If you are visiting Macclesfield with young family, a great place to take them is Blaze Farm. It is a working dairy farm and award-winning attraction set on the edge of the Peak District. During your visit, you can say hello to the animals, walk along their nature trails, paint pottery, and – most importantly – gorge on their famous ‘Hilly Billy’ ice cream.
It would be a shame to go to Macclesfield and not take in some of Cheshire’s finest scenery. You would struggle to find a better view of it than from the top of Tegg’s Nose Country Park, a Green Flag awarded site to the east of the town centre. The 1,246-foot summit is achievable even for beginners and offers excellent views over the plains out as far as Wales and Liverpool.
If you don’t fancy reaching the highest point, you can still enjoy various activities, such as wildlife spotting, fishing, climbing and abseiling, as well as paying a visit to the visitor centre, gallery and tea room.
Viewable from Tegg’s Nose, Macclesfield Forest is a popular attraction for those who enjoy the great outdoors. The forest is home to four reservoirs, which have walking trails surrounding them and stop off points where you can read up on the history of the land and the local wildlife. The views are beautiful no matter when you visit, and the landscape changes brilliantly with the seasons.
Fancy a short walk up to Shutlingsloe summit in the beautiful Cheshire part of the Peak District National Park? Try a lovely short 3-mile walk from Clough House car park at Wildboarclough, but don’t expect a short easy walk, Shutlingsloe summit is 506 metres, so this route includes a good amount for ascent.
From Clough House car park, Wildboarclough, this route takes you along a lovely gentle track to start, before you then have a steep climb up to Shutlingsloe summit. You descend off the other side for almost 360 degree views of the summit, before looping back around to pick up the same track back to the car park, making it an easier route to navigate.
Also known as the Matterhorn of Cheshire, the Shutlingsloe walk is definitely one to add to your list of hikes. There are many different routes – some short, others longer that will take you up and down this Peak District Summit. This is a 7-mile walk, which takes you through many different environments on the same walk. Starting from Wildboarclough, walking alongside cloughs, then across green fields, with the odd sheep and Shutlingsloe peak in the distance behind you.
Then following a short section of the Gritstone Trail to Ridgegate and Trentabank Reservoirs, a haven for herons nesting and other wildlife. The walk then continues via Macclesfield Forest, before slowing descending to Shutlingsloe hill for beautiful views of the entire walk.
These cobbled steps, all 108 of them, are simply known by locals as ‘The Steps’. Located behind St. Michael’s Church, leading down to Macclesfield Train Station – these Instagramable steps have become quite a tourist attraction. It is believed they date back to pre-1696 and these days provide a picture postcard backdrop for those that have the stamina to climb up and down them.
This 15th century, traditionally built half-timbered house is said to have been the home of Mary Fitton, the supposed ‘Dark Lady’ of Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Located in the pretty hamlet of Gawsworth, 10-minutes south of Macclesfield, Gawsworth Hall is a popular wedding and events venue with a full calendar of happenings throughout the year. This delightful half-timbered family home opens its doors to visitors from June to early August for hall and garden tours, alongside a schedule of garden theatre shows taking place in the Tudor pleasure garden and a packed summer events schedule.