The humans had visited The Edge earlier in the year, when my Mum’s best friend was visiting from Poland. As they forgot to take me with them 😭, they promised we could go back again, but it wasn’t until the Summer that we finally got the chance. We parked up and headed onto one of the several walking routes that explore the woods at Alderley Edge. The going is easy, with surfaced paths, generally flat with gentle to moderate slopes and suitable for pushchairs and tiny bears like me 😁
The five different trails are:
- The Wizards Wander – Follow in the footsteps of a legendary wizard
- Miners Ramble – a walk back in time to the age-old mining history of the Edge
- Donkey Track Trail – Get your heart pumping up the old pack horse track through the Great Quarry
- Woodland Valley Walk – Through Clockhouse and Waterfall woods
- Castle Rock Stroll – Through the woods to the original ‘Edge’ at Castle Rock
After less than 30 minutes of walking, the path lead out from under the trees. So we were out of the woods, but really were on the edge so to speak! Oh, this is why it’s called The Edge… it is a dramatic red sandstone cliff-like ridge and we were stood on top of it, looking out at impressive far-reaching views over the Cheshire plain. We had followed in the footsteps of the legendary wizard and got to take in the view over to Manchester and beyond. Absolutely amazing!
If the legends of Alderley Edge interest you, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is a must read. Follow the link to buy from Amazon UK. It’s a children’s fantasy novel written by the local author Alan Garner. The story, which took the local legend of The Wizard of the Edge as a basis for the novel’s plot, was influenced by the folklore and landscape of the area and is set in and around Macclesfield and Alderley Edge in Cheshire where he had grown up. Dad bought this book for Mum and she really enjoyed it! By the way, my Dad went to college with Mr Garner’s son.
If you’ve parked in the main car park, in Summer you’re likely to see a Granelli’s ice cream van selling the most delicious ice cream. I would love a tub of their famous vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce right now! The Granelli family were the first Italian immigrants to bring ice cream to Manchester and Macclesfield. The ice cream shop is still there in Newton Street, Macclesfield, where they have so many flavours to choose from and great service from really friendly staff.
To make your visit into a lovely day out, we recommend a stop off at The Wizard Tearoom as well, where you can get a well earned drink and lovely slice of homemade cake 😊