Liverpool & Leeds Canal

OVERVIEW

The Liverpool & Leeds Canal runs for 126 miles, and is one of the three-transpennine canals in England - with the others being the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the Rochdale Canal.

Unlike the other two canals, the Liverpool & Leeds takes a flatter route, increasing the overall distance, but reducing the amount of locks required along the length of the canal - although 23 locks are still required on the section that heads past Wigan.

This was a very successful canal, and it was designed to accommodate 'short boats', which can each carry 45 tons of goods - twice that of a standard narrowboat.

The canal mostly moved coal (with Wigan being a major coal mining region), but would carry a lot more besides - and remained operational as a key transport route until the 1950s, with large loads continuing until the early 1980s - delivering it's last barge of coal to Wigan Power Station in 1972.

This was despite the competition provided by the nearby railway - which the canal was generally able to compete with. 

The best of the canal comes in the more rural sections nearby the Yorkshire Dales, and the quality can dip a bit around some of the urban centres - but in general the route is more rural than you might otherwise expect given the number of towns it passes along the way.

PRACTICALITIES

Much of the canal runs parallel to railway lines and so there is both easy public transport and plenty of accommodation along the route.

From west to east, the canal comes to an end near Liverpool Lime Street station - and runs close to numerous train stations until Maghull on the outskirts of Liverpool.

From here the canal heads out into open countryside, but picks up a train line at Burscough and then these two run together until Wigan (with numerous stations along the way). 

After Wigan the canal heads north, but passes by another train station at Adlington, and then again at Chorley, before having a section away from train lines until Blackburn, from which the train and canal largely run together until Colne.

Here the canal runs parallel to the now disused Colne-Skipton trail line (and here you have one of the few areas where public transport gets more complex to sort) - and the next train station along the canal is found at Gargrave. From here the train and canal run together all the way into Leeds, with numerous stops on the train line along the way.

USEFUL LINKS 

Canal & River Trust Website : Leeds & Liverpool Canal | Canal Map

STAGES

Liverpool to Aintree 

Yet to be walked...

Aintree to Appley Bridge

Yet to be walked...

Appley Bridge to Chorley (★★★★☆)

From Appley Bridge the walk starts with a very pleasant walk across fairly quiet country, before passing under the M6, and then heading on past a football/rugby stadium on the way into Wigan. This stretch past the stadium could be better, but the route improves substantially as you arrive into Wigan.

From here you pass by the turn off for the Leigh branch of the canal, which turns into the Bridgewater Canal at Leigh - but sticking with the main branch of the canal the next section heads up the Wigan Lock Flight, with 23 locks between the centre of Wigan and reaching Top Lock on the edge of town.

At Top Lock the canal turns sharply as you turn onto a section that was formerly intended to be part of the Lancaster Canal, and this is followed past Adlington and then on to Chorley.

This section includes 17.7 miles of walking (17.4 miles on the canal), with fairly limited amounts of ascent.

Chorley to Blackburn (★★★★☆)

After Chorley the onward route turns off the old route of the Lancaster Canal, and the canal heads across a very quiet and open stretch of countryside that heads past Wheelton, before meeting up with the M65.

Here the canal passes some of the small towns that lie to the west of Blackburn, with Pleasington offering an alternate point to join/leave the canal - and then from here the onward route heads through the centre of Blackburn. Access on/off the canal is possible at one of the road crossings.

This is a shorter stretch of the canal totaling 10.0 miles (9.2 miles on the canal), with fairly limited amounts of ascent.

Blackburn to Burnley (★★★☆☆)

From Blackburn the canal is very well done as you head out through town, but you are heading through a fairly industrial section of town, where the main highlights are the retail parks. After this though you head straight out into open countryside, as you head out to (and round) Rishton.

From here you head over Dunkenhalgh Aqueduct, and touch the edge of Oswaldtwistle, before then running along the far edge of Accrington - and up through Clayton-le-Moors. From here the countryside resumes (albeit with the M65 for company), until you eventually arrive at the far edge of Burnley - and then it is a pleasant route through town.

This section totaled 17.4 miles (16.8 miles along the canal), with around half a thousand feet of ascent (mostly due to the tunnel section). 

Burnley to Gargrave (★★★★☆)

The walk out from Burnley is not a particularly amazing one - and when I walked it this section of the canal was heavily littered, but after getting beyond Nelson things improve as you pass Barrowford Reservoir.

From here it is a quiet walk up to Foulridge Tunnel - at which the canal goes through a tunnel, whilst the towpath gets directed off via Foulridge Lower Reservoir. Upon rejoining the canal at Foulridge, what follows is a wonderful section of canal heading up past Slaterforth and Barnoldswick - before heading up to East Marton and then on to reach Gargrave.

This is a better walk if started at Colne, but if you want to walk the full length of the canal it is still a good day of walking if done from Burnley.

The walking totaled 20.1 miles (of which 19.4 miles were on the canal), with about seven hundred thousand feet of ascent in total (mostly due to the tunnel section). 

Gargrave to Keighley (★★★★☆)

From Gargrave the canal meanders round to Skipton, which is a popular market town with a Norman-era Castle. From here the canal heads down past Low Bradley to the pretty village of Kildwick.

From here the canal passes through the town of Silsden, and then on down into Riddlesden - and from here I cut down into Keighley to stay the night.

Doing the same walk again, I would have walked on to Crossflats (next little village on the canal) and stayed there.

The walking totaled 16.5 miles (of which 15.1 miles were on the canal), with fairly limited amounts of ascent.

Keighley to Leeds (★★★★☆)

From Keighley I joined back up with the canal, and then headed through Crossflats (an alternate place to stay over) to pass Bingley Five Rises (the steepest lock flight in the UK) and then Bingley Three Rises to Bingley.

Form Bingley the canal heads through the Victorian model town of Saltaire (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), before passing between Baildon and Shipley. From here it is back into countryside, before passing through Apperley Bridge.

The countryside then resumes heading past Horsforth and on into the centre of Leeds.

This walk totaled 19.5 miles of walking (18.7 miles on the canal), with fairly limited amounts of ascent.