Walk 1: Macclesfield Forest and Tegg’s Nose
The walk starts and ends at the Leather’s Smithy pub, which may be found a short distance beyond the village of Langley. By car, take the A523 Leek road south out of Macclesfield. Turn left at traffic lights and follow the signs to Langley, bearing left after going under the canal. Bear left again at the church, following Main Road then Clarke Lane. After a short distance uphill past Bottoms reservoir, the Leather’s Smithy is on the left. There is car parking available adjacent to Ridgegate reservoir just beyond the Leather’s Smithy.
| Fact File | |
| Distance: | 4.5 miles (7 km) |
| Terrain: | Fairly strenuous, along lanes, bridleways, forest paths and other footpaths. Several ascents and descents, but not too steep |
| Maps: | OS Explorer Map 268 |
| Start: | Leathers Smithy pub, Langley. |
Route Guide
There are toilet facilities available half way round, at the Tegg’s Nose Visitor Centre. Two to three hours should be allowed.
The Leather’s Smithy overlooks Ridgegate Reservoir. Both the Ridgegate and Trentabank reservoirs in the Forest are used for drinking water. Both reservoirs are home to many wildfowl. At different seasons you may see tufted duck, goldeneye, pochard, teal, little grebe, great crested grebe, and coot.
From the Leather’s Smithy, you start off along the lane adjacent to the Forest. Macclesfield Forest was once one of three Royal hunting forests in Cheshire, but today is managed by United Utilities. Soon the walk follows paths through the Forest, and emerges from the forest to follow Hacked Way Lane downhill past Clough House Farm. Soon you reach Saddler’s Way, an old packhorse route that would probably have been used to take salt to Buxton. Saddler’s Way leads up to the car park and Visitor Centre for Tegg’s Nose.
Tegg’s Nose Country Park offers splendid views over the patchwork landscape of the Cheshire plain, with distinctive landmarks such as Jodrell Bank and Beeston Castle. The peak of Shuttlingsloe, above the Forest, is seen to the southeast.
The descent from Tegg’s Nose follows the Gritstone Trail, which leads down to Tegg’s Nose reservoir. Crossing the dams of Tegg’s Nose reservoir then Bottom’s reservoir brings you into Langley.
The village of Langley grew on the strength of the button making industry, and later the silk industry because of the pure water from the River Bollin. At the peak of the industry there were 5 mills driven by 3 water wheels, and employing about 400 people.
From Langley, a short walk up Clarkes Lane leads back to the Leather’s Smithy pub, which is ideal for drinks (hot and cold) and snacks.
Directions
| 1 | From the Leather’s Smithy, follow the lane which rises gently uphill, with the forest to the right (imagine that you're turning left up the lane when you come out of the pub). |
| 2 | Where the lane bears to the right, continue straight on through the gate, up the Forest Bridleway and into the forest. There are other bridleways off to the right and left, with gates across barring access - ignore these. |
| 3 | Eventually you will reach a crossroads of paths. Follow the path to the left, which is sign-posted to Tegg’s Nose (this path passes to the left of a disused house). After a short distance, there is a fork in the path. Follow the left hand fork, signposted to Tegg’s Nose. This path eventually emerges from the forest onto a lane (Hacked Way Lane). |
| 4 | Turn left down the lane. After passing a house on the right (Hardingland Farm) the lane becomes a bridleway. Ignore the footpath which bears right across a field. Follow the bridleway down between fields. At the bottom of the hill, the bridleway turns right. The bridleway (loose-stone path) passes between fields, and eventually crosses a stream tumbling down the hillside. The bridleway passes a house on the left (Lower Crooked Yard Farm), then becomes a narrow lane. |
| 5 | When you reach Clough House farm at the bottom of the hill, follow the lane round to the right. Walk up the lane until you get to Saddler’s Way on the left (signposted as a Concessionary Bridleway). |
| 6 | Walk up Saddler’s Way to the Tegg’s Nose car park. Cross straight across the car park (the visitor centre is on your right). |
| 7 | At the exit from the car park, turn left along the path to Tegg’s Nose (signposted to the Country Park). This path is also part of the Gritstone Trail. Follow this path through two gates. |
| 8 | After the second gate, turn left and follow the path up the steps with a hand rail up the centre. Walk past the exhibits of the old Tegg’s Nose quarry, following the Gritstone Trail signs (signified by a G in a footprint in a yellow arrow). |
| 9 | Continue to follow the Gritstone Trail signs. This will take you around Tegg’s Nose before going down hill. This is also signed as the Teggs Nose Trail, and is steep in places. At the bottom of the hill, you will reach the car park next to Tegg’s Nose reservoir. |
| 10 | Follow the road across the dam of Tegg’s Nose reservoir. This is still part of the Gritstone Trail. Go through the gate, cross the lane and down the steps, then follow the path across the dam of Bottom’s reservoir. |
| 11 | On reaching the road (Clarkes Lane), turn left and follow the road back up to the Leather’s Smithy. |