The Gritstone Trail, or Cheshire Gritstone Trail, is a

long-distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway (landscape), greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking (wilderness), backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-cou ...

in England which follows the most westerly hills of the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

from Disley Station to

Mow Cop Mow Cop is a village split between Cheshire and Staffordshire, and therefore divided between the North West and West Midlands regions of England. It is south of Manchester and north of Stoke-on-Trent, on a steep hill of the same name rising ...

, and on via the

Macclesfield Canal The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. There were various proposals for a canal to connect the town of Macclesfield to the national network from 1765 onwards, but it was not until 1824 that a scheme came to fruition. There ...

to Kidsgrove Station. Managed by

Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council. Towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Co ...

(although partly in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

), the trail involves of ascent and is mainly outside the National Park. There are other routes in the Peak District referred to as a “Gritstone Trail” but they are less well established. The trail connects the accessible and popular outdoor destinations of

Lyme Park Lyme Park is a large estate south of Disley, Cheshire, England, managed by the National Trust and consisting of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens and a deer park in the Peak District National Park. The house is the largest in Chesh ...

White Nancy White Nancy is a structure at the top of Kerridge Hill, overlooking Bollington, Cheshire, England. Since 1966 it has been recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Its profile forms the log ...

Tegg's Nose Tegg's Nose is a hill east of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It has a short ridge with a high point of 380 metres (1246 feet) at , terminating in a promontory at the southern end. It lies on the western edge of the Peak District, alt ...

and The Cloud, and the high sections of the trail are all notable for

gritstone Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for pa ...

scenery and extensive views over the

Cheshire Plain The Cheshire Plain is a relatively flat expanse of lowland within the county of Cheshire in North West England but extending south into Shropshire. It extends from the Mersey Valley in the north to the Shropshire Hills in the south, bounded b ...

. Apart from the café at Tegg's Nose, there are no facilities on the route. Most through hikers take 3 days (stopping at

Macclesfield Macclesfield is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Bollin in the east of the county, on the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east ...

and

Congleton Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. The town is by the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 26,482. Top ...

) to complete the trail, traditionally (but for no particular reason) walked north to south, though the trail is more often used for shorter walks. The record in the annual Gritstone Grind (run south to north) is just under 5 hours. Footpaths in Cheshire are marked with yellow discs indicating the direction of continuation, with Gritstone Trail Markers containing a footprint inscribed with a 'G'. There are also many wooden fingerposts with 'Gritstone Trail' engraved. An unofficial extension from Kidsgrove to the mainline railway station at

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...

, ''The Kidsgrove to Stoke Ridgeway'', is available as a free

ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...

References

External links

Gritstone Trail website
{{coord , 53, 9, 46, N, 2, 9, 16, W, type:landmark_dim:17000_region:GB-CHS, display=title Long-distance footpaths in England Footpaths in Staffordshire Footpaths in Cheshire

See also

References

External links