To t'mill on the Macclesfield

We moved for the weekend today

It is glorious, hot and sunny and perfect cruising weather! So off we set, to find a lovely mooring for the weekend! The workmen were opening the towpath for the weekend walkers too.

towpath openThe open gate on the left is the way down to Bollington

Our next "mill encounter" after Adelphi Mill was Clarence Mill. Like Adelphi Mill, a later Swindell Mill, it was built for the silk and cotton trades. Built in 1831 by the Swindell family, Clarence Mill was the first in Bollington to take advantage of the cheaper transport option of the canal. The present building (built 1877) is not the original but is still pretty impressive.

moorings and millClarence Mill and moorings before it

The mill closed in 1970 and was refurbished in the 1990s. There is a "new" footbridge over the canal, enabling visitors to get to the café, Discovery Centre and the manufacturing units, offices and apartments the old mill now houses.

Clarence MillMill and wharf

We decided not to stop and carried on through an isolated stretch of the Macclesfield Canal. However it was tick-over for a lot of the time, as there were narrowboats moored fairly frequently! Some of the moorings were in the shady areas - much cooler today!

When we got to Mitchells Bridge (17), I thought for a minute we had somehow changed canals! It is very reminiscent of some of the northern Trent and Mersey Bridges. We met an Anglo Welsh hire boat here, who let us through. As we looked back, we saw the helmsman in an unusual pose!

Mitchells BridgeWas this triumph after navigating by us and under the bridge?

I took another double take at the next bridge too. Despite the wider canal this could be White Bridge - click on camera - on the Llangollen!

footbridgeHag Footbridge (16)

Time to moor up soon, said John, so I went down and into the bow to prepare! The canal opened out and we moored just before the winding hole between Hag footbridge and Brownhills Bridge (15). We have a view of fields to our SE, ideal for the TV signal! The next corner is the beginning of the popular moorings at Higher Poynton - the area is worth an explore on foot, I think!

Macclesfield Canal, Adelphi Wharf Bollington to south of Higher Poynton

2 hours 10 minutes, 4.33 miles, 0 locks

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