andWoodland walk…4 ½ miles

Alderley Edge, This beautiful woodland walk begins at Alderley Edge railway station and is just 12 miles south of . Set around a dramatic sandstone escarpment in In 1948 the National Trust Irolling Cheshire farmland and mature Scots pines and beech woodlands, the Edge was given almost 100 has spectacular views, intriguing legends and an ancient history of copper mining hectares of the Edge so which dates back 4,000 years to the Bronze Age! that we could protect some of the finest views and

Start: Alderley Edge railway station Map: OS 118/268 Grid ref: SJ843785 walks in Cheshire. Much of Trains: Frequent, Monday to Saturday from Manchester, and , less the Edge has now been frequent Sunday service (every 2 hours from Crewe) designated as a Site of

Buses: Arriva 130 – twice hourly Monday to Saturday, hourly on Sundays. Alight at Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its important Primary school, by point 2 on the map. www.arrivabus.co.uk archaeological and Facilities: WC at Alderley Edge railway station, tearoom (not NT - weekends only) geological significance. near Alderley Edge NT car park and WC near Alderley Edge NT car park. © Christopher Widger Contact us: 01625 584412 [email protected] The rocky escarpment of

Alderley Edge is made up Look out for… of layers of Triassic t Engine Vein sandstone which developed Engine vein (bottom right) is a natural fault in the rock, which is rich in copper and in semi-arid desert other minerals and was excavated by Bronze Age miners who pecked out shallow conditions, interspersed pits and hollows with simple stone hammers and oak shovels. The existence of a with occasional flash Roman shaft and tunnels at the vein show that it was later mined with sharper iron floods, around 230-180 chisels. Throughout the Middle Ages and into the 19th Century there was intermittent million years ago. Upheavals in the earth’s mining using a range of techniques including hand picked workings and blasting. crust tilted these rocks Wind-driven smelters on nearby Saddlebole and Edge House farm were used to gently upwards to form the process the ore. Edge. t Armada Beacon © Christopher Widger As the highest point on the Edge this site was originally a Bronze Age burial mound. It was later used as one of a series of places in the landscape where fires would The mature woodlands, have been lit as signals to warn of the imminent invasion by Spain in 1588. It has remnant heath and ancient now gained protected status. mines support a wealth of plant life and wildlife, such t Castle Rock as orchids, woodcocks, Castle Rock (pictured here, middle right) is an obvious vantage point over the valley ravens, bats and masonry of the to the north. Evidence suggests that the site was used as a bees. The Trust works with settlement during the early Mesolithic period (around 8000BC). Though flint does not local stakeholders and the occur in the rocks at Alderley Edge, during this period people made tools here from community to conserve the flint which they found in the boulder clay which was deposited in the area during the Edge for future last ice age. generations. © Christopher Widger Route and directions

1. From the railway station turn left towards Alderley Village where you can join the bus (130 Arriva service) that takes you point 2 on the map, by Nether Alderley Primary School and the start of the walk. If you arrive by bus, alight at the same stop.

2. After alighting the bus, turn left onto a bridleway up Bradford Lane, when the lane forks, take the left-hand route. Continue straight ahead until you reach a road just after Bradford Lodge Cottages and turn left up to Road (a prominent main road).

3. Take care crossing this sometimes busy road, then climb the stile which leads towards the NT car park and bear left.

4. Go through the ‘squeeze stile’ onto the ‘Wizard Walk’.

5. Continue on the path with Engine Vein on your right. When the paths cross continue straight on towards Armada Beacon. Take the left hand path past the beacon and following the stone wall turn left at the bottom.

6. Take the steps up on your left to walk along the ‘top’ of the Edge. Continue onwards with a field on your left until you reach Castle Rock. There is a sheer drop here so take care.

7. From Castle Rock head towards the road, but after a few yards take a sharp turn right. This will take you down a short set of steps; turn left at the bottom and follow the path until it forks.

8. Take the left hand fork and continue for a short way, passing through an exit/entrance. Turn right through the second exit/entrance at the other end of the path onto Woodbrook road. This steep, rough road will lead you down to a T-junction where it joins Trafford Road. Turn right here, going over the crossroads with Mottram Road until you reach another T-Junction. Walk distance, terrain and accessibility 9. Turn left here up towards the A34. The Alderley Edge railway 4 to 5 miles. Paths around the Edge are naturally uneven woodland or grass station car park is on the other side of the road. surfaces with steep slopes.

As a charity, independent of government, the National Trust relies on the generosity of its supporters to continue caring for our countryside and wildlife, so that everyone can enjoy the beauty of the outdoors for generations to come.

Find out more at www.nationaltrust.org.uk