Hanging Gate, Higher Sutton

Reopened outside in April 2021 after long closure, the pub is slowly being refurbished and the bar and adjacent room together with the outside are now open. Excellent views from the terrace. Food available at the weekend (check times). Dogs welcome. The Hanging Gate is a fascinating pub, dating from 1621 and its name is believed to be a combination of the Scandinavian "gata", meaning pathway, and the fact that Royal Macclesfield Forest poachers were hanged here. Earlier this century it was also called "Tom Steels" after a one-armed landlord! It is on the old Roman salt route. Bare stonework peeps through the whitewash all over the pub, adding to its historical charm. It is a superbly refurbished hillside building, currently with two small rooms. You enter through a porch into a tiny hall, with an intimate snug containing a stove and the small bar ahead. To the right is another small room. Further rooms are planned to be opened as the refurbishment continues. The pub ghost is either a sheep rustler hung outside, or an early landlord, according to choice. The cellar is built into the rock and is always 10C - ideal for beer! The inner man and woman are catered for by simple home-made pub food, much of it locally produced, which is served all weekend. Walkers are welcome, and this is good walking country. The nearest public transport is the 14A Macclesfield to Langley bus. It is a 1.8 mile walk along roads from Langley but there are also several public footpaths in the area.