Beautiful spots for walks near Manchester

There are two very different Alderley Edges. One is a chi-chi town of footballers and wealthy socialites, the other – this one – is a red sandstone escarpment with amazing views over Cheshire and a hippyish vibe.

Brockholes is the jewel in the crown of Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s nature reserves with royal visits and a fancy floating visitor centre. 

The Carrs is a large, 70-acre park on the edge of Wilmslow that’s worthy of a day-trip even if you’re not a Cheshire native. From sledging to splashing about in the river, it’s a popular place in all seasons.

Sitting back-to-back on the boundary of the Peak District National Park, Coombes Edge and Cown Edge provide stunning views of Greater Manchester and Kinder Scout.

Dunham Massey is one of the National Trust’s most visited properties, bringing in over half a million people in 2023. We reckon at least 80% of them were Mancunians escaping the city for their nearest bucolic country park.

If you want a woodland walk complete with den-making, wildlife, picnic spots, and beautiful views, Etherow Country Park on the edge of Stockport ticks the boxes.

There’s something magical about the Goyt Valley – a long, secluded stretch of reservoirs, hills and moorland between Buxton and Whaley Bridge. Walks from here can take you along a Roman road, through the ruins of a once-grand mansion in the woods, past a shrine in a circular stone building perched on the hillside, and up onto Shining Tor, the highest point in Cheshire.

Haigh Woodland Park is a good mix of cultivated prettiness and ancient woodland with plenty of things to do.

It’s one of only two official mountains in the misleadingly-named Peak District – and many people (myself included) would say it’s not really a mountain at all. This wild stretch of moorland between Hayfield, Edale and the Snake Pass is a high plateaux made up of gritstone edges and peat bogs, and if you go there looking for a pointy summit, you’ll be disappointed.

Lyme Park is a huge estate with a Medieval herd of red deer, stunning views and a handsome Regency house.

Now a National Trust property, Lyme Park has something for visitors of all ages. Jane Austen fans may know it best as Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy, where he emerges dripping wet from the lake in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

Take the train from Manchester Piccadilly to New Mills Central then follow the footpath leading off Station Road. You’ll soon find yourself on an aerial walkway suspended halfway up a sheer cliff face, with the churning waters of the River Goyt far below. This is the Millennium Walkway; a 160m footpath that clings to the side of a previously inaccessible natural gorge.

Pennington Flash is Greater Manchester’s only National Nature Reserve. This wetland habitat, formed by flash flooding of former coal mining sites, is home to all sorts of wildlife. With a number of bird hides dotted around, you might even be lucky enough to spot a kingfisher or a willow tit.

Quarry Bank Mill makes a change from the stately homes in pretty gardens National Trust blueprint. It’s an industrial gem but you’ll still find picturesque riverside gardens, woodland and rolling countryside.

Tatton Park is a historic estate on the edge of Knutsford, home to an opulent neo-classical mansion, landscaped gardens, woodland, a farm, a huge deer park and a medieval Old Hall.

You can spend a pleasant few hours wandering through Worsley Woods, a 30-hectare woodland with well-marked trails, ponds, a children’s playground, and paths into the pretty village of Worsley.