Christmas has come, you've over-indulged and now it's time to get outside and walk it all off. Here are some of our top ambles in the North West of England (which we call home). None are too strenuous and all are child and dog friendly, so you can bring the whole family.
Kicking off with our favourite routes for Boxing Day that we have on the site so far:
Shutlingsloe sits between Wildboarclough and Macclesfield in the county of Cheshire, next to the very popular Macclesfield forest. It isn't the tallest peak, but then again Cheshire isn't known for elevation, which makes it a great family walk with a lot of accessible paths for wheelchairs through the forest as well. The final route up to Shutlingsloe isn't wheelchair accessible but you can follow a route back through the forest to the start point if you need to.
2) Thor's Cave
A short 3 mile round loop of the Manifold Valley taking in the ever-popular Thor's Cave. Easily reached via a stepped path, it provides a good climbing opportunity (supervised!) for younger kids. The latter half of the walk is a flatter walk following the river and using public footpaths across fields, so this one makes for easy going.
3) Shining Tor
Shining Tor is a hill in the Peak District of England, between the towns of Buxton and Macclesfield, lying on the border between Derbyshire and Cheshire. Its summit is the highest point in Cheshire.
Views at the summit including the peak of Shutlingsloe to the Southwest, and in clear conditions Winter Hill near Bolton, the city of Manchester and much of the Cheshire Plain can be seen, including the radio telescopes at Jodrell Bank 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the west.
This route is a little longer and probably less suited to much younger kids and definitely isn't buggy-friendly. However it's a great walk if you can get out to enjoy it.
This is by no means an exhaustive list but certainly our most family-friendly list of recommendations of routes from the site. You might also want to check out:
- Rivington Pike near Bolton, Manchester
- Dovestone Reservoir near Oldham, Manchester
- Tegg's Nose near Macclesfield
- Mam Tor near Castleton
- Formby beach, Southport
- Buxton
Whilst we don't have these on our site yet, we're adding new ones every week and you can easily find some guidance elsewhere on the internet. If there are routes you want to see on the site sooner, please get in touch.
Merry Christmas,
James & Adam.