Marple Locks is one of the most scenic lock flights on the UK's historic narrow canal system. ' They have a dramatic, massive feel, being built from large gritstone blocks, rather than the brickwork usually found on the other major flights. Close-packed, 16 locks in about a mile, they are steep too, with the deepest chambers (12 ft) of any narrow lock flight. There's a lot of variety, from the brooding tree-lined bottom section, to the parkland of the middle section, and the top four locks with their sideponds crammed close together near the town centre.

The locks were built around 1804, restored in the 1970s, and now form part of the Peak Forest Canal and the Cheshire Ring.