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free walks from pubs, hotels and campsites

Forget your urban preconceptions; there's plenty of great rural walking on the fringes of metropolitan Manchester.
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    The Pack Horse, Affetside nr Bury
    • Top o’ th’ Knotts (1¾ miles): A contouring farmland stroll with wide views over Bolton to Winter Hill. [GPX]
    • Two Brooks Valley (3½ miles): Pleasant farmland walking with a pretty interlude along a wooded stream valley.  [GPX]
    • Jumbles Country Park (4 miles): Descend through flowery pastures and then circumnavigate a scenic wooded reservoir.  [GPX]
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    The Rope and Anchor, Dunham Massey
    • Bridgewater Canal and Trans Pennine Trail (3 or 3½ miles): A straightforward towpath and rail-trail walk with no stiles or significant gradients. [GPX]
    • Dunham Massey Hall (3 or 3¾ miles): A gentle stroll to our local stately home and deer park. [GPX]
    • Hall, Canal and Trail (6 or 6½ miles): A completist’s walk: all the best the area has to offer [GPX]
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    The Joshua Bradley, Gee Cross
    • Haughton Dale (3 miles): Canal towpath and riverside walking in a wildlife-rich rural oasis, including a local nature reserve.  [GPX]
    • Back o’ th’ Hill (3¾ miles): Wide views, interesting corners, and a quiet stretch of canal towpath with a spooky tunnel.  [GPX]
    • Werneth Low (5 miles): Follow the Trans-Pennine Trail to a popular local landmark with extensive views. [GPX]
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    The Red Lion, Hawkshaw
    • Two Brooks (1½ miles): A short wooded stroll in a local valley, featuring a pretty little waterfall. [GPX]
    • Redisher Wood (3½ miles): A farmland walk to a beautiful wooded stream valley and local nature reserve. [GPX]
    • Peel Monument (6¾ miles): A hearty farmland and moorland walk to an outstanding viewpoint. [GPX]
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    The Red Lion, High Lane
    • Jackson’s Brickworks (2½ miles): A surprisingly varied route visiting a former industrial site now converted to a popular nature reserve, and sampling both the Macclesfield Canal and Middlewood Way. [GPX]
    • Two Canal Walk (4¼ miles): Sample both the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals, returning via Disley Golf Course. [GPX]
    • Lyme Park (5¼ miles): Lyme Park is administered by the National Trust. The grounds are free to enter on foot, but a fee must be paid to enter the house. [GPX]
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    The Grey Horse, Manchester
    • Manchester Mini-Trail (1½ miles): A short city-centre walking tour from a historic alehouse, featuring a mix of well-known landmarks and lesser curiosities. [GPX]
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    The Hare and Hounds, Marple
    Please note that the Hare and Hounds is currently closed (as of December 2021).
    • Chadkirk Chapel (2 miles): A level walk full of interest, visiting a historic chapel, a holy well and a stretch of the River Goyt. [GPX]
    • Goyt Hall and Chadkirk (3¾ miles): Along the Goyt to a historic half-timbered farmhouse, returning via the Peak Forest Canal and Chadkirk.  [GPX]
    • River Goyt & Marple Aqueduct (7¾ miles): A rewarding walk along varied waterways, featuring historic buildings and striking canal architecture. [NB: the path alongside the River Goyt is blocked by subsidence as of 2022. Please avoid this section.] [GPX]
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    Mellor and Townscliffe Golf Course, Mellor
    For directions by car, please see www.walksfromthedoor.co.uk/mellorgolf_directions
    • Mellor Church (1½ miles): Visit the intriguing ridge-top church of St Thomas the Apostle, and explore the stream-side village of Mellor. [GPX]
    • Peak Forest Canal (3½ miles): Featuring a peaceful stretch of the Peak Forest Canal and the historic ‘Roman Bridge’ over the River Goyt. [GPX]
    • Roman Lakes and Mellor Cross (4½ miles): Varied walking in the Goyt valley, plus a visit to Mellor Cross, with views to Kinder Scout and the Cheshire Plain. [GPX]
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    Mellor March, Mellor
    The Mellor March is an annual charity walk, starting from the Royal Oak in Mellor, held in May each year. See website for details.
    • The Mellor March (9¾ miles): An energetic charity walk through pretty valleys, stone-built villages and airy hillsides. Various hostelries en route. The Rowarth Loop, visiting the enigmatic Robin Hood's Picking Rods, extends the walk to 11 miles. [GPX]
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    The Oddfellows, Mellor
    • Mellor stroll (2 miles): Visit the intriguing ridge-top church of St Thomas the Apostle, and explore the stream-side village of Mellor.  [GPX]
    • Brook Bottom and Mill Brow (4 miles): Fine views, attractive stone-built hamlets and a pleasant stream-side interlude.  [GPX]
    • Roman Lakes and Cobden Edge (5 miles): Superb views, bird-rich lakes, historic buildings and a bracing climb to a hilltop cross amid gritstone quarries.  [GPX]
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    The Royal Oak, Mellor
    • Linnet Clough & Mellor Church (2¾ miles): An exploration of Mellor village, with superb views from the church. [GPX]
    • Roman Lakes (3½ miles): Into the Goyt valley, with a high-level return offering fabulous views to Manchester and beyond. [GPX]
    • Roman Bridge & Mellor Cross (6 miles): A fine and varied walk with lots of historical interest, lovely countryside and superb views. [GPX]
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    The Hare and Hounds, Mill Brow
    • Hollywood & Mill Brow (2 miles): A varied stroll up and down our valley. [GPX]
    • Robin Hood’s Picking Rods (5 miles): Cross common land and rough grazing to a medieval cross with wide views. [GPX]
    • Etherow Country Park (6¾ miles): A varied walk down the River Goyt and through two contrasting local green spaces. [GPX]
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    The Duckworth Arms, Ramsbottom
    • Dearden Clough (2¼ miles): A streamside walk with industrial heritage, waterfalls and good views over the Irwell valley. [GPX]
    • River Irwell and Chatterton (3½ miles): Down to the Irwell and beside the East Lancashire Railway for a fairly level walk full of interest. [GPX]
    • Scout Moor (6¼ miles): A hearty upland walk with close encounters with wind turbines, waterfalls and wide views. [GPX]
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    The Waggon and Horses, Stalybridge
    • Harrop Edge (1½ miles): An easy stroll round a nearby hill, with wide views over Manchester and the Dark Peak.  [GPX]
    • Wild Bank Hill (3¼ miles): A taste of heather moorland as you climb to the local trig-point, with wide views over Manchester. [GPX]
    • Swineshaw Reservoirs & Wild Bank Hill (6½ miles): A longer walk featuring a scenic valley and a stiff climb to a fine moorland viewpoint.  [GPX]