Deep Hayes Country Park Circular Walk from Cheddleton

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Quieter / wet underfoot

Deep Hayes Country Park Circular Walk from Cheddleton

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Deep Hayes Country Park is a quiet 60 acre stretch of woods, meadows and pools just outside Cheddleton, about two miles from Leek. We did the 0.8 mile loop, flat enough for a pushchair most of the way, with a duck pond right by the car park to finish at.

Stone stepping stones crossing the water beside a handrail at Deep Hayes Country Park.

A wooden bridge railing surrounded by sunlit greenery at Deep Hayes Country Park.

What to expect

Deep Hayes is 60 acres of woods, meadows and pools near Cheddleton, and it’s quiet, we barely passed anyone else. We walked the full loop, 0.8 mile, mostly flat. Dogs need to stay on leads here.

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★★★★★

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Good for families and pushchairs for most of the route, there are gates rather than stiles on the loop we did. The stepping stones partway round are the one obstacle, if you’d rather not cross them, turn back there and do it as an out and back instead. Push further out and the paths get more overgrown, with stiles instead of gates, better suited to older kids without a pushchair.

Green picnic tables on a grassy clearing at Deep Hayes Country Park.

The green entrance information board for Deep Hayes Country Park, mounted on a brick wall with a trail map.

Getting there & parking

Deep Hayes Visitor Centre car park, Park Lane, Cheddleton, ST13 7JS. It’s free and open 9am until dusk. There are toilets on site. Leek is about two miles away if you fancy heading there afterwards.

The route

It’s a 0.8 mile loop, flat enough for a pushchair for most of it. The only real obstacle is the stepping stones partway round, if you’ve got a pushchair or don’t fancy them, turn back there and do it as an out and back instead of finishing the loop. Gates rather than stiles on this route.

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Stone steps with a handrail leading down to the water's edge at Deep Hayes Country Park.

A wooden fence and part of a sign, half hidden by sunlit foliage, at Deep Hayes Country Park.

Tips & what to bring

Wear boots you don’t mind getting muddy, it turns soft quickly after rain. Bring bread or oats for the ducks on the pond by the car park, there are plenty of them and it’s a good spot to sit for a while. There are picnic benches dotted around, including by the pond, worth packing a picnic even though we didn’t this time.

Eat & drink nearby

There’s nothing to eat or drink inside the park itself. We didn’t stop anywhere on this visit. The canal path from the park leads on to Cheddleton, where you’ve got a choice of pubs including the Black Lion and the Red Lion, plus the Old School Tea Rooms for something lighter, though we haven’t tried any of them ourselves yet. Leek itself is about two miles from the car park if you’d rather head there after your walk.