A picturesque town taking it's name from the wooded escarpment towering above Cheshire's plain

Alderley Edge is a place that attracts myths, like the fact more champagne is drunk here than anywhere else outside London.

It is said that King Arthur’s knights lie buried under the Edge - a steep and thickly wooded sandstone ridge - and are ready to rise again should old Blighty be in trouble, proof perhaps, that the locals really have been downing all that fizz!

Alderley is a place of two halves, the well-groomed village and the edge itself and that is also reflected in its mix of stylish shops and close proximity of a wild and lovely countryside.Wizard stuffNot more drink! Well this time it’s water. Alderley’s Wizard’s Well dates back to Pagan times and is inscribed with the words ‘Drink of this and take they fill for the water falls by the wizard’s will,’ there’s carving too of the wizard’s face, which is apparently 200 years-old but looks more ancient. Like lots of old well water the stuff here was believed to have magic powers especially as a cure for infertility!The edge of fameThe novelist Alan Garner who spent his childhood here used Alderley Edge as the backdrop for his famous novels The Weirdstone of Brisingamen and the Moon of Gomrath. Other famous residents include Posh and Becks, who lived in the village for years (in fact Brooklyn Beckham was born here). It has also been home to New Order’s Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook, Cristiano Ronaldo, Denise Welch, Stuart Hall, Rio Ferdinand, Richard Fleeshman and Peter Crouch.Weird magicThe Wizard restaurant is a haunt of celebs and the well-heeled but close by is the Wizard Wood, where a much stranger breed of visitor to the area has been known to hang-out. It is said that witches used to meet there every Halloween to perform strange rituals and dance about naked. Not surprisingly, this used to draw quite a crowd. Alas! A woodland full of mineshafts and cliffs isn’t the ideal place to wander around at night, especially if you’ve spent the previous few hours in the pub, so there was eventually a police crackdown in the interests of safety.Charm itselfAlderley Edge’s affluence is reflected in the smart wine bars, pubs and restaurants around London Road, which make this such a great destination for an evening where the intention is to enjoy the finer things in life and a small selection of local independent shops add to its overall charm.

Alderley Edge informationNoted for…Champagne drinking. Why not sip fizz with your fish supper at chip-shop to the stars, Foster's?

Grand designs…Chorley Old Hall is the oldest surviving manor house in Cheshire dating back to 1330 and is Grade I listed with a moated site that is a scheduled monument.

While you're here…Go on a guided tour of the caves with the local caving club.