Canal Holidays Guide to the Cheshire Ring
 Travelling
through five counties, the Cheshire Ring contrasts the highest
waterways in England on the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals
with the cityscape of Manchester and its historic canal engineering.
Distance,
Time, and Locks
97 miles, about 55 hours cruising, 93
locks
Usually covered in a week, the Ring includes some energetic sections.
Out-and-back trips and short breaks are available from all bases.
A licence (about £30)
is required for a section through central Manchester.
 Cruising
the Ring
From
our bases in the Middlewich area pass the Anderton Boat Lift, cruise
along the hillside above the River Weaver and onto the Bridgewater
canal. The first British canal, it is wide, deep and lock-free
for the run to Manchester.
A
mooring at Castlefields will allow you to explore the city, its
shops, museums and art galleries.
 The
following canalside environment under and through inner-city
Manchester is not to everyone’s taste, and is often tackled early
in the day.
Leave
Manchester behind, climbing the Ashton canal to its highest
point at Marple with its picturesque flight of locks and character
cottages. Join the Macclesfield Canal for a scenic 26 mile
lock-free section skirting the edge of the Peak District through
small stone built towns.
 The
12 Bosley locks then lower the canal 118 feet to the Cheshire
Plains.
In
the distance can be seen the half-timbered Little Moreton Hall
before the canal joins the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove.
Travel down the locks of ‘Heartbreak Hill’ to reach Middlewich
and its old salt mines.
View Map
Boaters Comments
Buy
the Pearson's Canal
Companion to the Cheshire Ring
|
