Marple Locks & Aqueduct

Marple is a charming busy waterside community formed around the junction of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals. Just west of the junction is the descent through the 16 Marple Locks, one of the steepest flights in Britan.

Due to a cash crisis, they were not be built until four years after the rest of the Peak Forest Canal was completed. During the four intervening years, goods had to be transhipped and moved up and down the hill with a tramway.

Marple Aqueduct, which lies just beyond Marple Bottom Lock, is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. In a terrific setting, this three-arch structure was built by Benjamin Outram to cross the River Goyt. It is now accompanied by a parallel railway viaduct.

There are several good pubs in Marple: the Pineapple Inn and Ring O'Bells near Bridge 2, and the Navigation Hotel by Lock 13.

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