Alderley Edge Woods and Sandstone Ridge

Alderley Edge is a wooded sandstone escarpment in Cheshire, about 20 km south of Manchester, owned and managed by the National Trust. The circular walk through its woodland and along the ridge covers about 5 km with roughly 100 m of ascent and is graded easy, with clear paths and no technical sections. The main start is the National Trust car park on Heyes Lane, Alderley Edge, SK10 4PZ, which charges for non-members. Visitors without a car take a Northern train from Manchester Piccadilly to Alderley Edge in about 25 minutes, then walk about 20 minutes from the station to the woods. No permit is needed. Paths are a mix of dirt tracks, sandy ridge paths, tree roots and some stone steps, and much of the route is shaded by beech, pine and oak woodland, although the ridge top is more open. The area has a long history of copper and lead mining that stretches back to the Bronze Age, and walkers pass the old mine workings, with the Engine Vein and Wizard's Well among the features along the trails. The Wizard legend, in which a farmer meets a wizard and finds a sleeping army of knights under the hill, is linked to the Wizard's Well and the carved face on the rock. The ridge viewpoint at The Edge looks over the Cheshire plain to the Peak District hills, which are clearest in cold, dry weather. The Beacon, near the high point, gives the widest view. The route can be shortened by turning back from the ridge viewpoint or by using any of the signed woodland paths to return to the car park. Walkers should keep to the paths around the old mine openings and not enter them. There are no huts in the woods, but the car park has a visitor cafe nearby and toilets; drinking water should be carried. Dogs are welcome and often seen on the trails, but they should be kept under close control.