Macclesfield Forest

COVID 19 update

Our recreation site car park and toilets will remain open, following Government guidance. We will continue to monitor this.

Please follow social distancing guidelines, stick to the footpath, and keep a 2 metre distance to ensure the safety of yourself, other visitors and our staff.

Please only visit our recreation sites if you are local to the area.

Please only visit with your household, your bubble, or to meet one other person.

Please act responsibly, stay local and stay safe.Situated east of Macclesfield, Macclesfield Forest is a working forest around a cascade of reservoirs; Trentabank, Ridgegate, Teggsnose and Bottoms. The mixture of water and woodland habitat make Macclesfield Forest an excellent place for wildlife lovers, with red deer and many birds including Heron Broods in Cheshire’s largest heronry, managed by the Cheshire Wildlife Trust.

Ridgegate reservoir was constructed in the late 1800's to supply the town of Macclesfield with drinking water. Tentrabank reservoir followed in the 1920s. The area offers fishing, horseriding, cycling and walking, as well as a section of the Gritstone Trail.


Tentrabank car park, Clarke Lane, Sutton, Macclesfield, SK11 0NS. Tel: 01260 252 268.	Open all day, every day.	Pay and display at Tentrabank car park.	Buses between Macclesfield train station and Langley but no transport from Langley to Macclesfiend Forest.


Toilets (including disabled) available at car park 7:30am-5:00pm (1st Nov-31st March) and to 6:00pm (1st April to 30th Oct).	Heronry, Raprtors, Waterfowl, wading birds including Common Sandpiper and Little Ringed Plover. Birds abundant in the forest, including Crossbills.	Information board with site information and trail map located by car park. Forest classroom in partnership with Peak District National Park, offering facilities for visiting groups. More information here.	Picnic area by Trentabank car park.


Walking routes are marked on the noticeboard. There are forest paths and circular routes around the reservoirs of varying steepness and diffculty, as well as a trail suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs by Trentabank reservoir. Paths are waymarked. Dogs welcome on leads.	Macclesfield Flyfisher’s Club - Email the secretary at sec@maccflyfishersclub.co.uk or visit the website. Fishing available on Teggsnose through Macclesfield Waltonians Angling Society.	Cycling available along the roads and trails around the reservoirs and forest.

We want to share our beautiful sites with you, and we ask you enjoy them in a manner that allows others to enjoy them after you, this includes:

Following the Countryside Code - Respect, Protect and Enjoy.
Taking your litter home, or using the available bins.
Keeping dogs under control for the safety of livestock and others.
Respecting farmers at work on the land by leaving gates as you find them.
Sticking to paths when walking, running or cycling. This helps us protect the sensitive ecosystems that form the habitats on our sites.
Please help guard against wildfires by not bringing BBQ’s and taking care with disguarded cigarettes.

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