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 Whether your taste runs to upmarket designer fashion with a cosmopolitan chic or ‘Good Life’ organic fayre produced with loving care by local smallholders, variety is part and parcel of local shopping. From sleek shopping malls easily accessed by motorway, bus or train to cobbled streets offering up market bijou stores, the choice is yours.
And don’t forget the scores of timeless towns and villages perfect for a leisurely tour.
 Alderley Edge, close to the sheer face of the Edge and a hamlet in the 1840s,is an attractive and busy centre.
Alsager, is principally a rural suburb which provides easy access for people who work in the Potteries. Alsager Mere is a beauty spot on the edge of the countryside.
Astbury, near Congleton boasts a well kept Green with a spring time display of daffodils. The fine church, dating from the 12th to 15th centuries, is noted for its detached tower and spire, carved oak roof and furnishings.
 Audlem, on Cheshire’s southern boundary is an ancient market town on the River Weaver, with its landmark Market House with its eight stone pillars.
Barthomley a pretty village near Crewe with thatched houses and inviting pubs.
 Bollington near Macclesfield, best known for cotton manufacture, its massive railway viaduct and ‘White Nancy’, a stone tower nearly 1,000 feet above sea-level giving magnificent views across the surrounding countryside.
Bunbury, east of the central ridge, not far from Beeston Castle, has a restored water-powered corn mill.
Chelford between Macclesfield and Knutsford has a church dating from 1776. The box pews, panelling, pulpit and gallery are all original.
If retail therapy is a life essential, Cheshire can come up with the goods - large or small
 Chester founded by the Romans as a legionary fortress in the first century AD the city has a complete circuit of walls, part Roman, medieval and Georgian. Window-shop along the Rows covered walkways at first floor level, many built over medieval under crofts or ‘crypts’ containing the great halls of merchants.
Congleton in the heart of the south-east Cheshire farmland has been a market town since the Middle Ages, remains a lively shopping centre with historic buildings including delightful Elizabethan pubs on its old main street.
 Crewe developed as a railway town and retains its importance today as a major junction and centre for locomotive building and repair. The 50-plus acre Queen’s Park is recognised as the finest in the north.
Disley lies in the picturesque Goyt Valley, through which pass the Peak Forest Canal and the road and railway from Manchester to Buxton. Its town centre and Buxton Old Road are lined with historic buildings and monuments.
Eccleston, together with Aldford, Saighton and Waverton are villages on the estate of the Duke of Westminster, whose home is Eaton Hall, Eccleston. Several times voted one of Cheshire’s best kept villages it has riverside walks along the meadows to Chester and by the wilder wooded banks upstream.
 Ellesmere Port, where the Shropshire Union Canal system joins the Manchester Ship Canal, is one of the largest oil refining centres in Britain. Its expanding designer outlet village is within easy access of the M53 and M56 motorways which pass close to the town centre.
Farndon on the River Dee south of Chester borders Wales, linked by a 14th century nine arch stone bridge. The church has its origins in the 13th century but was restored after the Civil war. Just off the A534 is Stretton Mill, a restored 13th century working water mill.
Frodsham was an important Mersey port during the Middle Ages and a staging post during the stage coach era. The wide main street has attractive small shops and inns and hosts a popular weekly market and Delamere Forest is nearby.
 Great Budworth, a beautiful mid-Cheshire village, almost a town in the Middle Ages, over-looking Budworth Mere and rich countryside. Its narrow winding village street rich in 17th century oak framed cottages.
Holmes Chapel is a large village with a pleasing blend of modern housing and 18th century buildings.
Kelsall is an attractive residential village near the boundaries of Delamere Forest.
 Knutsford lies in the heart of Cheshire, yet within easy reach of motorways and Manchester. A popular market and shopping centre for the surrounding countryside, Knutsford has a pretty and interesting main shopping street, King Street. The town has one of the oldest May Day celebrations in England. Nearby Tatton Park is one of England’s finest and most complete country estates.
Macclesfield became the centre of Britain’s silk industry during the industrial revolution. There are many attractive Georgian mills, houses, inns, churches and chapels. The town is the western gateway to the Peak District, with many beautiful walks on its doorstep; seven miles toward Buxton, the Cat and Fiddle is the highest inn in England.
Malpas, one of the oldest towns in Cheshire has good timber framed and old brick buildings and a lovely 14th century church.
 Middlewich a salt town during the Roman and medieval periods noted for finds of Stone Age tools, weapons and Roman pottery. Perched at the junction of the Trent and Mersey Canal with a branch of the Shropshire Union Canal - a good centre for fishing, boating and recreation. Against a backdrop of rich agricultural land its church is one of the three great ‘salt churches’ financed by Cheshire’s medieval brine-boiling salt industry.
Nantwich the prime centre of England’s salt industry during the early Middle Ages its name means Renowned Works. Now it is one of Cheshire’s most picturesque market towns, Richin black and white buildings.
Neston and Parkgate largely residential, bordering on the River Dee, its salt marshes are feeding grounds for duck, wild geese and seabirds and popular with naturalists. Once a busy port, high tide is now a rarity. Offers spectacular views from Ness Gardens across the Dee Estuary to the hills of North Wales and Hilbre Island bird sanctuary.
 Northwich in the heart of Cheshire was a military station in Roman times, then a brine-boiling settlement. Famous for salt mining during the 17th and 18th centuries, it boasts the country’s only salt museum. Unspoilt countryside, woodland and many attractive villages close by, notably Pickmere and Marbury Country Park.
Poynton lies close to the county’s boundaries, offering a direct rail route to Manchester.
Prestbury, near Macclesfield, is widely known as one of the most attractive villages in the north west, with its 13th century church and ancient buildings including the half timbered Priest’s House.
Rostherne in the pretty estate village of Tatton Park, commands a beautiful view over Rostherne Mere - Cheshire’s largest lake - and bird sanctuary.
 Sandbach lies in South Cheshire’s farmland. A thriving market town with many historic buildings and widely known for the two Saxon crosses which stand in the square.
Tarporley was noted in Henry VII’s reign for having a long well-paved High Street - and now is equally attractive with Georgian buildings, many shops, pubs and its own Chocolate Factory!
Wilmslow is set in the countryside close to Cheshire’s boundary with Manchester. Top choice throughout the North-West for quality shopping. Nearby lies Quarry Bank Mill, an authentic preserved 18th Century industrial community. For leisurely strolls try Lindow Commonor Styal County Park set in secluded woodland surroundings.
Winsford now a busy centre it dates from Saxon times and grew with the salt industry.
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