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ROMILEY

Chadkirk, Marple and the Peak Forest Canal

Nature

7.41 kmabout 2 hrs 15 minDifficulty: Easy

Includes gates, including a kissing gate, a footbridge and steps by the canal tunnel. The riverside path can be very muddy after rain, so wear walking shoes or boots. Not suitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs.

A longer loop from Romiley Station, past Chadkirk Chapel and along the River Goyt, up through Marple and back along the Peak Forest Canal, past the locks and across Marple Aqueduct. Takes 2 to 2.5 hours, with no steep climbs.

Download route (GPX)

Along the way

  1. Romiley Station

    From the station entrance, cross the road and go down Church Lane, to the right of the Romiley Arms. Stay on it as it becomes Chadkirk Road, sloping gently downhill and passing under the Peak Forest Canal.

  2. Chadkirk Chapel

    Keep to the road past the chapel on your left, using the walkway on the right. At the gate at its end, by the Alan Newton Way sign, turn left and go through a kissing gate. A wooden sign points to Chadkirk Bridge. Cross this footbridge over the River Goyt, turn left and follow the path along the south bank, which can be very muddy after rain.

  3. Dale Road

    The riverside path joins Dale Road, which climbs through woodland and a housing estate, past Nab Lane, Treetops Close and The Turnpike. At Bowden Lane turn left over the railway bridge, then left onto Seven Stiles Drive and second right onto Aspenwood Close. At the end, opposite Marple Cricket Club, turn left onto a path through the estate. It passes allotments, crosses a road and ends facing Grosvenor Road.

  4. Lock 7, Peak Forest Canal

    At the end of Grosvenor Road, take the path over the canal at Lock 7 and turn left onto the towpath. Follow the canal down past the locks and across the aqueduct. When you reach the canal tunnel, go up the steps and carry on with Hyde Bank Farm on your left.

  5. Hyde Bank and Oakwood Road

    Rather than rejoining the canal, carry on along Oakwood Road past the Board Mill, then through St Chad's churchyard and back to the station.

About this walk

This walk passes Chadkirk Chapel, whose oldest part, the half-timbered east end, very probably dates from the 16th century. It was substantially rebuilt in stone in 1747, restored in 1995 and is now open as a visitor attraction.

Beyond the chapel, Alan Newton Way is named after Alan Newton from Stockport, who won bronze in the cycling team pursuit at the 1952 Olympic Games.

Near the end of the walk you come back past the Board Mill. Oakwood Mill opened in 1877 and was originally a cotton spinning mill.

Based on the Friends of Romiley Station's booklet of walks.