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Loop Trails near Manchester

There are 34 hikes near Manchester in our database that fit. They average 13.6 km and 298 m (978 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 88.6 km.

That is 20 percent of the 174 routes we map near Manchester. They are shorter than the local average, 13.6 km against 25.5 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 298 m (978 ft) against 562 m (1,844 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Circular routes: park once, finish where you started, and never walk the same section twice. The mix is broad: 18 are rated easy and 5 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day. A good share of them are loops, so you can park once and finish where you started.

Trails

Expert

Mary Towneley Loop

England · United Kingdom

Distance
72.0 km
/ 44.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,585 m
Typical duration
19 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Sheffield Country Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
88.6 km
/ 55.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,950 m
Typical duration
23 hr
  • Mountain
  • Long-distance path
Easy

Lime Avenue Ponds Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Lake
  • Forest
Easy

Paddock Cottage Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
2.8 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
62 m
Typical duration
41 min
  • Forest
  • Alpine meadow
Easy

A walk to The Cage, Lyme

England · United Kingdom

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
48 m
Typical duration
31 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Derwent Dam Black Route

England · United Kingdom

Distance
3.9 km
/ 2.4 mi
Elevation gain
86 m
Typical duration
56 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Derwent Dam Red Route

England · United Kingdom

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
23 min
  • Mountain
Easy

Chevin Geology Trail

England · United Kingdom

Distance
4.7 km
/ 2.9 mi
Elevation gain
103 m
Typical duration
1 hr 8 min
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Railway Children Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
8.0 km
/ 5.0 mi
Elevation gain
176 m
Typical duration
1 hr 56 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

St Andrew's Trail

England · United Kingdom

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
22 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Booth's Wood Loop

England · United Kingdom

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
37 m
Typical duration
24 min
  • Forest
Easy

Heritage Time Trail

England · United Kingdom

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Forest
Easy

Young Woodland Loop

England · United Kingdom

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
23 m
Typical duration
15 min
  • Forest
Moderate

Arley Hall Circular Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
8.4 km
/ 5.2 mi
Elevation gain
185 m
Typical duration
2 hr 2 min
Easy

Circular Park Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
Moderate

Lyme South Perimeter Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
10.9 km
/ 6.8 mi
Elevation gain
240 m
Typical duration
2 hr 38 min
Hard

Penistone Boundary Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
24.8 km
/ 15.4 mi
Elevation gain
546 m
Typical duration
6 hr 17 min
Easy

Squirrel Walk, Formby

England · United Kingdom

Distance
0.4 km
/ 0.3 mi
Elevation gain
9 m
Typical duration
6 min
Easy

Wizard Walk

England · United Kingdom

Distance
1.6 km
/ 1.0 mi
Elevation gain
35 m
Typical duration
23 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Mary Towneley LoopEngland72.0 km1,585 m19 hrExpertApril to October
Sheffield Country WalkEngland88.6 km1,950 m23 hrExpertApril to October
South Cheshire Market Towns TrailEngland68.5 km1,506 m18 hrExpertApril to October
Crags Constitutional Walk, Hardcastle CragsEngland2.7 km60 m39 minEasyApril to October
Derwent Valley and Reservoir Walk,England7.4 km163 m1 hr 48 minModerateApril to October
Lime Avenue Ponds WalkEngland3.1 km68 m45 minEasyApril to October
Paddock Cottage WalkEngland2.8 km62 m41 minEasyApril to October
Railway Trail Walk, Hardcaslte CragsEngland4.6 km101 m1 hr 7 minEasyApril to October
A walk to The Cage, LymeEngland2.2 km48 m31 minEasyApril to October
Accessible Route, Ilam ParkEngland1.4 km31 m21 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with South Cheshire Market Towns Trail, Sheffield Country Walk, Mary Towneley Loop. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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