There are
actually 2 Peak Forest Canals - the Upper, which terminates at
Whaley Bridge, and the Lower which joins the Ashton Canal at Portland
Basin.
The first
section of the canal, from Bugsworth Basin to Ashton-under-Lyne
was opened in 1800, primarily for the transportation of quarried
limestone from the Derbyshire Hills.
It was engineered
by Benjamin Outram, whose masterpiece is the Marple Aqueduct,
just below the Marple Flight of 16 Locks, which carries the canal
150 feet above the River Goyt below. Alongside is an even higher
Railway Viaduct.
Marple locks
lower the canal 200 feet down into the most beautifully wooded
and secluded countryside. It continues through Hyde Bank Tunnel,
and the remains of Rose Hill Tunnel (the later now opened into
a deep cutting and on through Romily and Hyde to Portland Basin,
where there is a Heritage Centre and a Canal base with old working
boats permanently moored, many still inhabited by residential
boaters.
In the other
direction from Marple, the Upper Peak Canal weaves around clutching
onto hillsides as it follows the course of the River Goyt to Disley,
New Mills, Furness Vale and Whaley Bridge where it once connected
to the celebrated Cromford and High Peak Railway. It has two working
hydraulic lift bridges and two manual swing bridges. The journey
of about 2 hours offers startling panoramic views of the peak
district, with Kinder Scout being visible around New Mills.
At the approach
to Whaley Bridge is the long-disused arm of the Bugsworth Basin,
the raison d'être of the canal. Bugsworth is a major industrial
complex, abandoned in the 1920s, and in the protracted process
of full restoration by volunteer workers. The basin is nevertheless
well worth a visit for its great interest as an industrial heritage
site of considerable complexity and natural beauty. The site covers
many acres, and is designated as an Ancient Monument of historical
importance.
