Tegg's Nose

Tegg's Nose
Tegg's Nose from Ridgegate Reservoir
Highest point
Elevation	380 m (1,250 ft)
Geography
Location	Cheshire, England
Parent range	Peak District
OS grid	SJ947725
Topo map	OS Outdoor Leisure 24

Tegg's Nose is a hill situated east of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It has a short ridge with a high point of 380 metres (1246 feet) at SJ947725, terminating in a promontory at the southern end.^[1][2] It lies on the western edge of the Peak District, although outside the boundary of the national park.^[1] Much of the hill's area falls within the Tegg's Nose Country Park, managed by Cheshire East Council Countyside Management Service; Tegg's Nose is also part of the Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme.^[2]

Historically quarried for millstone grit, Tegg's Nose now includes a range of environments including moorland, meadow, farmland, broadleaved woodland and is rich in wildlife. Recreational uses of the area include walking, orienteering, horse riding, fell running, cycling, mountain biking, rock climbing, sledging and fishing.

History

Historical quarry equipment

Stone saw at the quarry

Originally called "Tegge's Naze", "Tegge" might have been the name of an early Norse settler or might refer to a sheep ("teg"), while "nose" probably refers to the southern promontory.^[2] The area is believed to have been occupied during the Bronze Age, and there is a Bronze Age barrow near High Low Farm south of Tegg's Nose.^[3][4] After the Norman Conquest it formed part of the Royal Forest of Macclesfield, a hunting reserve owned by the Earls of Chester.^[3]

The hill was quarried for millstone grit from the 16th century until 1955.^[2] There were two quarries, one by the northern viewpoint at Windyway producing a blue stone, and the other near the Tegg's Nose summit producing Tegg's Nose Pink.^[2] Quarrying was originally by hand, giving a high-quality product used for buildings, gravestones, kerbs, flagstones and cobbles, which was used as far afield as the Isle of Man.^[4][5][6] Blasting was introduced in the 1930s, producing crushed stone for roads and airfields, and during the Second World War, rock for runways was extracted using pneumatic drills.^[2][5] A collection of historical quarrying equipment is preserved within the Country Park, including a jaw crusher, crane and a stone saw, which was powered by a steam engine.^[2][5] There is evidence of a railway track around the disused summit quarry.^[5] There is also evidence of a bomb crater at the bottom of Teggsnose caused by a German bomber during WW2 which can be seen from the summit

The Bottoms and Teggsnose reservoirs were constructed in 1850 and 1871, respectively, to regulate the flow of the River Bollin feeding the textile mills of Macclesfield and Langley, which once had five water-powered silk mills.^[3][7] The nearby Ridgegate Reservoir to the east was constructed at a similar time to provide drinking water for Macclesfield, with Trentabank Reservoir following in the 1920s.^[3]

Ecology and geography

Tegg's Nose from Walkers Barn

Much of the area is a mixture of moorland and meadows.^[2][3] The moorland is dominated by wood sage, heather and bilberry, while the meadows support a range of wild flowers including mountain pansy, tormentil and harebell. At lower elevations, gorse, bramble and hawthorn appear.^[2] The broadleaved Teggsnose Wood covers the southern part of the hill, with oak, beech, hornbeam, holly and mountain ash.^[1][2]

Birds observed in the area include woodpeckers, nuthatches, flycatchers, tree creepers, thrushes, tits, warblers, buzzards and ravens, as well as various waterfowl on the reservoirs including grebes and tufted ducks.^[3] The area is grazed in summer by Angus Cross cattle from a farm in Langley.

At the base of the hill to the south lie the small Bottoms Reservoir (34 million gallons) and Teggsnose Reservoir (24.5 million gallons), with the Walker Barn stream feeding the latter.^[1][2][4]

Activities

Tegg's Nose Trail marker

The Tegg's Nose ridge has three viewpoints. On clear days the views across the Cheshire Plain to the west take in Liverpool and the Welsh hills. To the east can be seen Macclesfield Forest and the distinctive hill of Shutlingsloe.^[1][2]

Several public footpaths, concessionary paths and bridleways cross the area. The Tegg's Nose Trail is a circular waymarked trail of 4 km (2.5 mi) around the area; part of the trail is a bridleway.^[2] The waymarkers for this trail take the form of circular plaques depicting the view towards Shutlingsloe. The "Walk to the Forest" is another waymarked circular trail of 11 km (6.8 mi) linking Tegg's Nose and the plantation of Macclesfield Forest.^[8] Saddlers Way, which forms part of both of these trails, was a former packhorse track.^[2] Tegg's Nose lies on the Gritstone Trail long-distance footpath, forming the end of the northern stage and the start of the central stage.^[9] It also forms an access point for ascending Shutlingsloe via Macclesfield Forest.^[3]

Teggsnose and Bottoms Reservoirs from Tegg's Nose viewpoint

The area is used for orienteering, with several permanent courses available.^[10] The Tegg's Nose Fell Race is run annually in August.^[11]

Three cycling routes start at Tegg's Nose. "Grit and Gears" is a 19 km (12 mi) partly off-road circular trail suitable for mountain bikes; "Riding the Ridges" is a 28 km (17 mi) circular route on minor roads with optional off-road sections; and Regional Cycle Route 71 is a long-distance linear road route.^[12][13][14] The Cheshire Cycleway (route 70) also passes just to the south and east of the Country Park.^[15]

There are ten traditional climbing routes on the quarried gritstone, ranging in grade from Difficult to Mild Very Severe.^[16] Sledging is popular in winter, with fields set aside for the activity.^[2] Private coarse fishing is available at Teggsnose and Bottoms Reservoirs, with mirror and common carp and bream.^[17][18]

Facilities and access

Visitor centre and sheep sculpture

At the northern viewpoint is a visitors' centre off the Buxton Old Road, which provides car and horse box parking, information, public toilets, picnic tables and a telescope. As off spring 2016 there is a tea room open 7 days a week.^[1][3][18] Several open-air sculptures stand near the visitors' centre; these include a stone sheep, a bench with an abstract tree and a set of carved wooden benches surrounding the viewpoint.^[19][20][21] Car parking is also available by Teggsnose Reservoir and at the Trentabank ranger station in Macclesfield Forest.^[2][18] Nearby public houses are the Leather's Smithy by Ridgegate Reservoir and the St Dunstan in the village of Langley.^[18]

The area can be reached by bus from Macclesfield or Buxton.^[3][18] Wheelchair access is limited owing to the nature of the terrain, and there are unfenced vertical drops.^[2][22] Local tourist accommodation is very limited.^[18]

Views

The summit of Tegg's Nose provides a 360° view over the nearby town of Macclesfield and the Cheshire Plain.

Panorama taken from summit of Tegg's Nose in March 2016

See also

• List of noses

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tegg's Nose Country Park.

• Tegg's Nose Country Park on Cheshire East Council's website

Ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire Portal
Unitary authorities	Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Halton Warrington
Major settlements	Alsager Birchwood Bollington Chester Congleton Crewe Culcheth Ellesmere Port Frodsham Handforth Knutsford Lymm Macclesfield Middlewich Nantwich Neston Northwich Poynton Runcorn Sandbach Warrington Widnes Wilmslow Winsford See also: List of civil parishes in Cheshire
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Peaks of the Peak District of England
Marilyns	Black Hill The Cloud Gun Kinder Scout Shining Tor
Other peaks	Abney Low Aleck Low Allman Well Hill Alport Height Axe Edge Moor Back Tor Beeley Moor Big Moor Birchen Edge Black Chew Head Black Edge Blake Low Blakelow Hill Bleaklow Bole Hill Bolehill Bosley Minn Britland Edge Hill Brittain's Plantation Brown Knoll Bunster Hill Burton Bole End Calver Peak Cheeks Hill Chinley Churn Chrome Hill The Cloud Combs Moss Croker Hill Crook Hill Dead Edge End Derwent Edge Durham Edge Eccles Pike Ecton Hill Eldon Hill Emlin Eyam Moor - Sir William Hill Featherbed Moss Featherbed Top Fin Cop Froggatt Edge Gardom's Edge Gautries Hill Gibraltar Rocks Gratton Hill Great Ridge Grindslow Knoll Gun Harborough Rocks Hare Edge Hill Harridge Pike Hartcliff Hill Haven Hill Hawks Low The Height Heights of Abraham Higger Tor High Field High Low High Neb High Wheeldon Higher Shelf Stones Hollins Cross Houndkirk Hill Lantern Pike Lees Moor Longstone Moor Lord's Seat Lose Hill Lost Lad Low Moor Mam Tor Margery Hill Merryton Low Middleton Moor Minninglow Hill Nelson's Monument Ossoms Hill Parkhouse Hill Pike Low Pikenaze Hill The Roaches Rock Hall Rushup Edge Sheen Hill Shutlingsloe Slipper Low Snailsden Pike End Snels Low Sponds Hill Stanage Edge Stanton Moor Tegg's Nose Thorpe Cloud Totley Moor Ughill Height Wardlow Hay Cop West Nab Wetton Hill Whaley Moor Wibben Hill Wild Bank Win Hill Windgather Rocks Wire Stone Wolfscote Hill
List of peaks of the Peak District

Coordinates: 53°14′58″N 2°04′51″W / 53.24949°N 2.08089°W / 53.24949; -2.08089