Macclesfield Forest
Encyclopedia
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough
Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough
Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies on the western fringe of the Peak District National park....
, in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The existing woodland is the last substantial remnant of the Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
of Macclesfield, a once-extensive ancient hunting reserve. The area also includes two reservoirs, Trentabank
Trentabank Reservoir
Trentabank Reservoir is located within Macclesfield Forest, partly in the Peak District National Park in England, and is home to rich unimproved uplands and grasslands...
and Ridgegate. Macclesfield Forest lies on the western edge of the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, within the South West Peak, and is partly inside the boundary of the National Park. The hills of Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose is a hill situated east of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It has a short ridge with a high point of 380 metres at , terminating in a promontory at the southern end. It lies on the western edge of the Peak District, although outside the boundary of the National Park...
and Shutlingsloe
Shutlingsloe
Shutlingsloe is a hill near the village of Wildboarclough, in the east of the county of Cheshire. It stands to the south of Macclesfield Forest, on the edge of the Peak District and within the Peak District National Park....
stand to the north west and south east, respectively; the moorland of High Moor lies to the south and the Goyt Valley lies to the west. Nearby villages include Langley
Langley, Cheshire
Langley is a semi-rural village in the county of Cheshire, England, on the River Bollin, near Macclesfield and Macclesfield Forest.Langley Mill, founded by William Smith in 1826, became the biggest silk printing, dyeing and finishing works in the world...
and Wildboarclough
Wildboarclough
Wildboarclough is a village in east Cheshire, England, in the civil parish of Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough within the Peak District National Park. It is famed as being the place where the last wild boar in England was killed. However this is a myth...
.
Macclesfield Forest is owned by United Utilities
United Utilities
United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...
. Most of the woodland is designated a Site of Biological Importance
Site of Biological Importance
A Site of Biological Importance is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government...
, while part of the area including Trentabank Reservoir is a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England...
; the reserve contains a large heronry
Heronry
A heronry is a breeding ground for herons, sometimes called a heron rookery.- Asia :* Kaggaladu Heronry is in Karnataka state of India...
. Other wildlife includes a small herd of red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
. Recreational uses of the area include walking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
, horse riding
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
and bird watching
Birdwatching
Birdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
.
History
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
; there is a Bronze Age barrow
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
near High Low Farm to the west of Macclesfield Forest and another earthwork east of the forest near Toot Hill. After the Norman Conquest the modern area known as Macclesfield Forest formed part of the much larger region of the Royal Forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
of Macclesfield, a hunting reserve owned by the Earls of Chester
Earl of Chester
The Earldom of Chester was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs-apparent to the English throne, and from the late 14th century it has been given only in conjunction with that of Prince of Wales.- Honour of Chester :The...
, which formerly stretched from the foothills of the Pennines
Pennines
The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range, separating the North West of England from Yorkshire and the North East.Often described as the "backbone of England", they form a more-or-less continuous range stretching from the Peak District in Derbyshire, around the northern and eastern edges of...
east into the High Peak
High Peak
High Peak is a non-metropolitan district and borough of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire, England. Administered from Buxton, it is mostly composed of high moorland plateau in the Dark Peak of the Peak District....
near Whaley Bridge
Whaley Bridge
Whaley Bridge is a small town and civil parish in the High Peak district of Derbyshire, England, situated on the River Goyt. Whaley Bridge is approximately south of Manchester, north of Buxton , east of Macclesfield and west of Sheffield, and had a population of 6,226 at the 2001 census. This...
and south to the Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The 2001 census recorded the population as...
.
South of the forest stands the Greenway Cross , a standing stone carved on each side with a cross, which was probably erected as a waymarker by Dieulacresse Abbey in Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
during the Middle Ages. Tradition holds that poachers
Poaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
in the royal forest were executed at a nearby gallows, which might be the source of the name of the Hanging Gate public house, from the Norse gata, meaning "path".
Ridgegate Reservoir was constructed in the late 19th century to provide drinking water for the town of Macclesfield, with Trentabank Reservoir
Trentabank Reservoir
Trentabank Reservoir is located within Macclesfield Forest, partly in the Peak District National Park in England, and is home to rich unimproved uplands and grasslands...
following in the 1920s. The conifer plantation largely dates from 1930–50, and was planted around the reservoirs to protect water catchment areas from pollution.
Geography and ecology
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
, within the South West Peak. The eastern two-thirds of the forest fall within the National Park, and the area has been covered by the Park's ranger service since the 1970s. A total of 401 hectares (991 acres) has been designated a Site of Biological Importance
Site of Biological Importance
A Site of Biological Importance is one of the non-statutory designations used locally by the Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Staffordshire County Councils in England to protect locally valued sites of biological diversity which are described generally as Local Wildlife Sites by the UK Government...
(grade A); an area of 19 hectares (47 acres), including all of Trentabank Reservoir, was also made a non-statutory nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
in 1982, and is managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
The Cheshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England...
.
The area ranges in elevation from around 225 metres to 475 metres, and includes two hills, Toot Hill in the east and Nessit Hill in the south. Within the forest are two reservoirs, Trentabank
Trentabank Reservoir
Trentabank Reservoir is located within Macclesfield Forest, partly in the Peak District National Park in England, and is home to rich unimproved uplands and grasslands...
and Ridgegate , which are fed by Bollin Brook
River Bollin
The River Bollin is a major tributary of the River Mersey in the north-west of England.It rises in Macclesfield Forest at the western end of the Peak District, and can be seen in spring form, from the Buxton to Macclesfield road. The stream then descends the through Macclesfield and Wilmslow where...
. They are the highest of a series of four reservoirs, the lower two being the Bottoms and Teggsnose Reservoirs, south of Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose is a hill situated east of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It has a short ridge with a high point of 380 metres at , terminating in a promontory at the southern end. It lies on the western edge of the Peak District, although outside the boundary of the National Park...
.
A continuous area of approximately 400 hectares (988 acres) is covered with woodland or plantation. The forest is managed for timber by United Utilities
United Utilities
United Utilities Group PLC is the UK's largest listed water business. The Group owns and manages the regulated water and waste water network in the north west England, through it subsidiary United Utilities Water PLC , which is responsible for the vast majority of the group's assets and...
, using a continuous cover policy (rather than clear felling and restocking). Macclesfield Borough Council
Macclesfield (borough)
Macclesfield was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It included the towns of Bollington, Knutsford, Macclesfield and Wilmslow and within its wider area the villages and hamlets of Adlington, Disley, Gawsworth, Kerridge, Pott Shrigley, Poynton,...
plans to increase the area of the former royal forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
that is covered by woodland. The predominant species are Sitka spruce and Japanese larch
Japanese Larch
Japanese Larch is a species of larch native to Japan, in the mountains of Chūbu and Kantō regions in central Honshū....
, with some Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
, Lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
, Corsican pine
European Black Pine
Pinus nigra, the European Black Pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across southern Mediterranean Europe from Spain to the Crimea, in Asia Minor and on Cyprus, and in the high mountains of the Maghreb in North Africa....
and Norway spruce
Norway Spruce
Norway Spruce is a species of spruce native to Europe. It is also commonly referred to as the European Spruce.- Description :...
. There are also areas of semi-natural mixed and broadleaved woodland, mainly oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, sycamore and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
; in 2004, broadleaved species made up 23% of the total, although current forestry management aims to increase the proportion. The woodland supports moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
es and thirty species of fungi
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
, including fly agaric
Amanita muscaria
Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric or fly amanita , is a poisonous and psychoactive basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita...
, stinkhorns, honey fungus
Honey fungus
Honey fungus, or Armillaria or оpenky , is a genus of parasitic fungi that live on trees and woody shrubs. It includes about 10 species formerly lumped together as A. mellea. Armillarias are long lived and form some of the largest living organisms in the world...
and the sickener
Russula emetica
Russula emetica, commonly known as the sickener, is a basidiomycete mushroom of the genus Russula, one of many species with a predominantly red-coloured cap and white gills and stalk. It gets its common name from its inedibility, as it causes vomiting and diarrhea when consumed...
. The area also includes areas of acidic unimproved upland grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
, including approximately a hectare within the Trentabank nature reserve; this supports species including bluebell
Common Bluebell
Hyacinthoides non-scripta, commonly known as the common bluebell, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. -Taxonomy:...
, tormentil
Tormentil
Common Tormentil is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the rose family , also known as Septfoil or simply as "tormentil" .-Characteristics:It is a low, clumb-forming plant with slender, procumbent...
, pignut
Conopodium majus
Conopodium majus is a small perennial herb, whose underground part resembles a chestnut and is sometimes eaten as a wild or cultivated root vegetable....
, birdsfoot trefoil
Lotus corniculatus
Lotus corniculatus is a common flowering plant native to grassland temperate Eurasia and North Africa. The common name is Bird's-foot Trefoil , though the common name is often also applied to other members of the genus...
, foxglove
Digitalis
Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that are commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent reviews of phylogenetic research have placed it in the much enlarged family...
and lesser knapweed
Centaurea
Centaurea is a genus of between 350 and 600 species of herbaceous thistle-like flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Members of the genus are found only north of the equator, mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere; the Middle East and surrounding regions are particularly species-rich...
, while the reservoir margins support aquatic plants including amphibious bistort
Persicaria
Persicaria is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae, collectively known as smartweeds or pinkweeds. The genus was formerly included in the genus Polygonum.The genus includes both annuals and perennials...
, water mint, water horsetail
Water Horsetail
The water horsetail , also known as the Swamp Horsetail, is a perennial horsetail that commonly grows in dense colonies along freshwater shorelines or in shallow water, growing in ponds, swamps, ditches, and other sluggish or still waters with mud bottoms...
and common spikerush
Eleocharis
Eleocharis is a genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. They are known commonly as spikerushes, although spikesedges is a more technically appropriate name and most scientists who study them in earnest refer to them as such...
.
A heronry
Heronry
A heronry is a breeding ground for herons, sometimes called a heron rookery.- Asia :* Kaggaladu Heronry is in Karnataka state of India...
is located by Trentabank Reservoir within the reserve; with around twenty-two nests, it is the largest in the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
. The heronry is visible from several viewpoints, and close-up CCTV pictures of the nests can also be seen in the Trentabank ranger station. Other birds observed in the woodland include crossbill
Crossbill
The crossbill is a bird in the finch family . The three to five species are all classified in the genus Loxia. These birds are characterised by the mandibles crossing at their tips, which gives the group its English name...
s, siskin
Siskin
-Birds:The name siskin when referring to a bird is derived from an adaptation of the German dialect words sisschen, zeischen, which are diminuative forms of Middle High German and Middle Low German words, which are themselves apparently of Slavic origin...
s, goldcrest
Goldcrest
The Goldcrest, Regulus regulus, is a very small passerine bird in the kinglet family. Its colourful golden crest feathers gives rise to its English and scientific names, and possibly to it being called the "king of the birds" in European folklore. Several subspecies are recognised across the very...
s, pied flycatcher
European Pied Flycatcher
The Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca, is a small passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family, one of the four species of Western Palearctic black-and-white flycatchers. It breeds in most of Europe and western Asia. It is migratory, wintering mainly in western Africa. It hybridizes with...
s, garden warbler
Garden Warbler
The Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin, is a common and widespread typical warbler which breeds throughout northern and temperate Europe into western Asia. This small passerine bird is strongly migratory, and winters in central and southern Africa...
s, blackcap
Blackcap
The Blackcap is a common and widespread sylviid warbler which breeds throughout temperate Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa, and winters from northwestern Europe south to tropical Africa...
s and woodcock
Woodcock
The woodcocks are a group of seven or eight very similar living species of wading birds in the genus Scolopax. Only two woodcocks are widespread, the others being localized island endemics. Most are found in the Northern Hemisphere but a few range into Wallacea...
s, while the reservoirs support abundant waterfowl including cormorant
Great Cormorant
The Great Cormorant , known as the Great Black Cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the Black Cormorant in Australia and the Black Shag further south in New Zealand, is a widespread member of the cormorant family of seabirds...
s, coot
Eurasian Coot
The Eurasian Coot, Fulica atra, also known as Coot, is a member of the rail and crake bird family, the Rallidae. The Australian subspecies is known as the Australian Coot.-Distribution:...
s, goldeneyes
Common Goldeneye
The Common Goldeneye is a medium-sized sea duck of the genus Bucephala, the goldeneyes. Their closest relative is the similar Barrow's Goldeneye....
, pochard, mallard
Mallard
The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....
s, tufted ducks
Tufted Duck
The Tufted Duck, Aythya fuligula, is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.- Description :The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name.The adult female is brown with paler...
, teal
Common Teal
The Eurasian Teal or Common Teal is a common and widespread duck which breeds in temperate Eurasia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian Teal is often called simply the Teal due to being the only one of these small dabbling ducks in much of its range...
, great crested grebe
Great Crested Grebe
The Great Crested Grebe is a member of the grebe family of water birds.- Description :The Great Crested Grebe is long with a wingspan. It is an excellent swimmer and diver, and pursues its fish prey underwater. The adults are unmistakable in summer with head and neck decorations...
, little grebe
Little Grebe
The Little Grebe , also known as Dabchick, member of the grebe family of water birds. At 23 to 29 cm in length it is the smallest European member of its family. It is commonly found in open bodies of water across most of its range.-Description:The Little Grebe is a small water bird with a pointed...
and common sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
The Common Sandpiper is a small Palearctic wader. This bird and its American sister species, the Spotted Sandpiper , make up the genus Actitis. They are parapatric and replace each other geographically; stray birds of either species may settle down with breeders of the other and hybridize...
s. A herd of around twelve red deer
Red Deer
The red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
, the remnant of the royal forest
Royal forest
A royal forest is an area of land with different meanings in England, Wales and Scotland; the term forest does not mean forest as it is understood today, as an area of densely wooded land...
herd, still frequents the forest. Small mammals present in the woodland include badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s and weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
s.
Sights and activities
Forest Chapel
Forest Chapel stands in an isolated position in the civil parish of Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough in Cheshire, England, within the Peak District National Park from Macclesfield. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. It is an Anglican church in...
, known as Forest Chapel, is located immediately to the east of Macclesfield Forest at . In pink sandstone with a stone and slate roof, the church dates originally from 1673; the chancel and nave were rebuilt in 1831. It is listed at grade II. St Stephen's still holds a rush-bearing ceremony every August, in which rushes
Scirpus
The plant genus Scirpus consists of a large number of aquatic, grass-like species in the family Cyperaceae , many with the common names club-rush or bulrush . Other common names are deergrass or grassweed.The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, and grows in wetlands and moist soil...
are cut from nearby fields and marshes and strewn on the church floor and plaited into decorations as a symbol of renewal. The tradition ceased in most other churches in the 17th century. Other attractions in the area include a small arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
near the Trentabank ranger station.
Several public footpaths, concessionary paths and bridleways cross the area. Three circular walks of different lengths (1–9 km or 0.5–5.5 miles) are waymarked for exploration of the forest area; one is suitable for wheelchair access. Additionally, the "Walk to the Forest" is a waymarked circular trail of 11 km (6.8 mi) linking Macclesfield Forest with Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose is a hill situated east of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It has a short ridge with a high point of 380 metres at , terminating in a promontory at the southern end. It lies on the western edge of the Peak District, although outside the boundary of the National Park...
hill. Macclesfield Forest is also the starting point of a popular ascent of Shutlingsloe
Shutlingsloe
Shutlingsloe is a hill near the village of Wildboarclough, in the east of the county of Cheshire. It stands to the south of Macclesfield Forest, on the edge of the Peak District and within the Peak District National Park....
. The Gritstone Trail
Cheshire Gritstone Trail
The Cheshire Gritstone Trail is a long-distance footpath in England split into three stages. The first stage, in length, leads from Disley to Tegg's Nose; the second, of length , from Tegg's Nose to Timbersbrook, is the best for obtaining a close look at gritstone scenery...
long-distance footpath
Long-distance footpaths in the United Kingdom
-England and Wales: National Trails:National Trails are distinguished by being maintained by the National Trails organization . , there are fifteen such trails, one of which is not yet complete....
runs immediately to the west of the forest. The forest area is used for orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
events. There are several mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
routes, including both off-road trails and routes on country lanes.
Fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
is permitted on the Ridgegate Reservoir; the fishing rights are owned by the Macclesfield and District Fly Fishing Club.
Facilities and access
Trentabank Reservoir
Trentabank Reservoir is located within Macclesfield Forest, partly in the Peak District National Park in England, and is home to rich unimproved uplands and grasslands...
, with car parking (including disabled spaces), public toilets, picnic area, benches and informative displays. Parking is also available at Ridgegate Reservoir and at the Standing Stone area on the eastern edge of the forest, as well as at the nearby Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose is a hill situated east of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It has a short ridge with a high point of 380 metres at , terminating in a promontory at the southern end. It lies on the western edge of the Peak District, although outside the boundary of the National Park...
Country Park.
By the Trentabank ranger station is a kiosk serving food, which is a member of the Peak District Foods group. Nearby public houses include the Leather's Smithy by Ridgegate Reservoir, St Dunstan in the village of Langley
Langley, Cheshire
Langley is a semi-rural village in the county of Cheshire, England, on the River Bollin, near Macclesfield and Macclesfield Forest.Langley Mill, founded by William Smith in 1826, became the biggest silk printing, dyeing and finishing works in the world...
, Hanging Gate south of Langley and the Stanley Arms in Bottom-of-the-Oven; refreshments are also available at Blaze Farm on the A54
A54 road
The A54 road is a road linking Chester in Cheshire, England with Buxton in Derbyshire. The road follows the route:*Chester*Winsford*Middlewich*Holmes Chapel*Congleton*Buxton...
and at teashops on the A537
A537 road
The A537 is a road linking Knutsford, Cheshire and Buxton, Derbyshire. Part of the route includes the Cat and Fiddle Road, one of the most dangerous in Great Britain.-Route:...
and in the village of Wildboarclough
Wildboarclough
Wildboarclough is a village in east Cheshire, England, in the civil parish of Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough within the Peak District National Park. It is famed as being the place where the last wild boar in England was killed. However this is a myth...
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The area can be reached by bus from Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
or Buxton
Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
. There is limited wheelchair access, including an easy-access, stone-surfaced path to one of the Trentabank Reservoir herony viewing points. Dogs are permitted but must be kept under control. Nearby tourist accommodation is very limited.