We continued the Macclesfield which continued to be delightfully rural for most of its length. At Marple Junction we turned down the Peak Forest Canal towards Whalley Bridge, its terminus. Even narrower and, if possible, even prettier. In the morning we saw relatively few boats on the move but by the afternoon it seemed that a lon stream were making their way to the end basin.
The canal is quite narrow in parts, especially when there is a long line of moored boats. There were two lift bridges, each requiring 50 windlass turns to raise and lower, as well as two swing bridges.
At one swing bridge we were waved through by a boat which was itself just passing through and as we overtook it we spotted that it offered pump out and diesel so we arranged to meet a little further down the canal, beyond the marina moorings for a 'service'. As we waited, the boat came alongside - obviously unconcerned about whether any other boats might come along! One did, but he too was after a fuel top up.
At Whalley Bridge we moored at the basin to go into the small town to buy a few groceries, especially milk. The basin itself was once the transhipment yard bewteen the canal and the Cromford and High Peak Railway, which took goods further on, using a series of steep inclined planes and stationary engines.
Bugsworth (or the more delicate version: Buxworth) Basin has recently been extensively restored. This is the only surviving transhipment wharves between canal and tramway. The stone setts for the tramways were easily visible as well as the limekilns which once formed part of nthis busy industrial centre. Well-dressing season and there were two examples of this art, local to Derbyshire, one alongside the main basin.
Turn around and head back the way we came was now the only option, with the same bridges and narrow passing places as before although it did seem rather busier by now.
Mindful of our schedule for tomorrow, which involves dropping Andrew as near to Stoke-on-Trent railway station as possible, we continued cruising until 8:30 with the last part of the evening being quite pleasant.
