canalboat.co.uk Canal Boat November 2017 49
T
here’s a sharp contrast
between the two ends of the
Peak Forest Canal. At the north
end, Dukinfield Junction is set
in formerly industrial surroundings on
the edge of the Manchester conurbation,
with the Ashton Canal beginning its
descent into the city centre.
Meanwhile at the south end, the two
branches of the Peak Forest both end at
terminal basins on the fringes of the
Peak District, with old horse-tramways
leading off into the hills.
But we aren’t going to start at any of
these points: instead, we’ll begin our
journey near the mid-point of the 14-mile
canal, at Marple Junction. Why? Firstly
because that’s where we ended our guide
to the Macclesfield Canal last month;
secondly because it’s where many
boaters will arrive on the Peak Forest,
especially if they’re exploring the
Cheshire Ring.
Although it’s possible to cruise the
Ring’s 97 miles and 92 locks in a week,
allowing yourself a little longer means
that you can explore the neighbouring
waterways – in which case the Upper
Peak Forest heading south-eastwards
from Marple is one not to be missed.
So we’ll begin our cruise by emerging
from the last of the Macclesfield’s famous
‘snake’ towpath turnover bridges and
turn sharp right.
Leaving Marple Top Lock the canal
soon leaves Marple behind and heads
out into the countryside, following a
contour high on the side of the Goyt
Valley, some 250ft above the river. It isn’t
long before the canal passes the first of a
series of opening bridges, something of a
Peak Forest feature.
Originally they were swingbridges, but
a couple were converted to liftbridges in
recent decades. A second liftbridge
follows shortly, followed by one that has
remained a swingbridge. You will need
some combination of a lock windlass, the
CRT ‘Watermate’ sanitary station key,
and the T-handle anti-vandal key (also
known as a handcuff key) to operatethese bridges – best to take all three
with you...
The canal continues to wind along the
attractive valley side, accompanied now
by a railway line not far away – in fact, for
a mile or so the complex history of
railway companies has left us with no
fewer than three parallel railways
running through the Goyt Valley, all still
in use by passenger trains.
New Mills is, as you might expect, a
mill town – and a fine stone mill building
stands alongside the canal. The town
centre, with useful shops, is on the far
side of the valley but easily accessed
from Bridge 28, where there is also
a boatyard.
The River Goyt, which was way below
us at Marple, is now approaching the
same level as the canal as it nears its
southern terminus, passing through
Furness Vale (with another boatyard) to
reach a junction. Continuing straight
ahead, the canal enters Whaley Bridge, a
stone-built town on the edge of the Peak
District and surrounded by hills.
A stone warehouse built over the very
end of the canal enabled cargoes to be
transhipped to railway wagons for the
journey along the former Cromford &
High Peak Railway.
This early horse tramway, opened in
1831 to link the Peak Forest and
Cromford canals, was built more like a
canal than a conventional railway, with a
winding route which followed the
contours, and rope-worked inclines to
carry it up and over the high ground of
the Peak District. Today, the first length
at Whaley Bridge and longer sections
further south can be walked.
Returning to the junction, don’t miss a
trip to the canal’s other southern
terminus at Bugsworth (or Buxworth as
the village is known these days). This
basin complex (see inset) connected the
canal to another horse tramway, which
linked it to the limestone quarries of the
Peak Forest area of the Peak District
(hence the canal’s name) and provided it
with its most important cargo.MARPLE
2 MILES / NO LOCKS 3 4 MILES / NO LOCKSPassing the mills of New MillsNEW MILLS
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