Narrowboat Along the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canal

Our canal boat holiday started on the MacclesfieldPeak Forest Canal at Marple, through Strines,
canal at Congleton, which has some interestingDisley, New Mills, Furness Vale and Bridgemont to
pubs and shops. We hired our 44 foot 4 berthterminate at Bugsworth Basin.
narrowboat from Heritage Narrow boats, it was aThe village at Bugsworth Basin was renamed in
modern well appointed canal boat with centralthe 1920s and known as Buxworth, because the
heating, tv, radio/cd etc. as well as all bed linenpeople there did not like the name bugs. As we
and duvets.stop occasionally, we are attracted by the
The plan was to travel along the canal to thenumerous walks that are on offer. The
Peak Forest Canal end basin at Bugsworth. ThisMiddlewood Way and the Mop Cop Trail, lead to a
was a very scenic journey surrounded by fieldsrange of follies and monuments built during the
and trees for as far as you can see. Theindustrial revolution, no doubt by wealthy mill
Macclesfield canal starts fairly high up but thenowners.
continues to rise, through locks to the edges ofThe canal was designed by the great Scottish
the Pennines - a long ridge of hills down the spinebridge and canal architect, Robert Telford, and he
of England.clearly grouped the locks into an arrangement
As you look around there is a mixture of wildlifewhereby the narrowboatmen could as one lock is
across the county of Cheshire with somebeing used the other can be prepared. He
industrial buildings scattered along the canal. Alsocollected all Macclesfield's locks into one flight and
of interest is the junction with the Trent andmaintained a long level on each side of them by
Mersey at Hardings Wood, passing the Victorianbold cut and fill techniques, which gives eight
folly of Mow Cop and timber framed Littleaqueducts, high embankments and cuttings, all
Moreton Hall, climbing the beautiful locks at Bosleyproviding a wonderful sight.
and negotiating the interesting junction with the