![\""Narrow\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2020\/02\/GettyImages-570296265-d67e0b9-scaled.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Narrow\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>A little downhill from this is a curving viaduct, which until 1970 carried the Macclesfield to Marple railway across the River Dean. This line opened in 1869, a purported successor to the limited capacity of the canal, although both thrived together for many decades. This ride \u2013 99% off-road \u2013 makes the most of both these historic routes.<\/p>\n
Middlewood Way and Macclesfield Canal bike ride<\/h2>\n
8.6 miles\/13.8km | 2 hours (cycle)\/5\u20136 hours (walk) | easy\/moderate<\/em><\/p>\n 1. Post office rides<\/strong><\/p>\n The canalside cycle hire opposite Adelphi Mill rents out characterful, refurbished post-office bikes. These three-gear machines, with their front baskets and jaunty style, are ideal for this largely level route. Downhill below the canal aqueduct is the Middlewood Way cycle track, departing to your right (north) in 100m.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the road section done. The old railway is well surfaced and shared as a footpath and bridleway. It soon opens out on to the memorable 23-arch viaduct, before progressing through wooded cuttings and along ledges revealing sublime views across Cheshire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Related articles<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> 2. Pit and wharf<\/strong><\/p>\n Higher Poynton is reached in four miles, where there is a welcome from the cosy Boars Head pub and the cute Coffee Tavern. Cross the railway bridge to the Heritage Centre at Nelson Pit, where the story of the East Cheshire Coalfield is told. Rise up the access lane to the vibrant Vernon Wharf on the Macclesfield Canal, from where the towpath (canal on the left) heads south to Bollington.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0<\/span>Distant views<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the last canals to be built, the Macclesfield slinks through a glorious hilly landscape, easing across aqueducts bridging becks and lanes that tumble from the shapely heights; Cheshire\u2019s highest point (Shining Tor, 559m) is just five miles away. The canal is higher than the Middlewood Way, with correspondingly better vistas. As it progresses, absorbing views encompass the Peak District\u2019s hills, the mid-Cheshire ridge and the distant smudge of Welsh mountains. The towpath on this section has a compact surface and is well maintained.<\/p>\n 4. T<\/span>o the caf\u00e9<\/strong><\/p>\n An easy 4.5 miles brings you\u00a0to the huge embankment at Bollington; there is a caf\u00e9 in Clarence Mill. Adelphi Mill is a further half-mile beyond. Carry your bike down a flight of steps off the aqueduct \u2013 topped by an old stable building, now a canoe store \u2013 then rise from beneath the canal to find the hire centre.<\/p>\nMap<\/h3>\n
![\""Middlewood\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2020\/02\/Middlewood-Way-and-Macclesfield-Canal-walking-route-and-map.-56eddf9.png?quality=90&resize=620%2C409"\" "\\"\"Middlewood\\"\/")
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