The Macclesfield Canal

Spectacular Pennine views, ‘snake’ bridges, Victorian mills and country pubs.

The beautiful tree-lined Macclesfield Canal was one of the last narrow canals to be built, and the first to be awarded Green Flag status.

It runs for 28 miles from its junction with the Peak Forest Canal at Marple in Cheshire, to the Trent & Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove in Staffordshire.

Passing mostly through green and rural surroundings, the canal follows the natural contours of the land.  It passes along the side of the most westerly Pennine hills through High Lane, Higher Poynton, Bollington, Macclesfield and Congleton.

Approved by an Act of Parliament in 1826, the Macclesfield Canal was designed to provide a direct link between Manchester, the Potteries and the Midlands, reducing journey times.  It also served cotton mills, quarries and coal mines around Macclesfield, Congleton and the Peak District.

The coming of the railways soon outcompeted the canal, but it was still used for some freight carriage until the 1960s.  As a local cruising club had already been using the waterway for many years, its leisure potential was already established, so it remained navigable.

With its spectacular views over the Cheshire Plain, the Macclesfield Canal is one of the highest in the country.  And is perhaps the most beautiful section of the Cheshire Ring.  With just one flight of locks at Bosley, the Macclesfield Canal enjoys miles of lock-free cruising either side.

Narrowboat holiday-makers can enjoy seeing the historic structures that line its route, including Victorian mills and warehouses.  They can also look out for the canal’s original stone milestones and six ‘snake’ bridges, where the towpath changes sides of the canal, allowing horses to move over without having to be untied from the boat.