17k Run Macclesfield: Scenic Trails at Shutlingsloe and Tegg's Nose

Route Overview & Local Insights

This 17.3km loop through Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough is a quintessential Peak District challenge, blending technical trail running with significant vertical gain. With 537m of ascent, runners will tackle the iconic "Matterhorn of Cheshire," Shutlingsloe, before navigating a mix of fast paved sections, grassy farm fields, and rugged moorland. The terrain is varied: you’ll enjoy the shelter of the pine forest, the technicality of a riverside path, and the thigh-burning climb up Tegg’s Nose to finish. Given the elevation reaches over 500m, expect potentially rapid weather shifts—bring a windproof layer even if the sun is shining at the trailhead.

Steeped in local history, this route traverses the former hunting grounds of the Earls of Chester. Macclesfield Forest is one of the last remaining remnants of the extensive Royal Forest of Macclesfield, which once stretched across the region. As you descend from the gritstone heights of Tegg's Nose, you are running through a landscape shaped by centuries of quarrying; the area's distinctive stone has been used for local buildings and millstones for generations. Keep an eye out for the resident herd of red deer within the forest, a wild link to the area's ancient past as a medieval playground for nobility.