Macclesfield
Where the Peaks meet the Plains
The borough of Macclesfield, also known as the Peaks and Plains of Cheshire , embraces 202 square miles in the northeast corner of Cheshire. It is bounded on the east by the Peak District National Park , which spills over, into a particularly attractive part of the borough and to the west by the Cheshire Plain with it's associated tranquility. The Peaks and Plains have much to offer visitors, whether it is for a day visit, a weekend break or a weeks holiday.
The borough has a range of unique attractions from Jodrell Bank with its giant radio telescope, arboretum and award-winning Environmental Discovery Centre, to Quarry Bank Mill , a spectacular cotton mill and museum housing the world's most powerful water wheel. The old and the new - a little something for everybody. There are nine stately homes and gardens , each very different and well worth a visit. Macclesfield plays host to the magnificent RHS show at Tatton Park each year, which demonstrates what a glorious location it is. Why not include the show in your visit to the area? Combine the wonderful assortment of gardens with a trip to one of the borough's many specialist and award winning nurseries . One of these, Brookside Garden Centre , houses its own miniature railway and is packed with memorabilia as well as a wide selection of plants and gifts. Dunge Valley Hidden Gardens, high in the Pennine Hills, hosts a collection of over 500 different species of plant. Don't forget the Stately Homes themselves. Gawsworth Hall , a Black and White half timbered building, once home to Shakespeare 's Dark Lady and now the venue for a beautiful outdoor theatre in summer months, Arley Hall , a house of great character and charm surrounded by some of the most spectacular gardens in England and Capesthorne Hall , magnificently furnished with fine paintings and sculptures, small theatre and chapel. These are a few of the many wonderful treasures waiting for you.
Industrial Heritage plays a large role in the makeup of the borough. Visitors can explore the former Sunday school, now home to Macclesfield's Heritage Centre , and learn about the history of the silk industry in the town, contrasting the luxury of the fabric with the hardships of the workers. Nowhere is this more apparent than Paradise Mill - a working silk mill where visitors can see the different processes associated with the silk industry. Combine all this with the previously mentioned Quarry Bank Mill and the other heritage attractions around the borough including Nether Alderley Mill , West Park Museum , Knutsford Heritage Centre , Romany's Caravan and you will see that Macclesfield can provide its visitors with a lot more than the chocolate box scenery that Cheshire is famous for, although there is plenty around!
The borough boasts a wealth of quaint villages and market towns such as Bollington, the natural gateway to the Peak District with its mills and cottages built from Stone quarried in the nearby Kerridge Hills, now home to its own Discovery Centre beside the canal at Clarence Mill, here you will find the story of Bollington and a unique computerised historic photographic library; Prestbury , a village steeped in history, that combines old inns, timbered buildings and a beautiful church complete with Norman Chapel. Knutsford , a delightful old Cheshire Town has many buildings of architectural and historical interest. The town also boasts strong literary connections, once being the home of Mrs Elizabeth Gaskell . Places mentioned in her books are still visible around the town today and the BBC's adaptation of Wives and Daughters has brought many visitors to the area to walk the Gaskell trail. Poynton, a thriving small town with a pleasant shopping centre and many links to its historic past as a small mining village. Recreational walkways (Inclines) have been formed along old colliery railway trackbeds, linking into the Middlewood Way, and there is a Poynton Farm Trail too. The Park, with its large pool, is home to a popular agricultural and horticultural show every August.
The Anson Museum tells the local story and houses a unique collection of over 180 gas and oil engines, many maintained in running order.
As previously mentioned, the borough is home to some of the most beautiful areas of the Peak District. Whether you stop for a pint at the Cat and Fiddle , one of the UK's highest pubs or visit the award winning Blaze Farm at Wildboarclough and sample their fabulous home made ice-cream before strolling round the nature trail, visitors will be surprised by the breathtaking scenery around them. The Gritstone Trail - an 18 mile walk from historic Lyme Park to the Staffordshire border - is also punctuated with magnificent views and stopping places whilst Macclesfield Forest provides a scenic blend of coniferous forest, lakes and moor land where a wide variety of wild life can be seen.
Travel to this area could not be easier. There are good motorway connections from the M6 and M56. Manchester International Airport is close by as are two intercity railway lines. There are a wide range of hotels , meal stops and cafes that are used to catering for group needs, not to mention a set of helpful information centres that can provide you with intineries, information and timetables.
For more information contact:
British Tourist Authority - 0871 572 3058
Tourist Information Numbers
Macclesfield
Address: Tourist Information Centre
Town Hall
Macclesfield
Telephone Number: 0871 572 2172
Englands North Country 0871 716 2446
Knutsford
Address: Council Offices
Toft Road
Knutsford
Telephone Number: 0871 572 2172
Englands North Country 0871 716 2446
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Starry Starry Night, Look You – Dark Skies Tourism, South Wales | Mills and Hills in Central Lancashire, Lancashire | Get Fit on the North York Moors, North Yorkshire | A West Country Christmas – Dorset in December, Dorset | Nottinghamshire – Rural and Urban, Nottinghamshire | The Test Valley, Hampshire | Ashdown Forest, Sussex | The Rugged Northumberland Coast , Northumberland | The Resorts of North Devon, Devon | The Queen's London, London | Denbighshire , North Wales | York and Its Surrounds, North Yorkshire | The High Weald of Kent, Kent | Leisure, Luxury and Retail Heaven in Leeds , West Yorkshire | Rejuvenate Yourself in Rejuvenated Belfast , Belfast | Seasonal Fun in Brum, West Midlands | Autumn in the Southern Chilterns, Buckinghamshire | Cheshire Peaks and Plains, Cheshire | Essex’s Colne Valley, Essex | Cardigan Bay, West Wales | South Wales Valleys, South Wales | Highland Perthshire, Perthshire | South Downs National Park, Sussex | Royal Wedding London, London | Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire | The Oxfordshire Cotswolds, Oxfordshire | Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire | Edinburgh at Christmas, Edinburgh and the Lothians | Marvellous Manchester, Greater Manchester | The National Forest, Derbyshire | East Lothian, Edinburgh and the Lothians | Regency Brighton and Hove, Sussex | Isle of Purbeck, Dorset | The Somerset Levels, Somerset | Llandudno, North Wales | Hereford, Herefordshire | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire | Bristol, the Great West City, Bristol | Weardale, County Durham | Festive London, London | Islay, Isle of Islay | Blackpool and the Lancashire Coast, Lancashire | The Vale of Evesham, Worcestershire | Land of the Prince Bishops, County Durham | The North Cornwall Coast, Cornwall | Torbay, Devon | Dumfries & Galloway, Dumfries and Galloway | West Highland Way, Argyll | Caithness and Sutherland, Highlands | Harrogate & its Surrounds, North Yorkshire | Sheffield, South Yorkshire
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