It ends with an outdoor tearoom serving up hot drinks and tasty treats
There’s something rather special about a woodland walk during the winter months. The towering trees with their bare branches feel like a cocoon of sorts, criss-crossing against the winter sky while simultaneously providing shelter from cold winds.
Meanwhile statuesque evergreens provide an injection of colour, particularly striking against the bright blue sky of crisp and clear January day. As long as you’re wrapped up warm and protected against the elements, a woodland walk at this time of the year can be highly rewarding.
One area with impressive woodland walking routes, as well jaw-dropping view points, is Alderley Edge in Cheshire. Covering an area of 600 acres, the estate, managed by the national trust, features ancient woodland, grasslands and heathland, along with a red sandstone escarpment.
The site was once an area of mining activity and is home to the oldest-known metal-mining site in England, with evidence showing activity at the site dating back to 4,000 years. It’s also a place said to be steeped in legend, supposedly home to a wizard who guards an underground army.
Visitors can choose from several walking routes which criss-cross the park, or explore at their own leisure. If you do choose to follow a path there’s a map at the start shows the routes and they’re also pointed out with colour-coded sign posts at regular intervals.
Along the way you’ll discover a wooden play area hidden among the trees with giant ‘stepping stone’ stumps and benches placed at view points. But a must-see is the iconic Stormy Point, a huge sandstone outcrop with breathtaking views across the countryside.
Other highlights to look out for are the Armada Beacon, which was used during the invasion of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and the Engine Vein, where it’s thought horse-powered ‘engines’ were used to haul precious metals to the surface when the mines were in use.
Next to the car park at Alderley Edge you’ll come across The Wizard Tearoom, housed in a whitewash 16th century building. It operates as a takeaway business with outdoor seating only and there’s a hatch serving up drinks, cakes and savoury snacks. Most of the seating is undercover so you’re protected from the elements.
Parking costs £5 at the National Trust car park, which is free for members. Macclesfield Road, Nether Alderley, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4UB
