Get your kids booked on to the RIPS CIC Easter Kids Activity Clubs based at Tegg's Nose Country Park. Activities include Abseiling / Climbing / Archery / Paddle Sports & more. Get 10% off, by booking your places this week (by end of 22nd Fe), using code EASTER10 - https://bit.ly/4ait0xt

Site highlight: Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve has over 50 acres of mainly silver birch and oak woodland surrounding a 15 acre lake as well as areas of heathland, a wildflower meadow and wetland areas - https://bit.ly/2pPe03z

It's always great to see people out enjoying our countryside sites. However many sites have limited parking, so please car share when possible & avoid leaving large gaps between cars when parking & allow space for work vehicles to access storage yards & containers. Thanks for your help 😊

We’d love to hear about your visits to our beautiful Cheshire East countryside sites! Share your thoughts and help us make your experience even better. 🌳✨ https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/CountryParkSatisfaction/

UK Shared Prosperity Funding has allowed the Bollin Valley Partnership to carry out footpath improvement work at Macclesfield Riverside Park. This will improve accessibility along the Bollin Valley Way & encourage use of the 1 path to reduce spread of footfall & more widespread damage to the pasture

Public Rights of Way & Horses: Keep your dog on a lead & under close control at all times / Move calmly & quietly / Give horses plenty of space on paths—never walk directly behind them / Do not approach, feed, or touch horses / Stay alert—horses can startle or react suddenly

The latest exhibition at Tegg's Nose Gallery is now open. 'The Cult Of The Head And Other Tales' - paintings by Jenny C. Black is on show every day from 9am to 4pm until the 4th of March.

Site highlight: Dane-In-Shaw Pasture SSSI. The pasture is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to it being a grassland of national importance. Walk through the Pasture in the Spring and Summer and it is easy to see why this site is so special - https://bit.ly/2p8Ckjo

The Cheshire East Countryside Ranger Service 2026 Event Programme launches TOMORROW, Friday 6th February, at 9am. Visit our event listings website tomorrow morning to find out more! Click this link from 9am on Friday ⏰ https://cheshireeast.gov.uk/rangerevents

Members of Rode Heath Cub Scouts visited Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve recently to plant Hazel & Rowan saplings. The trees will improve the woodland for nesting birds and provide a winter food source. A total of 280 trees have been planted this winter, all from public donations

🦇 Bats are still hibernating. They have little fat left to live off of now. They may leave the roost on warmer nights to find food and a drink of water.

Discover where animals have been through their tracks and signs with this handy info sheet

Winter walking is a great way to boost your mood & stay healthy during the colder months. Top tips: 🧥 Layer Up – Dress warmly 🗺️ Research Your Route 📱 Be Contactable – Let someone know your plans. 🍪 Anticipate the Unexpected – Pack essentials 🚶Walk smart, stay safe Public Rights of Way Team

Upcoming events: Beginners guide to Garden Birds by Nature Stuff. 2 sessions - Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th Feb at Brereton Heath LNR. Learn to identify our most common garden birds then put your knowledge into practice completing a guided hour-long birdwatch. Booking essential https://bit.ly/4bROF0o

Site highlight: Jacksons’ Brickworks in Higher Poynton is a special place, reclaimed by nature after its industrial interlude. It is now so valuable for wildlife that it has been designated a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) - https://bit.ly/4oGJ5lQ

The Gritstone Trail - 35 mile / 56km trail through Cheshire’s Peak District. Stride out along the Gritstone Trail and sample some of the finest walking in Cheshire. This is a more challenging route stretching from Disley to Kidsgrove - https://bit.ly/3w7RyTX

Ranger Iain & other South Team colleagues got this fantastic view of a Buzzard, from their office window at Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve, earlier this week. They suspect it's a juvenile buzzard from last year, It’s not at all phased by people, & was even staring at them through the window!

Upcoming events: Beginners Guide to Garden Birds by Nature Stuff - Tuesday 3rd or Wednesday 4th of February. Learn to identify our most common garden birds at Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve. Booking essential - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/nature-stuff-environmental-educators-12774190751

Upcoming event: Home Education Forest School Taster Session at Teggsnose Wood, Tuesday, 4th Feb. Join Greenwood Growth for a taster of their Home Education for children aged 5 years and above, offering connection to self, others and the natural world. Booking essential - https://bit.ly/3NMt3Zm

In December, Bollin Valley Partnership Ranger Emma was working with the brilliant volunteers from the Mersey Rivers Trust to undertake some path surfacing and edging along the woodland path at the Carrs, in Wilmslow. The team wheelbarrowed in stone & managed to get a 30m section completed.

Upcoming events: Beginners guide to Garden Birds by Nature Stuff. 2 sessions - Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th Feb at Brereton Heath LNR. Learn to identify our most common garden birds then put your knowledge into practice completing a guided hour-long birdwatch. Booking essential https://bit.ly/4bROF0o

The latest exhibition at Tegg’s Nose Gallery is now open! Equine photographer Elizabeth M’s exhibition is open between 9am and 3pm every day until the 3rd of February.

New bike racks have been installed outside the Visitor Centre at Tegg's Nose Country Park 🚲. Cheshire East Council funded the new cycle stands from it's Active Travel budget, to support it's vision for a borough where walking, wheeling and cycling are the preferred option for short journeys.

Site highlight: The Salt Line, a well surfaced trail following the line of a disused railway cutting through farmland and woodland as it runs towards Alsager. The Borrow Pit Meadows, adjacent to the Salt Line, are a mosaic of rich habitats - https://bit.ly/2PWU2Uz

Upcoming events: Beginners Guide to Garden Birds by Nature Stuff - Tuesday 3rd or Wednesday 4th of February. Learn to identify our most common garden birds at Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve. Booking essential - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/nature-stuff-environmental-educators-12774190751

Site highlight: Tegg's Nose Country Park. Experience wild hill country, marvel at the fantastic views, enjoy food and drink at The Nose Coffee, and walk further afield into the Peak District or Macclesfield Forest - https://bit.ly/2OhWuSZ

Upcoming event: Nosey Nature Natter - An Introduction to Wildlife Tracks & Signs at Tegg's Nose Country Park - Tue 27th January. Step into the wild with Nature Stuff & uncover the secret stories written in the landscape by wildlife tracks, trails and signs. Booking essential - https://bit.ly/49r44U6

Upcoming event: Home Education Forest School Taster Session at Teggsnose Wood, Tuesday, 4th Feb. Join Greenwood Growth for a taster of their Home Education for children aged 5 years and above, offering connection to self, others and the natural world. Booking essential - https://bit.ly/3NMt3Zm

Sign up to the Cheshire East Council Countryside Ranger Service monthly email newsletter to get notified of all our upcoming 2026 countryside events. Our new event programme will be launched in February ✉️. It’s easy to sign up via this link - https://bit.ly/3JUfwYm

Over the last few years, the Rangers, across many sites from Macclesfield Riverside Park to the Wheelock Rail Trail, have been getting regular sightings of Little Egrets. This species first appeared in the UK in 1989, & can now be seen across large areas of the country. Photo taken by Ranger Martin

Rangers Martin and Roger plus volunteers Derek, Ian, Peter and Roger were working hard on the slopes and the top of Tegg's Nose Country Park last week. As part of our scheduled winter works we've been undertaking heathland management works including removing invasive scrub.

Upcoming event: Nosey Nature Natter - An Introduction to Wildlife Tracks & Signs at Tegg's Nose Country Park - Tue 27th January. Step into the wild with Nature Stuff & uncover the secret stories written in the landscape by wildlife tracks, trails and signs. Booking essential - https://bit.ly/49r44U6

Site Highlight: Macclesfield Riverside Park - This 70 acre linear park, owned by Cheshire East Council and managed by the Bollin Valley Partnership, occupies the flood plain and gently sloping sides of the River Bollin between Macclesfield and Prestbury - https://bit.ly/46SqnkF

The latest exhibition at Tegg’s Nose Gallery is now open! Equine photographer Elizabeth M’s exhibition is open between 9am and 3pm every day until the 3rd of February.

Site highlight: The Wheelock Rail Trail. A popular well surfaced 2km traffic free route for walkers and cyclists on the outskirts of Sandbach and runs between Ettiley Heath and Malkins Bank - https://bit.ly/2TH1d0V

Upcoming event: Home Education Forest School Taster Session at Teggsnose Wood, Tuesday, 4th Feb. Join Greenwood Growth for a taster of their Home Education for children aged 5 years and above, offering connection to self, others and the natural world. Booking essential - https://bit.ly/3NMt3Zm

In late November, Bollin Valley Partnership Rangers Nik and Emma, plus Abi from @MerseyRivers and a team of volunteers ran their final ‘Battle the Birch’ of the year. The team tree popped self-seeded Birch and Willow, (1 of 2)

Sign up to the Cheshire East Council Countryside Ranger Service monthly email newsletter to get notified of all our upcoming 2026 countryside events. Our new event programme will be launched in February ✉️. It’s easy to sign up via this link - https://bit.ly/3JUfwYm

We’d love to hear about your visits to our beautiful Cheshire East countryside sites! Share your thoughts and help us make your experience even better. 🌳✨ https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/CountryParkSatisfaction/

Ranger Martin has been lots of deer signs at Tegg's Nose Country Park this winter. The tracks and droppings can be found all across the slopes and within Teggsnose Wood showing how extensively the Red Deer are travelling through the site. Red Deer are Britain's largest land mammal.

Prior to installing a new gate post on one of our sites, which requires us to dig some deep holes, routine checks were carried out by Ranger Alistair. We use utility maps and then CAT (Cable Avoidance Tool) scan the area to check for underground services.

Site highlight: Timbersbrook Picnic Area - A peaceful spot where families can picnic on the edge of young woodland. Water from Timbers Brook was once used to power the silk mill and the old Mill Pool is now a locally important breeding pond for toads - https://bit.ly/3pV9QqB

Site highlight: Poynton Coppice Local Nature Reserve. An attractive woodland rich in wildlife. It is thought to have been continuously wooded for thousands of years, so is classed as an ancient woodland - https://bit.ly/2wzpwpD

The Ranger Service is continuing to monitor the weather as warnings of heavy snowfall and strong winds are issued by the Met Office that may impact our sites.

Ranger Al would like to send thanks to Congleton & District Conservation Volunteers for all their hard work at Rode Heath Rise in December. Trees were planted, path surfacing was 'topped up' with stone, a length of hedge was planted and the long boardwalk was scraped & cleared. Thanks to all!

Last month Bollin Valley Rangers Dan and Emma were working with colleagues from Mersey Rivers Trust on some willow spiling at Macclesfield Riverside Park that needed to be pruned and re-weaved to strengthen the bank. This particular section was really important as it secured the adjacent footpath.

The latest exhibition at Tegg’s Nose Gallery is now open! Equine photographer Elizabeth M’s exhibition is open between 9am and 3pm every day until the 3rd of February.

Site highlight: The Middlewood Way. A 10 mile (16km), traffic-free greenway from Macclesfield to Marple on the Peak Park fringe with car parking, toilets and information points, with fine views over the Cheshire Plain to the west - https://bit.ly/3xivd63

Site highlight: Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve has over 50 acres of mainly silver birch and oak woodland surrounding a 15 acre lake as well as areas of heathland, a wildflower meadow and wetland areas - https://bit.ly/2pPe03z

Several of the sites, managed by the Rangers, have a fascinating industrial past and it's always a thrill to discover some artifacts of those times. Ranger Iain discovered this 'hidden treasure' (from an old railway) recently while beginning work on a new wildflower meadow on one of our sites.