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

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

Ken

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

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

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

Hugh Hudson

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

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

Mark Gould

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

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

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

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

NinaF

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

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

nightauk

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

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

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

nightauk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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