyme, Dunham Massey, Quarry Bank, Hare Hill and Alderley Edge.

What’s happening at Lyme?

A 1,400 acre estate nestled on the edge of the Peak District with a medieval herd of red deer offering fantastic walks and stunning views. To improve riverland habitat here we will be de-culverting up to 2km of moorland, installing around 90 leaky dams, and removing a landslip.

Where is the River Bollin?

The River Bollin and its catchment meander through Cheshire and the southern fringes of Manchester, flowing by many places along the way, including Quarry Bank, Dunham Massey, Alderley Edge, Hare Hill and Lyme. The largely rural and agricultural nature of the catchment gives way to the city of Greater Manchester to the north.

What is the Riverlands project?

The River Bollin is part of our national Riverlands Programme which has the following three key aims:

Rivers and catchments that are healthy, clean and rich in wildlife.
Rivers and catchments that are easily accessed, valued and loved for their heritage and beauty.
Sustainable long-term care for rivers and catchments.

We’ll also be working with local communities to help them rediscover and reconnect with their rivers – as spaces for leisure and activity, to socialise, or simply take a walk beside the water and clear their minds.

A new investment of almost £1m from the Government's Species Survival Fund will support these projects, protect fragile ecosystems and create nature-rich landscapes. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

Riverlands Bollin is a part of the Freshwater Community Grant Fund. This fund supports community initiatives to restore freshwater habitats in England. In partnership with Defra's Species Survival Fund, the scheme aims to award a total of £75,000 to local initiatives. Applications are now open for community groups to submit bids for this funding. You can find out more about the Freshwater Community Grant Fund by clicking here.

On this timeline, we'll be posting regular updates of the work we're doing on the project, so keep checking back in to stay up to date.

Latest updates

March 2025

Stop, snap and share: Help us track habitat changes

Join in with a photography project that will help us to better understand the Bollin landscape and track changes in its habitat. As a dedicated visitor or someone local to Lyme you may have seen many changes in the landscape over the years. Next time you visit, please stop, snap and share pictures from the fixed-point photography point that has been installed at Lyme.

We have installed the fixed-point photography point on the Moorland. Moorland is an amazing freshwater habitat and provides a home for a variety of plants, insects and animals. It’s also vital in making the environment more resilient to drought and flooding during extreme weather events by holding water on the land for longer.

Demonstration of how to use the fixed-point photography point | © National Trust Images/Paul Harris

Glossary of key terms

Catchment – the geographical area that supplies water to a main river or lake.

Culvert – a pipe or tunnel that moves water underground. Often this water would have naturally flown overground.

De culverting – removing the pipe or tunnel to allow the watercourse to return to a more natural state.

Ghost pond – an old pond that no longer exists because it has been filled in either naturally or by people.

Landslip – material that falls down a slope, usually smaller than a landslide. At Lyme, this material is man-made litter.

Tributaries – a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake.

Watercourse – a stream of water (e.g. a river or a brook).

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