Into the mountains - Upper Peak Forest Canal
At the northern end of the Macclesfield Canal there is a short section of about 6 miles that goes further into the Peak District - the Upper Peak Forest Canal. Instead of taking the boat there and back (swing bridges and low headroom on this stretch) I decided to cycle this canal to the end. This canal was built to transport lime and limestone from the quarries in the mountains to the rest of the canal network. Where the canal ends there are inclined planes and railways where horses pulled wagons from the quarries to where they could be loaded onto the boats. Going along this canal means going deeper into the hills with fantastic views. The canal clings to the hillside without any locks here. Often it goes through wooded areas that smelled heavily of wild garlic. I wish I had been here a few months ealier to harvest that! Except for the stretch where it didn't smell of garlic, but suddenly strangely sweet and delicious. Google reveals that this is a sweet factory called Swizz