Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals

We have had significant and sustained rainfall in the North West over the last couple of weeks which has improved our reservoir holdings sufficiently to ensure we have enough water for the remainder of the boating season.

We are pleased to advise, from Monday 27 July, we will remove the operating times and padlocks from the Marple and Bosley Lock Flights along the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals.

Until Monday 27 July, the Marple and Bosley Flights will continue to operate as follows:

Bosley Locks (1-12) on the Macclesfield Canal – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Only

• Open 9am.  Last passage at 1pm.  Flight locked up 4pm.

Marple Lock Flight (1-16) on the Peak Forest Canal – Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday Only

• Open 8am.  Last passage at 12pm.  Flight locked up 3pm

We would ask all boaters to help us manage our water efficiently by, where possible, ensuring all paddles are left down and locked.

Please note, we will continue to monitor the situation and will reintroduce operating times as necessary to conserve water.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

Please our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information.

Further to the update on Wednesday 17 June, the Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals will open to navigation from week commencing Monday 6 July, with operating times.  This will enable boat movement to resume and help with conservation of water resource. 

Please double check the operating times carefully as these vary according to location.

Passage through locks on the Peak Forest & Macclesfield Canals will be available as follows:

Bosley Locks (1-12) on the Macclesfield Canal – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Only

• Open 9am.  Last passage at 1pm.  Flight locked up 4pm.

Marple Lock Flight (1-16) on the Peak Forest Canal – Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday Only

• Open 8am.  Last passage at 12pm.  Flight locked up 3pm.

These operating times will remain under review and could be subject to change.

NB According to current Government guidelines, boaters are not presently allowed to remain on their boats overnight, unless they live aboard.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

For more information about navigation restrictions, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the Canal & River Trust website. https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/specialist-teams/managing-our-water/drought/water-management-faqs

Please be advised the Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals will re-open on Monday, 6 July.

More information, including operating details, will be provided Friday, 19 June.

Please be reminded passage is still available at the following times;

Bosley Lock Flight, Macclesfield Canal (Locks 1–12)

• Thursday 25 June
• Top Lock (No.1) open 8am.  Bottom Lock (No.12) open 8:30am.
• Last passage at 1pm.  Flight locked up 3:30pm.

Marple Lock Flight, Peak Forest Canal (Locks 1-16)

• Thursday 18 June and Tuesday 23 June
• Open 8am. Last passage at 1pm.  Flight locked up 4pm.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

The Canal & River Trust has arranged a special ‘window’ for boaters wishing to move their craft on the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals before the planned reopening of the two waterways in July.

Passage through Bosley Locks (Nos. 1-12) on the Macclesfield Canal will be available on Tuesday 16 and Thursday 25 June only.

Passage through Marple lock flight (Nos. 1-16) on the Peak Forest Canal will be available on Thursday 18 and Tuesday 23 June only.

Please double check opening times carefully as these vary according to location.

• Bosley Lock Flight, Macclesfield Canal  (Locks 1–12)
• Tuesday 16 June and Thursday 25 June
• Top Lock (No.1) open 8am.  Bottom Lock (No.12) open 8:30am. 
• Last passage at 1pm.  Flight locked up 3:30pm.

• Marple Lock Flight, Peak Forest Canal (Locks 1-16)
• Thursday 18 June and Tuesday 23 June
• Open 8am. Last passage at 1pm.  Flight locked up 4pm.

Locks on the canals are currently closed due to water shortages caused by the combined effect of reduced reservoir capacity and one of the driest springs on record. The plan is to conserve water now with the hope of reopening the canals during the peak holiday months of July and August.  

NB According to current Government guidelines, boaters are not presently allowed to remain on their boats overnight, unless they live aboard. This situation is likely to change in early July at the point when restrictions are lifted on the use of caravans and holiday cottages etc.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

Navigation opportunities along the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals this summer will be restricted due to the combined effect of reduced reservoir capacity and one of the driest springs on record.

Our main objective is to keep the canals open during the peak holiday months of July and August and the Trust’s operational and water management teams are working hard to conserve enough water now to make this happen.  In July, the three canals (Leeds & Liverpool, Peak Forest and Macclesfield) will be fully open to navigation but with certain restrictions, to be confirmed at a later date. This is likely to coincide with when Government lockdown guidelines change to allow boaters to stay overnight on their boats and holiday hire boats to start operating again.

To conserve water and ensure we are able to offer navigation in July, the three North West canals will not be re-opened on 1st June as coronavirus navigation restrictions are relaxed across the rest of the canal network. However, the Trust is planning to offer boaters a window of opportunity of two or three days for emergency boat movements. This window will be in the next couple of weeks (mid-June) and we’ll be confirming these dates next week.

Please be advised the FAQs will be updated early next week and we will issue an update accordingly.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

Due to the recent exceptionally dry weather, the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals will have to remain closed to navigation from 1 June, as the majority of the network reopens after the coronavirus lockdown.

We are working closely with our water management and operations teams to review our options for allowing limited restricted navigation.

We will provide a further update on Friday, 29 May.

For more information, please see our updated FAQs.

Please continue to follow the government advice regarding coronavirus – stay alert, control the virus, save lives.

You can read more on our response to the coronavirus crisis here.

Further to the notice of 27 April, please follow this link to view the water resource FAQ. 

A further update will be issued on Friday 22 May.

Please follow all guidance relating to Coronavirus when using the canals and towpaths until further notice.  Up to date information on this can be found on this link: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-boating-faqs

Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals

To facilitate the works to Toddbrook Reservoir, water levels have been kept at a significantly reduced level.  This draw down along with the continued low rainfall means that we have started the boating season with less water than we need for unrestricted movement through the coming months.  Additionally, whilst undertaking routine works to Combs feeder, we discovered a partial collapse which has greatly impacted the flow from Combs reservoir.  With forecasts for further dry weather and Coronavirus related restrictions already in place, we have consulted with our boating customers and taken the decision to protect water resources further by implementing closures on the Peak Forest Canal and Macclesfield Canal lock flights from lunchtime on Tuesday 28 April 2020.  

The following flights of locks will be affected:

Marple Flight on the Peak Forest Canal (Locks 1 to 16)

Bosley Locks on the Macclesfield Canal (Locks 1 to 12)

To conserve as much water as possible while these closures are in place, all flights will be padlocked closed and the gates will be ashed up to reduce leakage.  To prevent unauthorised access through vandalism, measures may be taken to make the locks inoperable. 

Implementing these closures now means that we can reduce the feed to the canals to conserve water and navigation can remain open for as long as possible for the rest of the year, albeit with some restrictions.  It’s not clear how long the closure will last for but it’s likely to be throughout May and potentially beyond if there is no significant, sustained rainfall.  While the closure will prevent use of the lock flights, cruising between the locks for essential purposes will remain available and the towpaths will be open for the local community to use in line with Government guidance.  Please follow all guidance relating to Coronavirus when using the canals and towpaths until further notice.  Up to date information on this can be found on this link: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/safety-on-our-waterways/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-boating-faqs 

If you have a pending booking that may be affected by these restrictions and need some advice, please contact us on 03030 404040

An update will be issued next week along with a water resource FAQ.