Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

Peak Forest Canal

Description: Runs from the junction with the Ashton Canal at Dukinfield to Buxworth Basin.

History: Promoted under Acts of 1794, 1800 and 1805. Opened with a connecting tramroad at Marple in 1800. Marple Locks were opened in 1804.
For more details see the History page.

Points of Interest: Very fine stone navigation works.

Waterway Group: This waterway is part of the Ashton, Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals

Subordinate Waterways:

• Whalley Bridge Branch

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Northern Waterways, General Manager: North West Waterways, Trafalgar House, Temple Court, Birchwood, Warrington, WA3 6GD: Telephone 01925 847700 : Fax 01925 847710 :

Marple Aqueduct on the Peak Forest Canal

Related Articles

• Back on the Straight and Narrow
• Peak Cruising

Related Books

• The Canals of North West England (1) by Charles Hadfield and Gordon Biddle, ISBN: 07153 49562, 236 pages, Published by David & Charles, Volume 1. . Order now from .
• The Canals of North West England (2) by Charles Hadfield and Gordon Biddle, ISBN: 07153 49929, 260 pages, Published by David & Charles, Volume 2.. Order now from .
• Nicholson/Ordnance Survey Guide to the waterways - 5 by Not known, ISBN: 978-0-00-728165-7, 190 pages, Published by Nicholson, in 2009, North West & the Pennines. Includes the Aire & Calder (leeds to Wakefield), Bridgewater, Calder & Hebble, Huddersfield Broad, Lancaster, Leeds & Liverpool, Macclesfield, Peak Forest, Ashton and Rochdale canals plus the Trent & Mersey north of Hardings Wood Junction.. Order now from .
• Pearson's Canal Companion: Cheshire Ring by Michael Pearson, Edition: Eighth, ISBN: 978 0 9 5491160 7, 80 pages, Published by J M Pearson & Son, Includes the River Weaver, Rochdale Canal and the route to Preston via the Leeds & Liverpool - Rufford Branch,. Order now from .
• Adventures of the Nippy by James Hewitt, ISBN: 0 9543197 0 2, 164 pages, Published by Published by the author, in 2002, The story of boating in the 1950s and the fight to keep the canals open.. Order now from .
• The Seven Canals of Derbyshire by Edward Garner, ISBN: 1 84306 072 8, 160 pages, Published by Landmark Publishing, in 2004, Covers the Cromford, Derby, Erewash and Nutbrook canals and the sections of the Chesterfield, Peak Forest and Trent & Mersey Canals that come within the county.. Order now from .
• Narrow Boat to the Cheshire Ring by Margaret & Ted Hill, ISBN: 978-0-9553568-9-6, 172 pages, Published by Published by the author, in 2007, This book is a personal account of ten years involvement with inland waterways in the 1960s..

Related photographs

• Peak Forest Canal: Ridge End Bridge No 21
• Peak Forest Canal: Marple Aqueduct Boat crossing aqueduct
• Peak Forest Canal: Marple Aqueduct Boat leaving aqueduct
• Peak Forest Canal: Dukinfield Junction Trip boat at junction

Related External Web Sites

• Narrow Boat to the Cheshire Ring A book about canal cruising and campaiganing in the 1960s.
• Marple - Unofficial Website Marple on the Peak Forest Canal
• Top Lock Training RYA boat training courses.
• Navigation Inn - Buxworth Canal Basin Information about the services offered and the historic locality.
• The Inland Waterways Protection Society Ltd The Society, formed in 1958, campaigns for the Inland Waterways of Great Britain. The Society has a long lease of Bugsworth Canal Basin.
• Pennine Waterways Peak Forest, Ashton, Rochdale, Leeds & Liverpool, Huddersfield and other canals in the area.
• Acorn Engineering Founded in 1986 as a narrowboat electrical systems supplier and manufacturer of the Kestrel alternator controller, they have now taken over at Warble Wharf whre they operate chandlery and offer Gas, Diesel, Pump Outs and water for passing boaters.

Related Cruising Logs

• 4th August 1995
• 2nd September 1998
• 31st May 2001
• 1st June 2001
• 22nd June 2003
• 4th August 2004
• 4th July 2008

Other Related Pages

• Cruising Times

Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions: Length 70 foot, beam 7 foot. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page

Peak Forest Canal: Table of distances			Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
Dukinfield Junction	Junction with Ashton Canal Ashton Canal junction		0	0	N	SJ934984	109
Dukinfield Bridge No 2	B6169 road bridge and the Globe Pub		1	0	N	SJ933971	109
Hyde Bridge No 6	A57 road bridge, south of M67 bridge		2.3	0	N	SJ943951	109
Apethorne Bridge No 8			3.3	0	N	SJ941936	109
Woodley Tunnel (south end)			4.6	0	N	SJ935920	109
Leach Bridge No 13			4.9	0	N	SJ935916	109
Hatherlow Aqueduct	Over road		5.6	0	N	SJ936904	109
Hyde Bank Tunnel (North-west End) No 15			6.4	0	N	SJ946904	109
Marple Aqueduct	Over the River Goyt		6.9	0	N	SJ955900	109
Marple Bottom Lock No 1	Marple flight lock Nos 1 to 16		7.1	1	N	SJ959899	109
Marple Top Lock No 16	Junction with Macclesfield Canal Macclesfield Canal junction		8.1	16	N	SJ961884	109
Ridge End Bridge No 21	Rawton Walls Bridge		9.3	16	N	SJ965869	109
Dryhurst Bridge No 26	Disley village half a mile south west		11	16	N	SJ980849	109
Bank End Bridge No 29			12.1	16	N	SK000845	109
Furness Bridge No 31			13	16	N	SK008836	110
Greensdeep Bridge No 33			13.6	16	N	SK011828	110
Whaley Bridge Branch junction	Junction with Whalley Bridge Branch Branch is 0.5 mile long		14.1	16	N	SK013823	110
River Goyt Aqueduct			14.3	16	N	SK015823	110
Buxworth	Termination of the canal		14.9	16	N	SK020820	110

NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.

 

Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.