Tegg's Nose to Timbersbrook Picnic Area
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 Tegg's Nose Country Park to Timbersbrook Picnic Area Route Description  24km (15.3 miles)
 Tegg's Nose Country Park to Timbersbrook Picnic Area Map
| The summit of Tegg's Nose is one of the best places along the Trail to take a closer look at the gritstone. The curves in the quarry face show how the rock was laid down under water, over 250 million years ago. Working in the quarry was a tough job, hewing the rock by hand, often in harsh weather. Soon the Trail drops into the shelter of the woodland. Listen out for the drumming of woodpeckers, marking their territories in the spring. Bottom's and Tegg's Nose reservoirs were built in 1850 and 1871 respectively. They helped provide a steady flow of water down the River Bollin, to power the mills of Macclesfield. |
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Legend says Meg Lane End was home to ruthless highwaymen who stalked the lonely hill passes robbing weary travellers. It's worth pausing on the steep climb up Fox Bank to admire the views behind. Croker Hill, topped with the distinctive telecommunications tower, is the most exposed section of the route where the soil barely covers the bedrock.
Shell Brook runs through a deep, pretty valley which is especially attractive in the autumn when the trees are ablaze with colour. The Trail crosses the River Dane at Barleigh Ford Bridge and then follows the canal feeder. Butterflies and dragonflies enjoy the warmth and shelter here, feeding or resting in the afternoon sunshine. The feeder was designed to take water to Rudyard Lake which in turn supplies the Caldon Canal at Leek.
Look out for holly and mountain ash on the steep climb through Raven's Clough, to the summit of The Cloud (343m). Folklore tells how a giant king once stood with one foot on Shutlingsloe and the other on the Cloud. As he stepped off the Cloud he left his shoe behind which became the rocky summit.
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