Wood-fired pizzas worth a Wild walk
THIS is the stunning woodland den serving up artisan coffees and freshly made wood-fired pizzas - if you can find it that is.
Into The Wild is set in a woodland glen just outside of Altrincham and is only accessible by foot which has encouraged hundreds of families to set out on lovely countryside walks to seek out its hidden pleasures.
It initially started with just a coffee van open every day in the wood - but now owner Adam Taylor has added a wood-fired pizza oven which will be running every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The spring sunshine has seen throngs of people queuing through the wood to get hold of a takeaway hot chocolate or handstretched pizza treat.
The nearest car parking area to the wood is on Ashley Mill Lane although people are encouraged to park up in Bowdon or Altrincham and then venture out on either a 3.8km easy walking route or a more scenic 5.2km route.
Into The Wild’s website asks patrons not to park in the local area - encouraging people to get out into the fresh air.
It says: “We set up our spot in the woodlands to encourage people here... not cars. We’ve got some wonderful circular routes so you can enjoy the great outdoors and leave your car at home.”
Owner Adam said: “We want people to get out and enjoy the countryside but we would encourage people to stick to the footpaths and to walk from Hale and Bowdon where they can park up.
“It’s something totally different, yet we are near a vibrant area so I knew it had potential here. But we want to remain as uncommercial as possible. Everything we do here, if we had to move out tomorrow the wood would return to exactly how it was before and that’s the whole point.”
The unique venture came about as a direct result of lockdown.
Owner Adam, 37, had initially rented out the area of Bollin Wood for his burgeoning bushcraft business, offering survival schools and weekend retreats for both children and adults.
But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, he had to close down that side of the business.
He had the idea to get permission for a temporary coffee shack in the wood and, thanks to word-of-mouth, the popularity of the woodland has spread.
Pizzas come in a range of flavours - including a classic margherita for £8, prosciutto and rocket for £10 and chef’s special foraged pizza for £11.50 with wild garlic.
Coffees, tea and luxury hot chocolates are available every day of the week from the special wooden-cladded coffee van.
Payment is fully contactless on the site.
Once lockdown restrictions ease, Adam and his team will be hoping to reintroduce the bushcraft events, survival weekends, yoga and corporate training in the wood with updates to be posted on the Into The Wild website in due course.