Macclesfield Canal - Macclesfield to Kidsgrove (★★★★★)

Today is my second of two days spent doing some winter walking along the Macclesfield Canal, which is a 26 mile canal that runs between Marple and Kidgrove. On the previous day I had walked from Marple to Macclesfield, and today I would be walking from Macclesfield to Kidsgrove.

Although it is not the earliest start, as I head out it is still dark in the morning at this time of year - heading through Macclesfield, and it remains fairly dark as I join the canal - but despite this the canal is already busy with a mix of older and younger folk out and about along the canal.

Here we have ahead of us a reasonably busy run through town - and it is mostly those in their 20s or 30s that we encounter, as they seek to get in a morning jog, before starting their day's work.

Time to swap banks

Looking back from the other side

Soon we break free of Macclesfield - and as we pass by Sutton Lane Ends (on the edge of Macclesfield), there is already a nice feel to the countryside - which bodes well for the walk ahead.

Passing Sutton Lane Ends

After passing Sutton Lane Ends, the canal takes on a rare bend from it's typically fairly straight course - heading west to meet up with the railway (as it heads down from Macclesfield), before bending east again - as it seeks to follow the contours of the land.

And here we already find a lot less boats out and about compared to the previous days of walking.

Bending back to the east again

In addition, we have by this point found ourselves in a very rural setting - and it is exceptionally quiet along the tow path, other than the odd jogger who has ventured slightly further out from Macclesfield - and before long we are walking the canal on our own.

But there is no need to feel too lonely along this stretch of the canal, for we soon get some company in the form of the A523 - and the two of us head through a tight gap in the hills, with our path now passing close to the edge of the Peak District.

And although the road is perhaps not the most ideal companion, in compensation the looming hills can just about be seen above the trees - before we start to bend westerwards, and start to move away from these hills.

A clearer view towards the hills from here

These hills now serve as a backdrop, as we head on towards one of the more notable features of the Macclesfield Canal - the Bosley flight of Locks.

This series of twelve locks drop down around a hundred feet, with about a mile between the first and last long on this flight.

Here we also have the welcome addition of The Cloud (or Bosley Cloud), which is a prominent hill that on this particular day is quite aptly covered in clouds.

Reaching lock number 2 (and looking towards The Cloud)

Pond beneath lock 2

Lock number 4

View across a side pond towards The Cloud (more on those below)

Lock number 10... nearly there now!

Lock number 11... just one left now!

On the way down we pass a number of side ponds, which were built into the locks to aid water flow. The way these work is that some of the water drained out from a full lock would be diverted into this side pond (rather than running down the canal), and then this side pond would be used to refill the lock (rather than just filling from up the canal).

These sideponds are no longer in use (although perhaps they should be given the water level issues at times on the canal?), but would reduce the water flowing down the canal at these locks - maintaining water in the upper reach of the canal.

But after an exhausting time just spent walking down this flight of locks (let along going up them or having to navigate through them), we pass the eleventh lock - and pass under the former route of the Churnet Valley railway line.

This particular railway opened in 1849 - and ran from Macclesfield to Derby via Leek, Cheadle, Rocester and Uttoxeter. The idea of this line was that this would be a more direct route between Manchester and London - and indeed you will notice that it is a more direct route than many of the remaining lines.

Although Alton Towers was a popular stop along the line in the 1900s as that took off as a destination, by 1970 the first part of the line closed, and it had entirely closed by 1988. These days part of the railway has re-opened with a stream tourist line up Rudyard Reservoir, but the majority remains disused.

But today the bridge that carried this railway line remains, and after passing under this bridge, we quickly pass the twelfth lock along the Bosley Locks flight - with no more locks lying ahead until we meet up with the Trent & Mersey Canal, near Kidsgrove.

The final lock of Bosley Locks flight

From here we head on through some very pretty countryside, and this stretch is probably one of the best sections of canal I have walked - with an additional bonus in the form of views out towards North Rode Viaduct.

North Rode Viaduct in the distance

Opening of the viaduct in 1899

This is an impressive viaduct, but although we turn eastwards to head under the railway south of this viaduct, we do not pass under the more impressive stretch as it heads over the River Dane. 

There is a path that heads out (through Crossley Stud Farm) that does pass under the southern end of the viaduct - so that may be well worth a diversion, but note that this does add a short stretch of road walking to rejoin the canal (although that stretch doesn't look too problematic if you are sensible).

But in either case, we soon head under the railway, and continue on through peaceful countryside - as we start to close in on Congleton.

Heading towards Congleton

On the edge of Congleton now

On the edge of Congleton we pass by the Canal & River Trust team, out doing some riverbank maintenance (they do a great job of maintaining the banks) - and then the canal heads on through Congleton itself.

But although our destination lies on the far side of Congleton, the route of the canal bends around the edge of town - but although we don't get much sight of the town itself, we do bump into a lot of the town's people - who are out in numbers today, and a friendly bunch to boot.

This makes for a very pleasant passage past Congleton, and again we head over a large embankment as we pass by Congleton, and pass by it's train station - with the run from Macclesfield to Congleton offering up a shorter option for those not wanting to walk quite as far as we are today.

And indeed for those looking for some enjoyable walking that is not too taxing, this section so far on it's own, or a series of three shorter walks along the canal, offer up a really easy way to enjoy this landscape.

But here we continue on, and start to head beyond Congleton - and from here the canal starts to head pretty much in a straight line down towards the Trent & Mersey canal.

Heading out of Congleton

Although we find ourselves following a very straight route (which on paper looks slightly dull and uninteresting), this is a lovely stretch of countryside - and here the canal feels more like a rural river than a manufacturer canal - with lovely views out to the countryside on either side.

Continuing to head south

Some of the hills to the side (sorry about the light, it is a low sun)

As we close in on the final two miles along the canal we pass Ramsdell Hall - and here the route of the canal was originally set to divert to extend around the hall, but the agreement was renegotiated so that the route could run directly in front of the hall.

As a concession ornamental railings were put in along the canal, to give the hall the best possible view out over the countryside - and the result is rather lovely (and has been rather lovingly restored in recent years).

The view out opposite Ramsdell Hall

Not only does this add a certain attractiveness to this stretch of the canal, but it has also saved us a mile and a half of additional walking compared to the originally planned route of the canal, which we will happily take.

From here we head on past Scholar Green, and then meet up with the Trent & Mersey Canal - which has come down from Runcorn, and which runs for nearly a hundred miles in total, to meet up with the River Trent near Derby.

That particular canal is a much older canal, having opened in 1777 - and was built in combination with the Staffordshire and Worcester, Oxford and Coventry canals as part of the Grand Cross, which was intended to join up the Mersey, Severn, Trent and Thames rivers.

The end of the Macclesfield Canal

The Trent & Mersey Canal

Here our walking on the Macclesfield Canal is done, and we now turn left onto the Trent & Mersey Canal - which we follow round to Kidsgrove and the end of this walk.

Overall the Macclesfield Canal has been my favorite canal end to end so far - it really doesn't have any bad sections, and it is a canal that seems well loved by those that live nearby.

It takes a very rural route, with enough interest from the hills on the edge of the Peak District - and the stretch between Macclesfield and Congleton is marvelous. So much so that I'm tempted to come back and see it in summer months in all it's glory.

Previously I hadn't really considered canals for these sorts of walks, and had alway focused more on hills, but by this point I'm just excited to explore my next canal.

Total Distance: 18.2 miles (16.8 miles on the Macclesfield Canal, 0.6 miles on the Trent & Mersey)

Total Ascent: 820 feet (686 feet on the Macclefield Canal, 26 feet on the Trent & Mersey)

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 118 OS Landranger map (links redirect to Amazon). The route never deviates from the canal so is very easy to follow.