Cheshire Ring

Photo Gallery

Select your starting point then follow the arrows

• Hardings Wood Junction
• Middlewich Junction
• Anderton Lift Upper Junction
• Preston Brook Junction
• Waters Meeting
• Castlefield Junction
• Ducie Street Junction
• Dukinfield Junction
• Marple Junction

Description of the Route

We'll describe a journey clockwise around the ring, starting at Hardings Wood Junction.

Trent & Mersey Canal
from Hardings Wood Junction to Middlewich Junction

The descent through the locks of Heartbreak Hill starts immediately, helped by the pairing of the first locks, that's two locks side by side, aiding the movement of boats and reducing queues.

After the second pair of locks we pass under the Poole Aqueduct that we'll return over later, we meet the first of the single (non-paired) locks where there's often a queue.

A total of Thirty one locks lower us to the Cheshire Plain to reach Middlewich Junction, grouped into flights wither longer pounds between the flights providing mooring opportunities to break your journey, and the work into manageable sections.

Trent & Mersey Canal
from Middlewich Junction to the Bridgewater Canal at Preston Brook

The descent continues, much more gently, with three more narrow locks, then the first broad lock.  A long, lock free section takes us past the Anderton Boat Lift providing a link to the River Weaver.

Three tunnels, including the Saltersford and Preston Brook Tunnels with timed entry systems, lead us to meet the Bridgewater Canal end-on at Preston Brook at the north end of Preston Brook Tunnel.

Bridgewater Canal
from the Trent & Mersey Canal at Preston Brook to Castlefield Junction (including Runcorn and the Leigh Branch)

The Bridgewater Canal is owned by the same company as the Manchester Ship Canal, and not by British Waterways, and boats need a separate licence unless visiting under the reciprocal arrangements for British Waterways licence holders.

The branch from Preston Brook Tunnel brings us to the junction at Preston Brook, where the main line continues to the left to Runcorn, where it once joined the River Mersey, and to the right where it passes through several attractive villages to reach Waters Meeting.

The Leigh Branch heads to the North West to reach the Leeds and Liverpool Canal's Leigh Branch at Leigh, after crossing the Manchester Ship Canal on the Barton Swing Aqueduct.  The main line finishes in Castlefield Basins in Manchester.

Rochdale Canal
from Castlefield Junction to Ducie Street Junction

The Rochdale Canal is the only canal to cross the Pennines without a summit tunnel and we''' start that climb with the first nine of the broad locks.  These take us through the centre of Manchester to reach Ducie Street Junction.

Ashton Canal
from Ducie Street Junction to Dukinfield Junction

The climb continues with the 18 narrow locks of the Ashton Canal which gradually lead us out of Manchester.  Towards the top of the flight are two swing bridges.

Peak Forest Canal
from Dukinfield Junction to Marple Junction

The change form urban to rural surroundings is very gradual as we pass under one lift bridge on a lock free journey until reaching Marple where 16 deep locks raise us to reach Marple Junction with the Macclesfield Canal.

Peak Forest Canal
from Marple Junction to Bugsworth Basin (including Whaley Bridge Branch)

The Upper Peak Forest Canal is said by some to be the most picturesque of all canals, and it's certainly amongst the best with great views appearing around many of the bends.  If time permits its the best of the diversions to include your cruise around the Cheshire Ring.

It's narrow and twisting making progress slower than might be expected, having two swing and two lift bridges.

The short Whaley Bridge Branch leads to a small basin with room to turn.  There's few, of any, mooring opportunities along the branch which is lined with permanent moorings.  The best mooring opportunities are at Bugsworth Basins with great views and lots of history to explore.

Macclesfield Canal
from Marple Junction to Hardings Wood Junction

The Macclesfield Canal provides the return link to Hardings Wood Junction.  The twelve locks are grouped into a single flight a Bosley.  Slightly unusually these have double gates at the top, as well as the bottom and, with no walkway across the top gates, this makes for a lot of extra walking for the crew.

A stop lock at Hall Green finally lowers us to the summit level of the Trent & Mersey Canal to complete our journey at Hardings Wood Junction.