Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.

Macclesfield Canal

Description: Runs from Marple Junction with the Peak Forrest Canal to Hall Green, on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

History: Promoted by an Act of 1826. Opened in 1831.
For more details see the History page.

Points of Interest: It runs on a high contour, the summit at 521 feet, and has fine views.

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

Navigation Authority: MD's Office: Northern Waterways, General Manager: Wales & Border Counties Waterways, Navigation Road, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 1BH: Telephone 01606 723800 : Fax 01606 871471 :

Marple Junction

Related Articles

• Back on the Straight and Narrow
• Peak Cruising
• The Cheshire Ring

Related Books

• 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 .
• The Canals of the West Midlands (2nd Ed) by Charles Hadfield, 352 pages, Published by Augustus M Kelley, in 1969,
• 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

• Macclesfield Canal: Leek New Road Bridge No 45
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1 Bridge 56
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1
• Macclesfield Canal: Buxton Road Bridge No 37 Macclesfield Basin
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1 Macclesfield Canal
• Macclesfield Canal: Marple Junction
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1 Milepost
• Macclesfield Canal: Bosley Top Lock No 1

Related External Web Sites

• Anglo Welsh A large narrowboat hire company with a good choice of bases and boats.
• Sherborne Wharf Based in Birmingham city centre Heritage Narrow Boats offer hire boats from here and from Scholar Green on the Maccelesfield Canal.
• Narrow Boat to the Cheshire Ring A book about canal cruising and campaiganing in the 1960s.
• Braidbar Boats A small family run business, building just 6-8 luxury boats each year. Claim flexibility regarding steelwork and interior craftsmanship.
• Top Lock Training RYA boat training courses.
• North Cheshire Cruising Club Based on the High Lane Arm of the Macclesfield Canal
• The Macclesfield Canal Society
• Pennine Waterways Peak Forest, Ashton, Rochdale, Leeds & Liverpool, Huddersfield and other canals in the area.
• The Trading post Situated on the Macclesfield Canal the Tradingpost is open 7 days a week. Selling everything from generators to tea, coffee and ices.
• Macclesfield Canal Centre Marina, boat sales and services.

Related Cruising Logs

• 1st August 1995
• 5th September 1998
• 3rd June 2001
• 25th June 2003
• 5th August 2004
• 1st 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

Macclesfield Canal: Table of distances			Miles	Locks	Navigable (N)	Grid ref	OS Map No
Marple Junction	Junction with Peak Forest Canal Peak Forrest Canal junction		0	0	N	SJ961884	109
Windlehurst Bridge No 9	Back Lane Bridge		1.8	0	N	SJ953860	109
Junction with High Lane Branch			2.3	0	N	SJ950852	109
Aqueduct over railway			2.6	0	N	SJ951846	109
Bullock's Girder Bridge No 13			2.9	0	N	SJ951843	109
Red Acre Aqueduct	Mitchell's Bridge No 17		4.5	0	N	SJ945820	109
Hibberts Brow Bridge No 21			6.1	0	N	SJ929801	109
Whiteley Green Bridge No 25			7	0	N	SJ927788	118
Bollington Aqueduct	Kerridge Bridge No 27		7.8	0	N	SJ934779	118
Clark's Change Bridge No 29	Clarke Lane Bridge		8.9	0	N	SJ929764	118
Chapel-en-le-Frith Road Bridge No 34	A5002 road bridge		10.3	0	N	SJ930744	118
Buxton Road Bridge No 37	Macclesfield, A537 road bridge		10.9	0	N	SJ925735	118
Holland's Bridge No 39	Macclesfield		11.3	0	N	SJ925730	118
Sutton Aqueduct			12.3	0	N	SJ925717	118
Leek New Road Bridge No 45	A523 road bridge		12.8	0	N	SJ916711	118
Royal Oak Swing Bridge No 49	Fools Nook Inn		14.3	0	N	SJ916694	118
Crow Holt Bridge No 52			15.5	0	N	SJ907680	118
Bosley Top Lock No 1	Locks 2 to 10 follow		16.1	1	N	SJ905670	118
Bosley Bottom Lock No 12	Preceded by locks 2 to 11		17.1	12	N	SJ907654	118
River Dane Aqueduct			17.4	12	N	SJ906652	118
Congleton Bridge No 61	A54 road bridge		18.4	12	N	SJ890651	118
Pearson Bridge No 64			19	12	N	SJ881649	118
Buxton Road Bridge No 68	A54 road bridge		19.9	12	N	SJ877638	118
Railway Bridge (Main line to Macclesfield)			20.4	12	N	SJ880631	118
Biddulph Valley Aqueduct	Over former railway line		20.9	12	N	SJ880626	118
Park Lane Bridge No 75	A527 road bridge		21.5	12	N	SJ872622	118
Congleton Wharf	Wharf Inn		21.9	12	N	SJ865621	118
Watery Lane Aqueduct			23.4	12	N	SJ853602	118
Simpson Bridge No 85			24	12	N	SJ846589	118
Kent Green Bridge No 87			25.1	12	N	SJ839575	118
Hall Green Stop Lock No 13	Junction with Hall Green Branch - Trent and Mersey Canal Trent and Mersey Canal junction		26.1	13	N	SJ833561	118

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.