Guide to Cruising the Macclesfield and Upper Peak Forest canals on Charter Hotelboat Willow

Macclesfield & Upper Peak Forest canals:(Adjacent canals can be viewed with the above links)
The Macclesfield (Mac for short) heads East from the Trent and Mersey at Kidsgrove. It does so by initially turning west and travelling alongside the T&M for a distance at the same level. Meanwhile the adjacent T&M starts it's descent down the Cheshire locks. The Mac is then able to head east crossing over the top of (the now lower level) T&M, on an aqueduct - an interesting feature.

The Mac was one of the later canals to be built and designed to carry limestone quarried in the Peak District area down onto the main canal transport system. It was built quickly and very much to a budget. Although very pretty in parts, it suffered in the past from shallow edges which made overnight mooring a bit problematical. Happily some dredging work has been done in recent years, and we find we can now get 'Willow' into the side at some attractive mooring spots. Following the design of more recently built canals all the locks (apart from a stop lock at Hall Green) are concentrated in one very interesting flight of twelve at Bosley, NE of Congleton.


Visitor Moorings on the 'Mac' near Kidsgrove, looking east from the aqueduct over the top of the T&M.	At Hall Green stop lock the 'Mac' originally met the T&M, each canal owned by a different company. Such was the distrust that each firm had their own stop lock each with their own lock keeper - requiring two houses.	Ramsdell Hall, viewed from Willow as we pass the bottom of their 'garden'.	Little Moreton Hall - a short walk from moorings at Bridge 86. One of the canal guides mentions an access problem - we have found no problems and guests describe it as 'stunning' and well worth a visit.

For much of its length the Mac alternates by running through cuttings then over embankments. Often (shelf-like) along the sides of valleys, overlooking towns with panoramic views of the edge of the Peak District and it’s impressive and picturesque railway viaducts. In days gone by there were swing bridges every hundred yards or so - which must have been 'a total bind'. Almost all of these swing bridges have now been removed (or chained back in the open position), some replaced by overhead foot bridges. Largely rural, it is a delightful canal for almost all of it's length.


Just a typical 'Mac' cutting.	Again, just typical 'Mac-scape'.	View from the canal aqueduct near Congleton, looking across to the railway viaduct.	Distinctive stone block lock walls of the Bosley Flight.

At Marple there is a canal ‘T’junction. If we were to turn left (north) we would descend the undoubtedly attractive Marple Flight of locks and then on towards the suburbs of Manchester. BUT, sadly as it nears Manchester's outskirts, the route has a very poor record of disruption and vandalism from local youths - a potential unpleasantness and risk we are not prepared to take whilst carrying guests on holiday. So we don't turn left - but we do turn right onto the charming Upper Peak Forest Canal. The Upper Peak Forest canal takes us SE from Marple to Whaley Bridge (and the recently renovated Bugsworth Basin). It is only a relatively short journey from Marple to the terminus (approx 3 hours each way) - but must not be missed. So much so that I'll let the extra photos, below, best describe this charming waterway.


Looking down the 'Mac' from it's junction with the Upper Peak at Marple.	Another view of the same junction at Marple.	A typical view on the Upper Peak, with the 'uphill' side always to the west	So we know that this is a typical uphill view to the west.


These photos are all just typical views of the Upper peak - uphill views to the west and views to the east looking down into the Goyt valley (the River Goyt is actually the start of the better known River Mersey).


The Goyt valley viewed from the Upper Peak canal is so stunning, here's a couple more photos.		Bugsworth Basin is a newly restored historical complex of wharves and canal 'arms' that shouldn't be missed - in the 21st century it makes an intriguing overnight mooring.	The terminus basin at Whaley Bridge.

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