Huddersfield Narrow Canal - Huddersfield to Stalybridge (★★★★★)

Today I am walking the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. I had previously walked a short stretch of this canal between Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne, where this canal merges into the Ashton and Peak Forest Canals - as part of a walk along the Peak Forest Canal to one of it's termini at Whaley Bridge.

And since we are still in that phase of the year where it is very soggy underfoot, it is an easy choice to be back walking another canal, with a bit of a guarantee that it won't be too bad underfoot (at least on the sections alongside the canal).

Today we are starting out at Huddersfield, and from here we will walk along to Marsden - which is a very popular walking route - where we will take on the less commonly walked section, which heads over the top of the Standedge Tunnel, before re-joining the canal at Diggle. We will then return to following the canal until we reach Stalybridge.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canalcanal is one of three trans-Pennine canals which each take on very tricky, but economically important, routes - but with three very different approaches. 

The Liverpool & Leeds Canal was built as a longer canal (seeking out the flattest route across this countryside), the Rochdale took on a more aggressive route but with a lot of locks - but the most extreme route was taken by this canal.

At it's eastern, it follows the path of the River Colne, as it heads down from the hills above Marsden - and at the western end the canal follows the route of the River Tame, which heads down from Denshaw Moor (to the north-west of Diggle). 

This creates a fairly straight-forward route through these sections - albeit with quite a few locks to manage the changes in elevation - but a big slice of the Pennine hills lies between these two river courses.

The solution was the Standedge Tunnel, and this was completed in 1811 - resulting in the longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel in the UK. At it's peak, the canal sits 636 feet (194 meters) under the surface - and it runs over a distance of three miles.

For a canal that was built by hand this is quite an impressive achievement, but aside from a few passing places, the tunnel itself is only wide enough for one boat, and has no towpath.

For us today, this is a bit of a relief - as I'm not sure I'm up for a 3 mile walk along a dark tunnel - but for boats in the Canal Age this was a problem, as bargehorses were the engines pulling boats forwards. 

In tunnels, it would fall on men to lie on the cargo and push the boat through with their legs - but a 3 mile tunnel adds a certain amount of complexity to any journey.

And so, despite the achievement of having tunneled through the Pennines, it was the nearby Rochdale Canal that ultimately became the more successful of the two most direct routes through the Pennines.

And whilst the canal did make it easier to construct the parallel railway tunnel - the last commercial boat passed through in 1921, and in 1944 the canal was closed as it fell into disrepair.

But by in 2001, there was hope again, and the tunnel was reopened after restoration work - but there remain challenges to this route, as diesel fumes remain problematic in the confined space of the tunnel. 

Initially this was solved by using an electric tug boat, but these days boaters can go through under their own steam, but must be accompanied by a chaperone. Ultimately I suspect that a shift to electric boating might make things even easier.

But when we reach the tunnel, we can't go under it, and so must go over it - as the bargehorses had to in the olden days.

But for now we needn't worry about that, for as we arrive at Huddersfield train station (which is a rather impressive station by the way), our more immediate challenge is finding the canal.

Here I make a few false turns, but eventually get pointed in the right direction by a local, who upon spotting me doing a 180 asks me where I am trying to find - and soon we are able to set out along the canal.

And in many ways we are lucky to be here at all. The canal was one of those that was closed and filled in, but it reopened in 2001 (the same time as the tunnel), and whilst it is a challenging route for boats due to the tunnel and the often narrow stretches of canal, for walkers it has gone from strength to strength.

But our journey along the canal does not last too long, before we face a blocked towpath - and after a short diversion along the local roads, we soon find ourselves back following the canal once again.

Heading out from Huddersfield

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this section of canal following Huddersfield. And whilst I was confident that the middle section around the tunnel would be very good, I also knew that the section between Stalybridge and Ashton-under-Lyne was a bit ragged - but here we find an exceptionally well finished canal.

And although we are still very much in Huddersfield, it is a very enjoyable walk out of town, as we head on under a tree lined route, with lots of historical features along the way.

Crossing the River Colne

On the furthest edge of Huddersfield, what looks on the map to be suburbs turns out to be our first little village along the canal - Linthwaite - where we find another restored mill across the fields.

Coming up to Linthwaite

This is where the canal walk really begins in earnest - and from here we have a lovely rural stretch of canal, as we head on towards the increasingly popular town of Slaithwaite.

Between Linthwaite and Slaithwaite

Slaithwaite looking back

Slaithwaite looking forwards

Slaithwaite has the look of a town that is gone from strength to strength - and the most popular walking route along this canal is the section from here along to Marsden.

Slaithwaite is not just a former industrial town along the canal - although it obviously has a strong industrial history - and after a local spring was found containing sulphurous waters, a bathing facility was built, along with gardens and a pleasure ground.

But whilst it didn't quite take off as a Spa town to the same degree as other Spa towns did, there is a slightly more upmarket vibe to the town - with a lovely stretch beginning as we head out along the path on our way up towards the Pennine hills, near Marsden.

The initial stretch heading out of Slaithwaite

Getting into the steeper section of the Colne Valley

Catching up some walkers who are also enjoying this section of the canal

A former lock house

And before long we find ourselves arriving into Marsden.

From Marsden you can make the short walk along the Kirklees Way to join the Pennine Way - and it is my intention to use that section of footpath when I walk the stretch of the Pennine Way between Edale and Hebden Bridge later in the year.

This gives Marsden some fairly serious walking credentials, and as we continue on to reach Tunnel End, it is clear that a fairly serious obstacle now lies in our way.

Wharf at Tunnel End

Tunnel at Tunnel End

Here the tow path comes to an end - and even if we could hitch a ride on a boat through the tunnel, this would add some serious time to our journey - as it takes about three hours to go through the tunnel by boat (compared to about two hours walking over the top, and a matter of minutes by train).

Based upon some research (that could be completely wrong), it looks like the old bargehorse route headed west out from Tunnel End, and continued until it met the A640. From here it looks like it took the same route as the Pennine Way does today - until dropping down into Diggle, along a similar route to the current Pennine Bridleway.

There is a certain amount of appeal to taking the same route as the bargehorses, but in the end I decide to follow the leg of Standedge Trail that initially follows the same route out from Tunnel End, but then cuts up over the top of the tunnel - and then only very briefly join the Pennine Way, before cutting down into Diggle.

Route up from Tunnel End

Out along what I think is still the River Colne

An old bargehorse bridge?

Upon reaching the bridge photographed above, the river starts to split into different streams coming down from the hills. 

If we head over this bridge and turn right that will take us on that previously discussed route (to meet up with the Pennnie Way over by the A640), but here I stick with the spirit of adventure - and cross a slightly deeper than hoped for ford - to take a more aggressive route up onto the ridge above.

Out to join the Pennine Way by the A640

View back from my chosen path after a soggy crossing

Looking back towards the gentler route I could have chosen

At the top, my reward for the climb is the opportunity to briefly walk along the pavement of the A62, but I'm soon across that road, and up onto the footpath that runs above the road, along the ridge.

Here we get to explore the area directly above the tunnels, with the air shafts sticking out of the ground indicating exactly where the route of the tunnel lies.

One of the air shafts

A second air shaft

Soon we pass an incline that heads down from the quarry up on Pule Hill (I'm not sure if it was laid as tracks or not), and we head beyond the route of the tunnel underneath, as we track along the base of the ridge above.

Next we have to endure a spot of road walking as we turn right onto a minor road - before then turning left to walk along the verge of the A62. 

But we are not following this for long, before we turn off to the right once more - and start our trip over to rejoin the Pennine Way (and if I'm right, the route that used to be taken by the bargehorses).

Looking back towards Pule Hill

At this junction, we turn left - and soon we turn off to follow the Pennine Bridleway, which we can now follow all the way down into Diggle.

Meeting up with the Pennine Way

The route across towards the A640

On our way down the Pennine Bridleway we have to be careful, for as idyllic as the surroundings are - there is soon a very sinister presence on our tails - in the form of four sheep, that stalk me on my way down the trail.

Beware of Bandits!

Heading down the ridge

The view out to the left

This is a good route down into Diggle - and the Pennine Bridleway is a route I am keen to explore a bit more, as it does look to cover some nice stretches of country along it's 205 mile route.

And it's not too long before we find ourselves at the base of the ridge - and ready to cut across to the canal, as it makes it's way out of the hills.

At the other end of the tunnel

This route over the hills has been enjoyable - although I do think the route across to the A640, onto the Pennine Way, and then onto the Pennine Bridleway is probably the easier and most authentic route between the two tunnels. And I'll have to come back at some point and do that route as well.

But now we can return to canal walking once again, as we head on from the busy area around the tunnel at Diggle, towards Dobcross and Uppermill.

An old warehouse at Dobcross

Under the railway on the way into Uppermill

Uppermill

This is a good area for walking - and I intent to next return here to walk stretches of the Pennine Bridleway, but there also looks to be a nice section of the Oldham Way that loops around Dovestone Reservoir at Greenfield.

Greenfield is our next destination - but after a wonderful stretch of towpath heading through Uppermill and Greenfield, the next section between Greenfield and Grasscroft is a little bit of a disappointment.

Partly this is the fault of my high expectations - for the train journey along this stretch is amazing, with great views out over the hills. But from this vantage point along the canal, we can only see the fence and trees that line the water works on our left - with only the briefest of glimpses out towards the hills above.

And it takes until we pass Grasscroft to get proper views out towards those hills - but as we head past and out of Grasscroft, we do hit a lovely stretch of canal again.

View towards the hills

View along the canal

Next we make our way round towards Mossley, which isn't too much further out along the canal - and it is here that the best of the canal really starts to slowly come to an end.

Looking back on our way into Mossley

Looking forwards

With Mossley now behind us, we slowly start to see a drop in the overall quality of our walk - although we do get a nice highlight as we head through Scout Tunnel - a tunnel we are allowed to walk through (just be careful not to step into any deep puddles in the dark like I did).

Rough rock in the tunnel

The finished break at the end of the tunnel

And then there is nothing particularly wrong with this section heading into Stalybridge, but in combination with the stretch from Stalybridge to Ashton-under-Lyne, it does feel like this section could easily be improved - particularly since it isn't all that far between Mossley and the very excellent Peak Forest Canal up ahead.

On the way into Stalybridge we head past the giant substation that used to also house Hartshead Power Station (which by modern standards was quite a small power station in terms of power output - but quite big in it's day).

And it is this area on the way into Stalybridge that looks most in need of investment and development, as it is a lovely stretch, but surrounded by a bit of an industrial wasteland of pylons and electrical connections. 

Looking up this stretch of land, it turns out that there have been planned developments since the 1980s - and indeed recently these finally seem to have worked towards something actually happening - but even this developments seem to be very unpopular, which might give a clue behind the lack of investment in the area.

Taking a look at the new scheme, it is one that looks good on paper - with lots of parks and wildlife areas - although whether that materialises in reality is always a different matter. But I hope it does, because this does feel like an area with immense potential, and it would be great to get a nice join between here and the Peak Forest Canal up ahead.

Heading into Stalybridge

But soon we do indeed reach Stalybridge - and although the canal continues on towards Ashton-under-Lyne, here we will finish for the day.

It's been a great walk along a canal that must be among the most remarkable not just in the UK, but also globally.

The towpaths have been great, the scenery has been great, everywhere has been friendly - and some hill walking in the middle has rounded off the whole experience rather nicely.

Total Distance: 20.6 miles (including two short stretches to meet up with the train stations at each end)
Total Ascent: 1,581 feet

Enjoyment Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

For the final stretch along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, click for the writeup of a longer walk from Stalybridge to Whaley Bridge.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 109 and 110 OS Landranger maps (links redirect to Amazon). In general it is a very easy route to follow, but the route over the tunnel is more complex