Marple (England)

Marple is a small town in the borough of Stockport, historically in Cheshire but now part of Greater Manchester. Agatha Christie often travelled this way, and named her character "Miss Marple" after her train was delayed here. The main reason to visit is to explore the canal, which ascends from Ashton by a flight of locks and crosses the river on a fine aqueduct.

By train
Trains run twice an hour from Manchester Piccadilly to (25 min) and continue to New Mills, and hourly via Edale in the Peak District to Sheffield (one hour).

They also run twice an hour from Piccadilly to (30 min) which is the end of that line. The track bed continues south as the Middlewood Way cycle route.

By bus
Marple doesn't have long-distance coaches, or direct buses to central Manchester, use the train.

Stagecoach Bus 383 / 384 loops every 15-30 min from Stockport through Marple and Bredbury then back to Stockport.

Bus 358 runs hourly from Stockport to Marple, New Mills and Hayfield (not to be confused with nearby Hadfield).

High Peak Bus 384 runs every 2 hours between Glossop, Marple and Stepping Hill Hospital.

By car
On A626 Stockport–Glossop road; from M60 Junction 7 follow A6 south (signposted Buxton) then A626 (signposted Marple). Various pay-and-display car parks (30p per 2 hours, £1.50 per day). There is free parking at Co-operative store.

Get around
The village is small and walkable. You can follow the riverside all the way up to New Mills.

Do

 * The Cheshire Ring is a circuit of six canals through rural Cheshire, the edge of the Peak District, and Greater Manchester. It's 97 miles (156 km) with 92 locks and takes a week to get around, so you can hire a narrowboat at several locations, putter round the circuit, then return the boat at your starting point. It needs to be a narrowboat because many sections, including the Peak Forest Canal from Ashton-under-Lyne up to Marple, are along narrow canals, where boats may not exceed 7 foot beam. Check navigation status with the Canal & River Trust.
 * The Cheshire Ring is a circuit of six canals through rural Cheshire, the edge of the Peak District, and Greater Manchester. It's 97 miles (156 km) with 92 locks and takes a week to get around, so you can hire a narrowboat at several locations, putter round the circuit, then return the boat at your starting point. It needs to be a narrowboat because many sections, including the Peak Forest Canal from Ashton-under-Lyne up to Marple, are along narrow canals, where boats may not exceed 7 foot beam. Check navigation status with the Canal & River Trust.
 * The Cheshire Ring is a circuit of six canals through rural Cheshire, the edge of the Peak District, and Greater Manchester. It's 97 miles (156 km) with 92 locks and takes a week to get around, so you can hire a narrowboat at several locations, putter round the circuit, then return the boat at your starting point. It needs to be a narrowboat because many sections, including the Peak Forest Canal from Ashton-under-Lyne up to Marple, are along narrow canals, where boats may not exceed 7 foot beam. Check navigation status with the Canal & River Trust.

Buy
The main shopping street is the pedestrianised Market Street, with a good range of independent shops plus a few of the usual chain stores.

Drink

 * Norfolk Arms, Royal Scot and Windsor Castle are three pubs near the canal bank at Marple Bridge.
 * Norfolk Arms, Royal Scot and Windsor Castle are three pubs near the canal bank at Marple Bridge.

Sleep

 * Another B&B owner in town has had his head turned for the worse by appearing on the TV game show Four in a Bed.
 * With your own transport you might do better in Stockport, where budget chain hotels line the M60.
 * With your own transport you might do better in Stockport, where budget chain hotels line the M60.

Go next

 * Stockport has a museum of its days making silk hats, a network of underground shelters and bunkers, and Bramhall Hall. Lyme Park is a few miles south in Cheshire.
 * Manchester for big city attractions.
 * The Peak District is easily reached by the trains towards Sheffield, which plunge through a long tunnel to re-emerge in Edale. Hiking trails lead off from the small stations along the way.