Marple (England)

Marple is a small town in the borough of Stockport, historically in Cheshire but now part of Greater Manchester, with a population of 13,300 in 2024. 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.

In Old English maere pill meant "the stream at the boundary". It was farmland until 1790, then urbanised when Samuel Oldknow built lime kilns and mills, and the canal arrived to make transport of heavy goods easier. From the 20th century Marple was a commuter town for Stockport and Manchester. Its grandest residence Marple Hall was early Tudor - Agatha Christie (1890-1976) came to an antiques sale there, bought a couple of Jacobean oak chairs, and thought up the name "Miss Marple" for her character of an elderly spinster detective. But the hall was already derelict when it was inherited by Christopher Isherwood (1904-86), best known for Goodbye to Berlin the basis of the musical Cabaret. The hall was demolished in 1954 and a school built on the site.

53.4008-2.05721 Marple station has trains every 30 min from Manchester Piccadilly, taking 25 min. Alternate trains continue to New Mills, or via New Mills, Edale and other stations in the Peak District to Sheffield, talking an hour. Marple station has a staffed ticket office, toilets and a sheltered waiting area, and step-free access to both platforms.

53.3962-2.07662 Rose Hill Marple is the terminus of another line, with trains every 30-60 min M-Sa from Piccadilly. It's just a platform halt with no facilities. The track bed continues south as the Middlewood Way cycle route.

From M60 Junction 7 follow A6 south (signposted Buxton) then A626 (signposted Marple). The town has pay-and-display car parks.

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

Stagecoach Manchester Bus 383 / 384 loops every 10 min from Stockport through Marple and Bredbury then back to Stockport.

Diamond Bus 358 runs hourly from Stockport to Marple and Mellor.

High Peak Bus 384 runs every 2 hours M-F from Glossop to Marple and Stepping Hill Hospital.

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

No local taxi, it would have to come out from Stockport.

• 53.4026-2.05651 Brabyns Park is by the riverside. It was originally the grounds of Brabyns Hall, a mansion built in the 1750s but demolished in 1953.
• 53.4072-2.068792 Marple Aqueduct carries the Peak Forest Canal over the River Goyt. Built 1795-1800, it's the tallest aqueduct in England at 98 ft / 30 m. It's easiest approached by the towpath north from the station past the flight of locks. Return along the riverbank via Brabyn's Park to see it from below and return to your start point.
• 53.3883-2.05943 All Saints Church, 155 Church Lane SK6 7LD, ☏ +44 161 427 2378. Anglican church built in 1880, the third recorded on this site. The free-standing bell tower is from the predecessor church of 1811.  (updated Oct 2026)
• 53.3874-2.04754 Roman Lakes were reservoir ponds for Mellor Mill waterwheels, converted into a leisure area after the mill burnt down in 1892. No Romans were harmed in the conflagration, and the name is just Victorian whimsy.

• Regent Cinema is on Stockport Rd.
• Carver Theatre is at 1 Chadwick St.
• Middlewood Way is an 11 mile former railway track for hiking, cycling and horse-riding. It starts just south of Rose Hill Marple station and leads via Higher Poynton (for Lyme Park) and Bollington to Macclesfield. You can make a circular route by returning along the Macclesfield Canal towpath.
• Golf: Marple GC is south edge of town on Barnsfold Rd. White tees 5556 yards, par 68.

Stockport GC is two miles west of Marple.

• 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.

ASDA is on Hollins Lane, open M-Sa 7AM-11PM, Su 11AM-5PM.

• Original Marple Spice is at 2 Stockport Rd SK6 6BJ, open Tu-Sa 5-10PM, Su 4-10PM.
• Kambuja is a Cambodian restaurant, a rarity in these parts, at 12 Stockport Rd. It's open Tu-Sa noon-10PM, Su 3-10PM.
• La Dolce Vita is at 27 Stockport Rd, open Tu-Th 5-10PM, F Sa noon-midnight.
• Sarma is Turkish at 95 Stockport Rd, open M-Sa 2-10PM, Su 1-9PM.
• Doro Italiano is at 103 Church Lane, open daily noon-10PM.
• All Things Nice is a cafe and bakery at 48 Market St, open M-Th 8AM-4PM, F Sa 8AM-8PM, Su 9:30AM-2PM.

• The Navigation is by the canal at 9 Stockport Rd.
• The Samuel Oldknow is a micro-pub at 22 Market St.
• Bull's Head is at 23 Market St.
• Bevi is a bar and pizzeria at 24 Market St.
• Hatters Arms is at 81 Church Lane.
• Traders is at 111 Stockport Rd.
• Ring O' Bells, 130 Church Lane SK6 7AY (100 yards west of canal junction), ☏ +44 161 427 2300. M-Sa noon-11PM, Su noon-10PM. Traditional Robinson's pub, friendly staff and decent food. (updated Oct 2026)
• Marple Bridge east of the river has Midland Hotel, Norfolk Arms, Royal Scot, Windsor Castle and Spring Gardens.

• 53.3987-2.05671 Oakfield Lodge, 38 Arkwright Road SK6 7DB, ☏ +44 161 427 1633, oakfieldlodge@hotmail.co.uk. Simple guesthouse near Marple station, clean and friendly. B&B double £90.  (updated Oct 2026)
• 53.374-2.03632 Whitecroft Farm, Station Rd, Strines SK22 3AH, ☏ +44 1663 762778. Basic but clean scenic campsite near Strines station. Dogs welcome. CCC members only. Pitch £25.  (updated Oct 2026)
• Stockport has more choice, as budget chain hotels line the M60.

As of Oct 2026, Marple and its approach roads have 4G from O2 and Three, and 5G from EE and Vodafone.

• 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.