Peak above the Cheshire plain
Straddling the western border of the Peak District is a patchwork of wild woods, flowering meadows, deep reservoirs and high crags; Mark Hillsdon explores
Tegg’s Nose, Cheshire
Just 20 miles from Manchester city centre, the precipitous Tegg’s Nose Country Park represents an abrupt end to the Cheshire Plain, with flat fields replaced by a whole new, wild landscape of steep, craggy hills, open moors and dense, impenetrable forest.
It’s here where the imagination can run wild as you trek along the woodland paths, with nearby place names such as Wildboarclough giving a clue to the beasts that once roamed here. Various stories link the name Tegg’s Nose back to early Norse settlers, while others connect it to the word teg, a name for a twoyear-old sheep, with the nose moniker easily linked to the promontory at the southern end of the ridge.
As befits such a wild area, this route is steep in places, crossing a rich mix of habitats offering the chance to spot an equally diverse range of wildlife. Over the meadows, look for buzzards circling overhead, scanning the fields for carrion, and listen for the unmistakable cronking of garrulous ravens, as well as the piping trill of skylarks as they soar upwards.
Between May and August, the meadows are covered with a carpet of yellow mountain pansies, interspersed with common spotted orchids and yellowy green clusters of flowers atop lady’s mantle.
In the woods, you can spot crossbills flitting among the pine trees, along with pied flycatchers and redstarts, and you may even see one of the small herds of red deer that still roam among the trees. Ridgegate is one of a series of reservoirs on the fringes of Macclesfield
“THE IMAGINATION CAN RUN WILD AS YOU TREK ALONG THE WOODLAND PATHS”
Forest that attract great crested grebes, cormorants and a host of wildfowl, while common sandpipers enjoy rich pickings along the muddy shoreline.
1 SADLER’S WAY
From the visitor centre, take the steep downhill path signposted ‘Sadler’s Way’. The wilds of the Peak District spread out to your left, with its lattice work of drystone walls and the odd isolated farmhouse, left marooned and clinging to the hillside. Beyond lies the spiky treeline of Macclesfield Forest, while in the distance Shutlingsloe, the ‘Matterhorn of Cheshire’, juts out skywards.
2 WINDING TRACK
Continue downhill through a gate and along the tarmacked road, following the path to the left above Clough House farm, signed Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingsloe. When the road peters out, continue along the path over a small ford before swinging left to carry on uphill. Stop for a breather to enjoy great