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Marple Locks – Roman Lakes, Marple loop from Marple

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Hiking trails & Routes

Marple Locks – Roman Lakes, Marple loop from Marple

Moderate

4.8

(51)

204

hikers

Marple Locks – Roman Lakes, Marple loop from Marple

02:28

8.90km

160m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: April 30, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

2.41 km

Marple Locks

Highlight • Trail

The flight of 16 locks on the Peak Forest Canal at Marple is one of the steepest in Britain. Completed in 1804, the locks fell into disrepair in the 1960s with the end of commercial carrying. However, a successful campaign to preserve the Cheshire Ring saw them restored and reopened in 1974.

Tip by

2.54 km

Oldknow's Lime Kilns

Highlight • Historical Site

marple.website/local-history/samuel-oldknow/marple-lime-kilns.html

Tip by

4.79 km

Roman Bridge (Packhorse Bridge), Marple

Highlight • Historical Site

This charming stone packhorse bridge spans the River Goyt. Despite its name, it was not built by the Romans but constructed in the 1700s for horse crossings.

Tip by

4.85 km

Roman Bridge (Windy Bottom Bridge)

Highlight • Historical Site

Despite its name the bridge was not actually built by the Romans,but is thought to have been constructed in the 1700's, and originated as a Pack Horse Brudge. Until the 1860's the bridge was known as Windy Bottom Bridge. It was only when the railway came into the vicinity and Manchester folk became frequent visitors that it got rechristened Roman Bridge which was certainly more "Romantic" and even shorter and sweeter. Until then the Lakes in the vicinity were always known as "Bottoms Reservoirs" they were then elevated to the Roman Lakes.

Tip by

5.12 km

Floodgates Cottage

Highlight • Structure

was built for Samuel Oldknow in 1801. It originally comprised two cottages. One was occupied by the tollkeeper as the road was at the time a major route through the valley. The other was occupied by the sluiceman who operated the sluices which allowed water from the River Goyt to flow into Roman Lakes. The lakes provided water for Mellor Mill which prior to being destroyed by fire in 1892 was the largest cotton spinning mill in England. In the early 1900s the cottages were used as tearooms

Tip by

5.52 km

Roman Lakes

Lake

5.86 km

Roman Lakes, Marple

Highlight • Structure

Marple's Roman Lakes have a rich heritage stretching back to the 18th century, when their water was used to power the mighty Mellor Mill.

Built by industrialist Samuel Oldknow, it was the largest cotton mill in the world when it was completed in 1793. At its peak it employed more than 550 people.

Surrounded by beautiful gardens and woodland, the man-made lakes were originally millponds formed by diverting the River Goyt, which runs by their side

After the mill was destroyed by fire in 1892, the Roman Lakes were turned into a pleasure park with rowing boats, a dance hall and amusements that attracted thousands of people from the surrounding towns and villages

Tip by

6.14 km

Mellor Mill Ruins

Highlight • Historical Site

Mellor Mill, also known as Bottom's Mill, was a six-story cotton mill in Marple, Greater Manchester built by Samuel Oldknow in 1793. This was a six-storey, 42-foot (13 m) wide and 210-foot (64 m) long mill with additional three-storey wings making it 400 feet (120 m) in all. The mill was built for Samuel Oldknow and used to spin coarse counts. It was originally driven by the Wellington water wheel. The River Goyt, and with it the then county boundary between Derbyshire and Cheshire was diverted and a weir built, the leat fed a millpond that in later times was named the Roman Lakes. This in turn fed a second mill pond along with water from reservoir in Linnet Clough. Supplementary power was provided by a second exterior wheel known as the Waterloo wheel. The Mill reached its peak production in 1804, when 10,080 spindles were operating and around 550 people were employed. It was destroyed by fire in 1892

Tip by

7.06 km

Marple Bridge Village

Highlight • Settlement

8.90 km

End point

Bus stop

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

5.31 km

1.25 km

1.02 km

610 m

598 m

110 m

Surfaces

3.77 km

1.94 km

1.12 km

1.10 km

538 m

358 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (160 m)

Lowest point (80 m)

Weather

Sunday 12 July

26°C

13°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 22.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

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Marple Locks – Roman Lakes, Marple loop from Marple

Marple Locks

Oldknow's Lime Kilns

Roman Bridge (Packhorse Bridge), Marple

Roman Bridge (Windy Bottom Bridge)

Floodgates Cottage

Roman Lakes, Marple

Mellor Mill Ruins

Marple Bridge Village

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