The Cheshire Ring is a magnificent route that takes you North from Preston Brook through beautiful pastoral country for 20 lock free miles along the wide Bridgewater canal.

Passing by the outskirts of Warrington the canal reaches the charming town of Lymm and at Watersmeet you turn right to Castlefield basin in the heart of Manchester. From here you can spend an afternoon visiting the Science Museum, Old Trafford and the surrounding bars and shops. After Castlefield you join the Rochdale canal with its Dickensian atmosphere.

Nine Rochdale locks take you to Dulcie St junction; a right turn here takes you onto the Aston Canal where 18 locks lift you 166ft to Portland basin and the Peak Forest canal where you cross the 100ft high Marple aqueduct, over the river Goyt.

The 16 locks approaching Marple lift the canal up 208ft to the junction with the Macclesfield canal and here a detour can be made to Whaley Bridge and the complex of old wharfs at Bugsworth Basin.

For 14 miles the Macclesfield canal is lock free taking you along the edge of the Peak district National park to the silk town of Macclesfield, with its picturesque mediaeval market place and church. There are fine views of the hills to the left and the Cheshire plain on your right.

A set of magnificent locks at Bosley lowers the canal 110ft and you wend your way past the two superb National Trust properties of Little Morton Hall and Mow Cop, to the junction with the Trent & Mersey canal at Kidsgrove.

Turning North on the Trent & Mersey you go down the Cheshire locks (as the old boatmen called them) to the Roman town of Middlewich and along the Weaver valley past the Anderton boat lift back to Preston Brook.

The round trip takes about 47 hours cruising time. A detour at Marple to visit Whaley Bridge & Bugsworth basin adds a further 4 to 5 hours.

We advise our customers to cruise the Cheshire Ring in this clockwise way so that they tackle the heavily locked sections first this means that if there are any delays, there is time to catch up.