The Macclesfield Canal

The canal is maintained on the highest continuous level in the country, from Marple Junction to Bosley locks where a flight of 12 locks lower the canal 118 feet for its onward journey to Congleton and beyond to the shallow stop lock at Hall Green (the original end of the Macclesfield Canal) and then to its rendezvous with the Trent & Mersey Canal at Hardings Wood Junction.

The canal is noted for its unusual 'Snake' or 'Roving Bridges' (all deeply etched by ropes of a bygone age) which curl over the canal carrying the tow-path from one side to the other, allowing horses to continue without unhitching, and for its original stone mileposts which have been restored in recent years by the members of the Macclesfield Canal Society. The mileposts were removed and buried during World War II to confuse enemy paratroopers.

An unsung hero of our inland waterways, the Macclesfield Canal boasts a tranquil beauty along its length to compare with any canal on the system. From Bosley top lock through to Marple Junction and then along the Upper Peak Forest Canal to Whaley Bridge (including the recently restored Bugsworth Arm), the waterway is generally unaffected by winter engineering works and usually affords all year round cruising.