Route 3: Prestbury, Adlington, Bollington
The route starts and ends in the centre of Macclesfield, and heads out along the B5087, which is the road between Macclesfield and Alderley Edge. This route is all on lanes, and follows a circular route around Prestbury, Adlington, Pott Shrigley and Bollington. The route generally follows gently rolling hills – the steepest part being the road from Adlington up to Pott Shrigley. There are toilets, cafés and telephones in Prestbury and Bollington.
| Fact File | |
| Distance: | 11 miles (18 km) |
| Terrain: | All roads and lanes. Gentle, but one or two medium climbs. |
| Maps: | OS Explorer Map 268 |
| Start: | Macclesfield town centre |
Route Guide
The first point of interest on the route is the village of Prestbury. Prestbury began as the administrative centre of a large rural parish. During the nineteenth century it became involved in the silk industry. During the twentieth century it developed into a residential area with a reputation for affluence. There are several pubs and restaurants in the village. There are toilets near to where the high street passes over the River Bollin. After Prestbury village, the route takes you out along lanes, then for a short distance along the B5358, before turning towards Adlington Hall.
There was a house here as early as 1040, when the Leigh family built a hunting lodge in the forest of Macclesfield. The current house is a product of the 14th century. It was begun in 1315, though late medieval and Tudor remodeling have changed the house considerably since that time. The Great Hall was built in the late 15th century, while a Tudor manor in typical Cheshire black and white style was added a century later. After passing Adlington Hall, the route takes you across the main road and through Adlington village, and on uphill to Pott Shrigley.
Pott Shrigley is a delightful hamlet located about one mile northeast of Bollington. It's as rural as you can get with the buildings that form its centre huddled close to the top end of two valleys, overlooked by Holme and Nab woods on the higher ground and enjoying views of hills to the southwest. Pott Shrigley is known for a couple of outstanding things other than its church and school - in Spring the bluebells along the road up the hill towards Shrigley Hall are a sight to behold; the best for miles. The other notable item is the cricket club. This must be one of the most beautiful settings for a cricket ground anywhere in the world.
The next town along the route is Bollington. The present day town of Bollington has evolved over the centuries from a number of scattered farms and from three small villages that coalesced the original centres of agriculture: 'Old' Bollington is to the east, West Bollington is in the middle and Bollington Cross is to the south. Because of the layout of these parts the resulting town is very long (two miles) and narrow, but generally not very wide, controlled to some extent by the geography of the valleys within which the town is built.
Along the route you will pass the Legh Arms in Prestbury and several pubs in Bollington.
Directions
| 1 | From Macc town centre, follow the signs to the hospital, then to Alderley Edge. Follow the B5087 towards Alderley Edge. |
| 2 | At a cross roads, turn right along Macclesfield Road. Follow this road down hill into Prestbury village. |
| 3 | Bear right at the mini roundabout, and cycle up the high street, past pubs, restaurants and the church. |
| 4 | Where the road bends sharply to the right (at the railway station), bear left along Butley Lanes. |
| 5 | Follow Butley Lanes out of Prestbury, and out into open countryside, until you get to a T junction. |
| 6 | Turn left along the B5358 (Bonis Hall Lane), until the road bends to the left. |
| 7 | Turn right here, down Mill Lane. This takes you past Adlington Hall, before meeting a set of traffic lights. |
| 8 | Cross straight over the main road (the A523 Macc to Poynton road). |
| 9 | Continue straight on through Adlington (Brookledge Lane). This road goes uphill, past the school, over the Middlewood Way, and over the canal. |
| 10 | Follow the road uphill, following the signs to Pott Shrigley. Bear right in Pott Shrigley to follow the signs down to Bollington. |
| 11 | At the roundabout at the bottom of the hill in Bollington go straight on. Go straight on at the traffic lights, passing under the canal viaduct. |
| 12 | Before you reach the next viaduct, turn right down Adlington Road, to travel downhill to a car park on the left. Turn into the car park, and push your bike along the path which leads from the car park, up the side of the viaduct, to the disused railway bed at the top. This is the Middlewood Way. |
| 13 | Turn left along the Middlewood Way, which initially crosses over the old viaduct. |
| 14 | Now the Middlewood Way is followed all the way back to the centre of Macc. The hard-surfaced track crosses a road, and leads you around the back of a hauliers yard (which was unfortunately built right in the path of the old railway line). |
| 15 | After rejoining the disused railway line, follow the Middlewood Way as it crosses over a footbridge, down past the Tytherington playing fields, and on down into the centre of Macclesfield. |