Canal Holidays Guide to the
Pennine Canals

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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.