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Metal plaque with bridge and bargeCheshire Ring Canal Walk

158 km / 98 miles

Cheshire Ring Canal Walk
Cheshire, Gtr Man, Staffs
A route following the towpaths along six historic canals of various ages and character, this Walk offers the solitude of quiet countryside, the hustle and bustle of city streets and views of the Cheshire Plain and Peak District hills. The canals are, anticlockwise from Macclesfield, Macclesfield Canal to Marple; Peak Forest, Ashton and Rochdale Canals into Manchester to join the Bridgewater Canal at Castlefield to follow it to Preston Brook; Trent & Mersey Canal to Hardings Wood Junction near Kidsgrove; Macclesfield Canal back to the start.

Opened on 17th July 1761, the Bridgewater Canal was the first in Britain to be built without following an existing watercourse and began a revolution in transport in the canal era lasting for about 70 years. Francis Egerton, third Duke of Bridgewater, built the Canal to transport coal from his mines at Worsley to the industrial areas of Manchester and it was known as the “Dukes Cut”.

The waymarked Middlewood Way (11 miles and on OS mapping) offers a mostly level and traffic-free route for walkers, cyclists and horseriders on the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway between historic mill towns, running parallel with the Macclesfield Canal, providing easy circular walk options.

Connected Paths:

Linked Paths: Altrincham Circular; Bollin Valley Way; Bridgewater Way; Cown Edge Way; Dane Valley Way; Goyt Way; Great English Walk; Irwell Sculpture Trail; Macclesfield & Peak Forest Canals; Medlock Valley Way; Mersey Valley Timberland Trail; Middlewich Challenge Walk; Middlewood Way; Midshires Way; Millennium Walk - Stockport (Beating the Bounds); Salt & Sails Trail; Salter's Way; South Cheshire Way; South Pennine Ring; Stockport Circular Walk; Tameside Trail; Trans Pennine Trail
Click to show 19 more Linked Paths

Details:

Waymark: Metal plaque with bridge and barge Waymark: Metal plaque with bridge and barge
Attributes: Easy; Canal; Heritage; Industrial History
Start and Finish:
SJ962884 - Marple, Gtr Man
View on MultiMap
Web Sites: Manchester Ship Canal Company - Map
  Macclesfield - Middlewood Way

Maps:

The map to the right is from the Ordnance Survey. You can use the interactive controls to zoom in and out and to move around the map, or click on a marker for more info. (interactive map help)

Show Connected Paths
Linked Paths

Show Group Accommodation
Hostel Accommodation

 
Ordnance Survey Maps (path is named on OS maps):
OS Landranger: 108, 109, 117, 118
OS Explorer: 1, 24, 257, 258, 267, 268, 275, 276, 277
OS Explorer Active: 1, 24, 257, 258, 267, 268, 275, 276, 277
Other Paper Maps:
Map (Other): Cheshire Ring (GEOprojects - 2008)

Route Profile:

155.4 Km (96.6 miles)
1,148 m (3,766 ft) ascent
174 m (571 ft)  maximum height
Cheshire Ring Canal Walk - Route Profile
(click to enlarge)

Group Accommodation within 5 Km of this Path:

Hostel Accommodation: Manchester YHA, Potato Wharf, Castlefield, Manchester < 1 Km
Hostel Accommodation: Hatters Hostel Manchester < 1 Km
Hostel Accommodation: Hilton Chambers, Manchester 1 Km

Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Booklet: Walking the Cheshire Ring (John Merrill Foundation - 1990)
Booklet: Exploring the Cheshire Ring (British Waterways)
Paperback: John Merrill Challenge Walk Reference Book (John Merrill Foundation - 2009)
Leaflet: Middlewood Way (Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council - 2004)