Forest bathing at Alderley Edge

Alderley Edge is a wooded ridge rising out of the flat Cheshire plain, covered in woodland with plenty of beech. Old mine workings, including Roman shafts, and the site of a 16th-century alert beacon sit among the trees, and the Edge has a well-known local legend of its own. It is a place with a lot of character packed into a small area, which makes it good for wandering slowly and stopping often.

The National Trust car park on Macclesfield Road is the usual start, with a tea room and toilet close by. The viewpoints at Stormy Point and the Beacon draw most visitors; the woodland on the slopes below and along the quieter paths away from the ridge top is calmer. Expect steps, roots and steep sandy ground in places, and much of the site is not suitable for wheelchairs. Keep dogs on a short lead near sheep and cattle. The National Trust has listed a forest bathing walk here.