Macclesfield Canal

The Macclesfield Canal passes through mostly green and rural surroundings, with Victorian mills and warehouses along the way adding a distinctive character.

The Macclesfield Canal runs from Marple in Cheshire to Hall Green, near the northern end of Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent & Mersey Canal - a distance of 26 miles. The additional 1.5 miles of the Hall Green Branch that connects the two was built by the Trent & Mersey company, but is also now considered to be part of the Macclesfield.

Boating the Macclesfield Canal

All you need to know about boating the Macclesfield Canal

Things to do on the Macclesfield Canal

For boaters, it forms part of the Cheshire cruising ring. It is a tree-lined canal that follows the natural curves of the land, with only one lock flight on it.

For walkers, the towpath on the Macclesfield Canal is a lovely place for a gentle stroll. If you are looking for a more ambitious hike, the Cheshire Ring Canal Walk follows the cruising ring – an impressive 97 miles in total.

Child skips along the towpath while an adult reads a sign on the Macclesfield Canal at Bollington

Walk from Bollington to Whiteley Green

Enjoy this 1.6mile (return) walk along the canal

Bosley Lock Flight Walk

Enjoy this 2mile saunter along the Bosley Lock Flight

Wide shot of a towpath in an industrial area with flowers growing on the wall

Boat the Cheshire Ring

Starting at Preston Brook Tunnel, it follows to Castlefield and takes in the Rochdale, Ashton, Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canal before returning via the Trent & Mersey

Fishing in Macclesfield

Find out which fisheries are close to Macclesfield Canal

Places to visit near the Macclesfield Canal

Back in 2015, the Macclesfield Canal was awarded a prestigious Green Flag in Keep Britain Tidy's Award Scheme, the first canal in the country to achieve this.

This puts the canal alongside the best parks and other public spaces in the country, and is a huge testament to all the hard work done by volunteers and Canal & River Trust colleagues.

Bollington Discovery Centre tells the story of the industrial history of the area.

History of the Macclesfield Canal

Read more about the history of the Macclesfield Canal and how it's waters were still being used for freight right up to the 1960s

Where does the water come from?
The twelve locks at Sosley lie at the centre of the Macclesfield Canal. The water here comes from reservoirs on the edge of the Peak District. Bosley Reservoir feeds in just above the locks, and Sutton reservoir 2 miles further north. The water above·these locks forms a continuous pound with the Peak Forest Canal, fed by Combs and Toddbrook reservoirs.
And where does the water go? The Macclesfield Canal is an important source of water for the Trent & Mersey Canal, so sometimes water will be run down past the locks when it is needed further away.