The lynch pin of the Cheshire Ring and one of the very last canals to be constructed, the Macclesfield Canal was completed in 1831.
Originally surveyed by Thomas Telford and engineered by William Crosley the canal commences from its junction with the Peak Forest and Upper Peak Forest canals at Marple and runs for almost 28 miles to meet the Trent and Mersey Canal just north of Kidsgrove.

At its late stage of construction, some of the promoters of the canal envisaged it as a possible railway route and in consequence, it was engineered as a fairly shallow canal. Mooring positions can sometimes be difficult to find away from recognised locations.

Serving the (now disused) coal fields at Adlington and nearby Poynton, then to the mill towns of Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton where fine cotton and silk were the principal industries, the canal travels through some very picturesque landscapes, fields and woodlands, maintaining a rural and unspoiled character throughout its length. There are sections passing the urban fringes of the townships mentioned above, but even here the canal retains its rural feel.