Canal Holidays Guide to the Pennine Canals
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal
Providing a delightful alternative Pennine link, this newly
restored waterway boasts the highest stretch of canal in Britain.
Linking Lancashire with Yorkshire, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal
offers a stunning mixture of wooded valleys, Pennine stone villages
and moorland views, whilst remaining close to its industrial roots.
Distance, time and locks
Stretching from Manchester in the west, this canal meets the
Leeds Liverpool Canal via the Aire and Calder Navigation south of
Leeds. Rising steeply from either end towards Standedge, the longest
and highest tunnel in Britain. From the Lancashire end there are
32 locks in just 9 miles.
The one way trip from base 14 in Sowerby Bridge takes
you along the Calder and Hebble Navigation and onto the Huddersfield
Narrow Canal. This route takes you as far as base 29, near the western
limits of the canal. This one-way trip takes around 40 hours, with
97 locks, so is recommended for experienced boaters only.
 There
is a £35 each way charge to go through the Standedge Tunnel
assisted by an electric tug.
Places of interest
The Pennine villages of Uppermill, Delph, Diggle and Dobcross
present a scene that has remained unchanged for many years with
their stone weavers' cottages, clothiers' and merchants' houses
and village squares. Visit Marsden, an important, traditional trans-Pennine
crossing point, frequently used in the TV series Last of the Summer
Wine.
The Rochdale Canal
Rising west from Sowerby Bridge, the Rochdale Canal follows
the line of the River Calder, rising high into the Pennines. From
base 14, you can explore the length of the restored Rochdale Canal
to its summit near Littleborough, then down through Rochdale into
the centre of Manchester. The route goes through Manchester (as
part of the Cheshire Ring).
 The
Rochdale Canal can be added to the one-way cruise from base 14 to
base 29, making a two week cruise of the South Pennine Ring.
The Rochdale canal and the South Pennine Ring are
only advised for experienced boaters - and a minimum of 4 active
crew due to the large number of locks.
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