National Trust Hare Hill
Have you visited Hare Hill? This is a small National Trust place in Cheshire. It’s a great place for a short walk in Cheshire. It’s a lovely place for families to enjoy too. Find out everything you need to know about National Trust Hare Hill below. Find more Family walks North West here.
Where is Hare Hill?
Hare Hill is located in East Cheshire, not far from Alderley Edge, Prestbury and Macclesfield. There is a reasonable sized car park. We’ve visit a fair amount and nether found the car park full.
The address is Over Alderley, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4PY
Hare Hill does shut for the winter so do check before your travel. Alderley Edge doesn’t close for the winter.
How much does it cost to visit National Trust Hare Hill?
Hare Hill is free to visit if you are National Trust members. The prices for non-members at the time of writing (March 2023) is £9 for adults and £4.50 for kids.
Is Hare hill Pram-friendly?
Yes, Hare Hill is very suitable for Pushchairs. There are few steps but there are always step free routes around the area. The paths are reasonably flat but some do get muddy.
We have been visiting Hare Hill since our children were in prams. It’s a great place for a short walk either with a pram or with a toddler that likes to walk.
What is there for kids at Hare Hill?
We think Hare Hill is a great spot for families. The walled garden is a fantastic place for children to run free, the walks are pram-friendly and short and the nature packs and play area below really help too.
You can borrow a free kids’ nature pack from the welcome building. These are really popular and they include a pair of small binoculars, a large wooden magnifying glass, a kids’ nature joke book and a fact sheet on the wildlife you might see.
My kids love wearing them, using the magnifying glass to look for bugs and using the binoculars in the bird hide.
Hare Hill natural playground
There is a small natural play area in the woods with a fantastic tree swing, stick dens, log off cuts for balancing, a wooden horse and a wooden stand with a large bowl set in (for potion making etc). Again my children love this recent addition to Hare Hill and it is always popular so I know they’re not the only ones.
They often have family and children’s activities during the school holidays too. We have enjoyed Easter egg hunts here over the years and last summer a free kids’ yoga class.
Keep an eye out on their website for upcoming events – Hare Hill
How Long do families typically spend at Hare Hill National Trust?
Hare Hill really isn’t huge so I’d say you’ll need an hour or two depending on if you bring a picnic and how long you spend in the play area.
You can also extend your walk by heading towards Alderley Edge. This path is not pram-friendly though.
Facilities at Hare Hill
In the car park there is a small welcome hut with the staff. Here you scan your membership card or pay the admission fee. There is also a small second hand bookshop, National trust gift shop and you can buy hot drinks and ice creams. This is also where you borrow a nature pack for kids.
Behind the walled gardens there are toilets and another small second hand bookshop. There is no cafe or full size gift shop. Picnics are welcome but there are no bins so please take you rubbish home with you.
Hare Hill woodlands
Once you have passed the welcome hut you walk down the path to the woodlands and walled garden. The woodlands wrap all around the walled garden. There are paths all the way around the woodlands.
There are 2 ponds so on your first visit I’d recommend you keep children close by in the woods until you are aware of where the large ponds are. The largest pond has three bridges over it which my youngest loves crossing backwards and forwards over.
There is a bird hide in the woods with loads of bird feeders in front of it. This area is very popular with birds and on our visit we saw lots of robins and coal finches.
The walled garden
The large walled garden sits at the heart of Hare Hill. It’s got some lovely planting around the edges as well as benches to sit and enjoy the gardens, let the children run around on the large lawn or enjoy a picnic.
No ball games are allowed at Hare Hill though or bikes, scooters etc.
Hare Hill National Trust walks
The paths around the woods and walled garden at Hare Hill are only about a couple of miles maximum. You can extend your walk by walking to Alderley Edge. It’s been a few years since we did this walk and it definitely isn’t pram-friendly.
Find out more about Alderley Edge walks for families here. It’s a great place for family walks and it also has a natural play area for kids.
Enjoy family walks? Join the Family Walks North West Facebook group to be part of a community sharing the best walks for families across the region. Join here.
Where to next?
Find more pram friendly walks cheshire here.
Fancy a slightly more challenging walk? This Teggs nose walk is great for children but it’s not suitable for a pushchair.
Another local NT is Dunham Massey find my guide to visiting with kids here.
Have you visited RHS Bridgewater with kids?
Just a 30 minute drive away is Glebe Farm Astbury which is a great free children’s farm.
Another small National Trust, about 30 minutes away is Little Morton Hall which is a Tudor manor house. Find out more here – Visiting Little Morton Hall NT.
Another great National Trust in Cheshire to visit is Lyme park. Find a lovely circular walk here – Lyme park circular walk
Find loads of ideas for Things to do in Cheshire with toddlers here.
