Additional parking:
Nelson Pit Visitor Centre, Higher Poynton
Grid reference: SJ930781
Email: rangers@cheshireeast.gov.uk
Phone: 01625 383700
Site Ranger: Ed Pilkington
Opening and closing times
The Middlewood Way is accessible at all times via Bollington and Poynton car parks and the local public rights of way network. See below for any planned closures / diversions.
No overnight parking permitted.
Activities
- Guided walks (see Ranger event pages)
- Birdwatching
- Walking
- Cycling
- Horse Riding
Facilities
- Trail leaflet (PDF, 1.2MB)
- Well surfaced routes suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs
- Information boards with site details and events and activities information
- Dog waste bins near access points (dogs to be kept under close control or on a lead)
- Toilets at Bollington and Nelson Pit car parks
- Free car parking in Bollington, Pay & Display car park at Nelson Pit Visitor Centre
- Interpretative displays at Nelson Pit Visitor Centre, Higher Poynton
- Wheelchair Accessible
About Middlewood Way
Sensitively reclaimed from a former railway line to provide a natural attraction for walkers, cyclists, horse riders and nature lovers. A 10 mile (16km), traffic-free greenway from Macclesfield to Marple on the Peak Park fringe with car parking, toilets and information points, with fine views over the Cheshire Plain to the west.
The Middlewood Way follows the line of the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway through picturesque Cheshire countryside and between historic mill towns. For much of its length, the Middlewood Way runs close to the Macclesfield Canal, and there are many options for easy circular walks. For the more adventurous, the extensive public footpath network reaches into the Peak District Foothills to the east and the Cheshire Plain to the west.
The management of the length of the Middlewood Way is shared between Cheshire East Council Countryside Ranger Service and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. See the Who's Who at the Middlewood Way for more information.
For more information about the history of the Middlewood Way please see the Activities and information page.