Cheshire

<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="700" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/08/1682926-ezgif.com-resize.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-5055" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/08/1682926-ezgif.com-resize.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/08/1682926-ezgif.com-resize-300x210.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/08/1682926-ezgif.com-resize-768x538.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Walled Garden at Hare Hill</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Yes, the Cotswolds has honeyed stone and celebs in Hunter wellies &#8211; but Cheshire’s quietly stealing the spotlight with its own brand of countryside cool. And you can forget the tired tropes of WAGs in Range Rovers. Our green and serene county is wholly misunderstood, with a glossy reputation that&#8217;s been built on a&nbsp;very&nbsp;shiny,&nbsp;very&nbsp;narrow slice of life. Yes, we love a blow dry and Champagne brunch, but beyond the bling lies achingly pretty rural scenes, Insta-worthy villages, enchanting manor houses, and a food culture that’s more foraged wild garlic than footballer’s fizz. It’s luxe without the London exodus, stylish without the snobbery, and wonderfully uncrowded to make you feel like you’ve&nbsp;actually escaped. Here we reveal the best things to do in Cheshire for wholesome weekend escapes&#8230;.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cosy-up-in-a-pub">Cosy up in a pub</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="845" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1465-845x1024.jpg" alt="The Church Inn" class="wp-image-4887" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1465-845x1024.jpg 845w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1465-248x300.jpg 248w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1465-768x931.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1465.jpg 1179w" sizes="(max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px" /></figure></div>


<p>Let’s just call it:&nbsp;Cheshire’s pubs are the unsung heroes of every season. In winter, they&#8217;re all roaring fires, slow-cooked everything, and red wine that practically hugs you back. In summer? Pull up a bench in a <a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/drink/wahey-the-sun-is-out-these-are-the-best-beer-gardens-in-cheshire/">sun-soaked beer garden</a>, order something crisp and chilled, and you won&#8217;t be going anywhere. Over in Mobberley, <a href="https://churchinnmobberley.co.uk">The Church Inn</a> is a dapper institution where countryphiles hunker on down to gorge on its hearty, sophisticated dishes championing British ingredients. The bar is stacked with local gins and craft beer made down the road and there’s endless proper pub charm, from the drooping beams to burning candles on each table. At its sister pub, <a href="https://thebullsheadpub.co.uk/">The Bull&#8217;s Head</a>, diners vy for tables on its immaculate lawn on a sunny day or curl up in nooks when it&#8217;s piddling down for familiar classics that belong on the Michelin radar. Find yourself in Tarporley? Beeline straight to <a href="https://www.thefoxandbarrel.co.uk">The Fox &amp; Barrel</a>, where guests come to eat under the stars in The Hide, complete with a retractable roof, Josper charcoal grill, and cosy throws for those cooler evenings. Or if you&#8217;re pottering around Styal, stop by <a href="https://www.theshipstyal.co.uk">The Ship Inn</a>, a crooked old pub with centuries-old beams and killer roast dinners. Other bucket list boozers include <a href="https://thebellsofpeover.co.uk">The Bell&#8217;s of Peover</a> with its sprawling beer garden and spot-on food, <a href="https://www.swaninnkettleshulme.com">The Swan Inn </a>over in Kettleshulme that&#8217;s gained a reputation for incredible seafood, and <a href="https://thepheasantinn.co.uk">The Pheasant Inn</a>, pitched in the Peckferton Hills with views views views of the Cheshire Plain and North Wales beyond.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-take-time-out-in-a-world-class-spa">Take time out in a world-class spa</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="899" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/05/IMG_9810-899x1024.jpg" alt="Manor House hotel , lady in swimming pool" class="wp-image-3793" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/05/IMG_9810-899x1024.jpg 899w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/05/IMG_9810-263x300.jpg 263w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/05/IMG_9810-768x875.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/05/IMG_9810.jpg 1179w" sizes="(max-width: 899px) 100vw, 899px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Manor House Hotel</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>When it comes to spas that actually deliver,&nbsp;Cheshire’s got a killer lineup&nbsp;that blends luxury with serious serene-seeking vibes.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cardenpark.co.uk/">Carden Park</a>&nbsp;is a full-on wellness wonderland where guests potter around the sprawling spa garden and wallow in hot tubs with glasses of Bolly. <a href="https://www.manorhousealsager.com">The Manor House Hotel &amp; Spa</a>, meanwhile,&nbsp;nails country elegance with a side of playfulness, home to two dreamy swim-up bars in emerald-green pools. And if you want old-school grandeur, look to the iconic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.champneys.com/hotels/mottram-hall.html">Mottram Hall&nbsp;</a>where a Champneys spa helms plenty of glamorous pampering. My tip? Go for weekday stays for significantly cheaper spa breaks. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-wander-around-a-beautiful-manor-house">Wander around a beautiful manor house</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="808" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-808x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-5014" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-808x1024.jpg 808w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-237x300.jpg 237w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-768x974.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-1212x1536.jpg 1212w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-1615x2048.jpg 1615w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/138312-scaled.jpg 2019w" sizes="(max-width: 808px) 100vw, 808px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">©National Trust Images/Matthew Antrobus</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>If stately homes are your thing &#8211; sweeping drives, scandalous portraits, and the kind of gardens that demand a floaty dress &#8211; Cheshire has its fair share to fulfil your English country fantasy. Top of the list has to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/lyme">Lyme Park</a>. You’ve seen it before &#8211; even if you didn&#8217;t know it. This 1,400-acre estate was&nbsp;Pemberley&nbsp;in the BBC’s&nbsp;<em>Pride and Prejudice</em>, and yes, that&nbsp;lake scene with Mr. Darcy&nbsp;was filmed here. But it’s so much more than just an enchanting film location. The house itself is a moody, magnificent mix of Elizabethan core and later baroque excess, and the grounds unfold with moorland, woodland, formal gardens, and wild red deer. Elsewhere, there’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dorfoldestate.com">Dorfold Hall</a>, a still-private Jacobean dream just outside Nantwich, where design and history collide. <a href="https://www.arleyhallandgardens.com/">Arley Hall &amp; Gardens</a>, meanwhile, is where heritage meets TV drama &#8211; the interiors are proper old-money opulence (silk wall coverings and carved ceilings), and the gardens are outstanding. You might recognise it as Tommy Shelby&#8217;s country pile from&nbsp;<em>Peaky Blinders</em>, but trust me &#8211; it’s even more dramatic in real life.</p>



<p>Over at&nbsp;<a href="https://capesthorne.com">Capesthorne Hall</a>, things are a little more romantic — sweeping staircases, enormous chandeliers, and lakeside views that demand a Jane Austen-level picnic. And of course, there’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tattonpark.org.uk/">Tatton Park</a>, the grand dame of Cheshire estates. Neo-classical on the outside, jaw-droppingly lavish inside, with everything from a rare books library to a Japanese garden, a deer park and a working farm. Come for a long walk, stay for the full&nbsp;<em>Bridgerton</em>&nbsp;daydream. And finally, not a stately home, but the dreamiest of gardens to hide away in: <a href="https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/hare-hill">Hare Hill</a> and its walled garden. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-walk-the-sandstone-trail">Walk the Sandstone Trail</h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="682" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/03/pexels-josh-willink-11499-701016-1024x682.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-2710" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/03/pexels-josh-willink-11499-701016-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/03/pexels-josh-willink-11499-701016-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/03/pexels-josh-willink-11499-701016-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/03/pexels-josh-willink-11499-701016.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure></div>


<p>Cheshire’s mammoth long-distance trail, running for more than 32 miles from Frodsham to Whitchurch, is without doubt a truly invigorating walk, and might just make you fall in love with the county that little bit more. Shining a light on the ridge of sandstone that juts out of the Cheshire Plain,&nbsp;<a href="https://sandstonetrail.co.uk/">the Sandstone Trail</a>&nbsp;weaves through farmland and forest and along towpaths, with plenty of wildflower-speckled meadows popping up along the way. Fancy tackling the entire thing? You’ll be looking at around three days, but like any long-distance trail, the beauty of it is you can complete short sections of it. Although your digs along the way should you choose to take on the entire 32 miles include&nbsp;<a href="https://thepheasantinn.co.uk/">The Pheasant Inn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.littleidyllshepherdshuts.com/">Little Idyll Shepherd’s Hut</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.peckfortoncastle.co.uk/">Peckferton Castle</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cardenpark.co.uk/">Carden Park</a>&nbsp;– some of Cheshire’s most idyllic boltholes.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-explore-cheshire-s-prettiest-villages">Explore Cheshire&#8217;s prettiest villages</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="945" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1466-945x1024.jpg" alt="Great Budworth
" class="wp-image-4891" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1466-945x1024.jpg 945w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1466-277x300.jpg 277w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1466-768x832.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/07/IMG_1466.jpg 1150w" sizes="(max-width: 945px) 100vw, 945px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Great Budworth</figcaption></figure>



<p>Let’s be honest — the Cotswolds have had their moment. Head north, where&nbsp;Cheshire’s villages are quietly rewriting the rulebook on countryside cool&nbsp;— less tweed and tired tea rooms, more Scandi coffee houses, chic indie shops, and food scenes that seriously slap. Start in&nbsp;Great Budworth &#8211; the kind of village that looks like it fell out of a period drama with crooked timber cottages, trailing roses, and an olde worlde pub. Same for canalside Lymm, a down-to-earth village with a thriving brunch scene and leafy trails fuelled by artisan coffee. Tarporley is where you&#8217;ll find one of the prettiest high streets in Cheshire, hell, the North, with one-of-a-kind boutiques and truly beautiful architecture &#8211; a little like Knutsford, adored for its indie boutiques and buzzy brunch spots, all wrapped up in leafy, well-heeled style. And then there&#8217;s Alderley Edge &#8211; so often misunderstood thanks to its WAG reputation &#8211; but a village where ancient legends swirl about its woodland and achingly pretty corners. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-go-to-a-festival">Go to a festival </h2>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="683" height="1024" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/pexels-wendywei-2513612-1-683x1024.jpg" alt="Music festival" class="wp-image-1928" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/pexels-wendywei-2513612-1-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/pexels-wendywei-2513612-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/pexels-wendywei-2513612-1-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/pexels-wendywei-2513612-1-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cheshire/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2025/01/pexels-wendywei-2513612-1.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" /></figure></div>


<p>Cheshire does put on a mighty fine calendar of music festivals as summer hits. And really, when it comes down to it, there’s nothing more quintessentially English than wrestling with tent poles, shrugging off the rain and drinking and dancing under the stars. From Forest Live to The Brit Fest and Creamfields, head&nbsp;<a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/the-best-music-festivals-in-cheshire/">here for our pick of the best music festivals in Cheshire</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-want-more-then-read-these">Want more? Then read these:</h2>



<p><a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/the-best-restaurants-in-wilmslow/">The best restaurants in Wilmslow</a></p>



<p><a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/6-of-the-best-restaurants-in-knutsford/">The best restaurants in Knutsford</a></p>



<p><a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/the-best-food-tours-in-and-around-cheshire/">The best food tours in and around Cheshire </a></p>



<p><a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/uk/glamping-camping/where-to-find-luxury-glamping-in-cheshire/">Escape the ordinary: luxury glamping in Cheshire</a></p>



<p><a href="https://cheshire.muddystilettos.co.uk/travel/5-unique-airbnb-stays-in-cheshire/">5 unique Airbnb stays in Cheshire</a></p>


The best things to do in Cheshire

You may also like