Connect Marple with Slow Ways

We’re creating a network of walking routes that connect all of Britain’s towns, cities and national parks

more walks and reviews are needed to fully connect Marple to the verified network. Can you give a hike and help?

Give a hike!

Marple

Greater Manchester


Slow Ways linking Marple and Glossop, Hayfield, Hazel Grove, New Mills, Romiley

England / Greater Manchester / Marple

Marple’s five Slow Ways are 65% checked

Drawn: 5/5
reviewed: 4/5
verified: 2/5
and surveyed: 2/5

Help connect Marple

Many Slow Ways have several route options. Some will be better than others, or good for different reasons.

Our goal is for each Slow Way to have at least one route that is verified and surveyed. To be verified – and get its snail badge – a route needs at least three positive reviews.

Give a hike and help get a for every one of Marple’s Slow Ways.

Walk to Marple from further afield

Slow Way Route To do
Hazel Grove—Marple
Hazmar one

Double check Distance 8km/5mi Ascent 97m Descent 115m
Hazel Grove—Marple
Hazmar two

Double check Distance 8km/5mi Ascent 83m Descent 104m
Hazel Grove—Marple
Hazmar three Review me Distance 8km/5mi Ascent 85m Descent 107m
Marple—Glossop
Marglo one Review me Distance 10km/6mi Ascent 271m Descent 321m
Marple—Hayfield
Marphay one Pioneer me Distance 10km/6mi Ascent 337m Descent 252m
Marple—New Mills
Marpnew one

Review me Distance 9km/6mi Ascent 283m Descent 222m
Marple—New Mills
Marpnew two Enjoy me Distance 8km/5mi Ascent 187m Descent 137m
Marple—New Mills
Marpnew six Verify me Distance 8km/5mi Ascent 244m Descent 191m
Marple—New Mills
Marpnew seven Verify me Distance 8km/5mi Ascent - Descent -
Romiley—Marple
Rommar one

Enjoy me Distance 3km/2mi Ascent 82m Descent 86m
Romiley—Marple
Rommar two Enjoy me Distance 4km/3mi Ascent 87m Descent 88m

Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?

If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Marple and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?

This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!

Collective progress

64% of Marple’s five route options are drawn, reviewed, surveyed and/or verified

11/11

drawn

10/11

reviewed

4/11

surveyed

3/11

verified

12 people have contributed to Marple’s Slow Ways

4 people have pledged to walk and review a route

4 people have surveyed a route in Marple

75km out of 85km have been walked and reviewed

182km of reviews have been shared in Marple

Latest Updates

The rest of the route, till shortly before Marple railway station, is mainly along the canal, and very pleasant too!...

Susan

Walk this route

A short walk down from Marple railway station takes you to the canal towpath; and at the New Mills end, there’s a bit of a hike along some fairly busy roads to get to the station there....

Susan

Walk this route

Mary Oz surveyed Marpnew seven

Walk this route

We left the canal opposite the small marina, along a step free side road, followed by a bit of pavement-pounding to the meeting point, passing shops, and over the road viaduct with good views over the River Goyt for those who are tall enough (I had to hold my phone above my head to see it)!...

Mary Oz

Walk this route
Marple—New Mills

Mary Oz added Marpnew seven, a new walk from Marple to New Mills

Walk this route

Mary Oz surveyed Rommar two

Walk this route

I also enjoyed version two of the route (which I walked in the opposite direction), although I wouldn’t call it the “correct” route....

Mary Oz

Walk this route

Fascinating Architectural features from the Industrial Revolution including Mills, Rail and Canal mixed in with beautiful and often wild Ancient woodland and River valley. Easy to follow and great transport links and cafes at each end....

GERARD BARRY

Walk this route
Marple—Hayfield

Hugh Hudson added Marphay one, a new walk from Marple to Hayfield

Walk this route

This route crosses the busy A6 and A627 using pedestrian crossings to access Torkington Park. It uses Torkington Rd from where it then accesses the Middlewood Way. Then crosses Marple Golf Course to access the Macclesfield Canal towpath, Marple canal junction and Peak Forest canal. Torkington Rd, is a rural lane with no footpath and you have to be careful as you are faced with the odd oncoming car having to lean into the hedge for them to pass you safely.This route has access problems, more use needs to be made of the Middlewood Way and Macclesfield canal in order to stay off-road. I would not walk this whole route again and if you have access issues such as a bike or wheelchair this route is not suitable....

Andrew B

Walk this route

No stiles, mostly good surfaces, some steps and safe road walking....

Ken

Walk this route

After the eighth lock the canal was lower than the railway and we walked under a small viaduct, then along the canal aqueduct over the River Goyt, parallel to the viaduct over the Goyt....

Mary Oz

Walk this route

Hugh Hudson took this photo on Rommar one

Walk this route

The canal section over the Marple aqueduct is spectacular and I enjoyed the road walk through the mill, and had no safety concerns at all. Leaving the meeting point at Marple station, we head up Brabyns Brow and turn right along the Peak Forest canal towpath (were I being hypercritical, I might say that the route designer missed a trick here, as the corner can be shortened by the path around the tennis club)....

Hugh Hudson

Walk this route

Hugh Hudson surveyed Marpnew two

Walk this route

We leave the canal and turn right at Station Road and down Brabyns Brow to the meeting point at Marple station....

Hugh Hudson

Walk this route

The route is pleasant and quiet, and paved in large parts: it can be divided more or less into 'Torkington Park, cross golf course, Middlewood Way, cross golf course, towpath'....

Lauren G

Walk this route

The steps up to the canal from Vale Road are narrow, but they do have a handrail....

Mark Gould

Walk this route

The reason it's not 5 stars is that until roughly Mill Brow, the route is mostly on narrow lanes with frequent cars passing and no pavement (photo 1), so that section is difficult to recommend. After the farm, you reach the outer suburbs of Glossop (photo 5) and it's all easy pavement walking....

Lauren G

Walk this route

Bear left and shortly find a flight of steps up onto the towpath, then follow the canal east and rejoin the mapped route at Hyde Bank....

Lauren G

Walk this route

Left my 3-star review on Rommar 1, saying I actually came this way - this is the correct way to do this route, as Rommar 1 goes through the mill. As for the route itself, it's quite short, direct, and almost all towpath except for one flight of steps in the middle. When I visited, there were families with small children, dogs, and even kayakers out enjoying it....

Lauren G

Walk this route
Marple

Mark Gould surveyed Marple

View facilities
Marple

danravenellison surveyed Marple

View facilities

Lovely route as mainly canal,interesting local and natural history. Great woods ....

NinaF

Walk this route

Pleasant stroll along the towpath - there are a few steps up to the towpath at New Mills, then there are stairs at the other end of the route at Marple Locks, there's also a snake bridge as the other reviewer noted Being along the canal, the route is flat for most of its length but the land slopes away to your right so there are often good views of countryside....

Lauren G

Walk this route

The blocked route at the north end of Hazel Grove Golf Course has already been commented....

nightauk

Walk this route
Hazel Grove—Marple

nightauk added Hazmar three, a new walk from Hazel Grove to Marple

Walk this route
Hazel Grove—Marple

nightauk added Hazmar two, a new walk from Hazel Grove to Marple

Walk this route

It is preferable to access the Peak Forest Canal using the route signposted to Chadkirk Chapel through, pleasant suburbs and up a flight of steps to the canal....

nightauk

Walk this route
Romiley—Marple

nightauk added Rommar two, a new walk from Romiley to Marple

Walk this route

Alternatively, for mobility scooter access continue on Waterside Road to just before the bridge (Photo 4) for direct access to the riverside path to New Mills....

nightauk

Walk this route

This route should be shortened to reduce the percentage of busy roads used and improve access - see photo....

nightauk

Walk this route

After Marple canal junction (photo 3) there is a beaten earth path (muddy in wet weather) to a snake bridge (photo 4) with cobbled inclines after which the towpath remains on this side of the canal and is virtually flat to New Mills (photos 5 and 6)....

nightauk

Walk this route

Joins Lakes Road, Marpnew 1, at Oldknow's Mill (photo 2), passes Roman Lakes (photo 3, refreshments in normal times, wide, unsealed road with potholes), under Marple viaduct (photo 4, road narrows, fewer potholes), alongside River Goyt (photo 5, road narrows, becomes sealed, new, permeable path with short stretch of concrete where river floods in rare, extreme, prolonged rain), under railway (short, straight, tunnel), bollard after farm (photo 6), path becomes unsealed, stony with a barrier to cars (photo 7), here right on unsealed road....

nightauk

Walk this route

A much preferable alternative is to ascend A626 to Peak Forest Canal and follow towpath S to towpath bridge across canal at SJ 96383 88135. A short flight of steps leads from the canal to A6102 directly opposite FP to Bottoms Bridge. The entire section from Peak Forest Canal to Strines Rd and then FP78Marple is not suitable for wheelchair use do to flight of steps and very steep gradient....

Stephen Slater

Walk this route

Stephen Slater took this photo on Marpnew one

Walk this route

Slightly longer, pleasant alternatives possible if using a mobility scooter, to avoid steep, rocky climb to Brook Bottom and narrow path to Hague Bar. Second half photos follow....

nightauk

Walk this route
Marple—New Mills

nightauk added Marpnew six, a new walk from Marple to New Mills

Walk this route

Marpnew one when leaving Marple Station (or the only accommodation in Marple and Marple Bridge) searches out and follows the Goyt Way slavishly and does not access the off-road route directly1 It goes straight past the Faywood Drive direct, easy access it Lakes Road. Part of the above section of the Goyt Way route used by Marpnew one uses a path muddy in wet weather, a long, steep flight of steps with a bollard barrier to access the footbridge over the railway and a narrow steep descent to Lakes Road.....

nightauk

Walk this route
Marple

nightauk surveyed Marple

View facilities
Marple

nightauk surveyed Marple

View facilities

The path running north from Hazel Grove Golf Course towards Holly Farm is blocked - that whole side of the golf course has a hawthorn hedge along it. Reported this to the Ramblers....

Lauren G

Walk this route
Marple—New Mills

Mark Gould added Marpnew two, a new walk from Marple to New Mills

Walk this route

SimBurt surveyed Rommar one

Walk this route

There is a step downward set of steps around 0.5km into the route, just past Hyde Bank Farm, with a narrow loosely cobbled cycle path alongside it. There are unparallel cycle barriers at four points on the steps. Apart from this the route is very accessable....

SimBurt

Walk this route
Hazel Grove—Marple

Slow Ways added Hazmar one, a new walk from Hazel Grove to Marple

Walk this route
Marple—Glossop

Slow Ways added Marglo one, a new walk from Marple to Glossop

Walk this route
Marple—New Mills

Slow Ways added Marpnew one, a new walk from Marple to New Mills

Walk this route
Romiley—Marple

Slow Ways added Rommar one, a new walk from Romiley to Marple

Walk this route
1

Marple, Mon 9 December

Overcast

Marple’s Slow Ways starting point

Grid ref

SJ9630589327

Lat / Lon

53.40077° / -2.05704°

Easting / Northing

396,305E / 389,327N

Fancy stretching your legs a bit more?

If you’ve polished off all of the routes between Marple and its neighbours, how about walking its whole web?

This includes the great ring of routes that join its neighbours to each other!

Facilities

Users have reported that the following facilities can be found within 1km of Marple's meeting point

Public toilet

Wheelchair accessible toilet

Supermarket or convenience shop

Restaurant, cafe or pub

Accommodation

Accommodation for under £50 a night

Campsite

Bothy

Free wifi

Mobility scooter hire

Off-road wheelchair hire

Disabled Parking

Train station

Bus stop

Ferry

Official ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town

Help us improve this information by signing up or logging in and carrying out a quick survey of Marple